The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-08-11
never BEFORE Met WITH.

into a few hands and the republic
will be destroyed.
Il feel at this moment more anxiety
for the safety of my country than ever
before, even in the midst Of war
! Andrew Jackson. when he retired
from the presidency on the fourth day
of March, 1887, in his farewell address
TO the country, lifted up his voice OF
warning in the following language:
1.-THE corporations and wealthy in
! diViduals who are engaged in large
manufacturing establishments desire
a high tariff to increase their gains.
Designing politicians will support it
/ to concilliate their favors and to OBJ
/ tain the means of profuse expenditure
for the purpose of purchasing influence
/ i'll other quarters. Do not
allow yourselves, my fellow citizens,
TO be mislead on this subject. The
/ federal government cannot collect
surplus for such purposes without VIC
lating the principles of the constitution
and assuming powers which have not
been granted. 1t is, moreover, Sys-
tenn of injustice, and if persisted in
will inevitably lead to corruption and
must end in ruin
Just what General Jackson warned
his fellow citizens against, the war of
l
the accomplishment Of
! Mr.. Lincoln saw what General Jack
son predicted-the enforcement of
corporate power. He saw, too, that
the prejudices of the war would be
appealed to by designing politicians in
order to obtain place and the means of
/ prOfuSe expenditures, which, of course,
would bring corruption in high places;
while in the meantime corporate power
would fatten on governmental faVOrS
and aggregate the wealth of the
country in the hands of a few. And
have we not had it? Is not such our
condition now? Let a thousand or two
millionaires on the one hand, and the
millions of desolate homes and ruined
hopes on the other answer.
Enemies of Peace and Thrift.
When the war closed the real work
of corporate invasion began. The ap-
peal to the prejudices of the people
email led these enemies of the peace and
general thrift of the country in the
name of patriOtism-"the refuge of
scoundrels"-to control Legislation at
Washington and dictate to the nation
at their own sweet will.
So completely was this the case, that
even John Sherman. the great apostle
Of protection, in 1872, raised his voice
in protest in the following language:
1T must be remembered that the
present duties taken together are far in
excess of what they were before the
war, and that they have been three
times largely increased since the pas
sage of the Morrill, tariff act of 1861.
Such excessive protection not
only ceases to diversity production,
but forces labor into protected employ
ments. If the present rates of duty
were high enough during and since the
war, when home industry was bur-
dened with heavy internal taxes with
stamp duties, income tax, and high
rates on raw materiaIs) then surely
they are now too high when all these
taxes are removed
What a world of thought there is in
this language Of Mr.. Sherman "Such
excessive protection" says he. c'not
only ceases to diversity productions"
by production the Senator means in
dustrieS, but forces la Dor into Dro-
tected employments'
In other words. corporations and
wealthy individuals engaged in manu-
featuring establishments by means of
governmental favors in the shape of
excessive protection" We're enabled to
monopolize the industries of the coun-
try, by means of which they strangled
the diversified industries in which the
great middle classes were engaged. and
drove the laboring classes into protect
ed monopolies, and for years they have
been and are now completely at the
mercy OF these masters.
From the standpoint of Republican
politics Mr. Sherman has not now. IN
my opinion. and never had a superior.
and but Few equals. in statecraft: and
the one great thought is How will his
historian be able to excuse his failure
10 follow his own just convictions. and
use his great ability in preventing such
evils 10 lis fellow citizens as have been
accomplished by the very forces which
ne saw so plainly and understood SO
well?
Mr.. Shermans protest not only
failed 20 effect d halt i'll the onward
marcn OF monopoly, but SO strong was
the current that he too consented TO
be swept along with it. and by cam
paign il which the ''old free trade
heresy or the rebellion was held I'D
TO the prejudices of the people" Mr.
Garfield was elected president and a
republican Congress in both houses.
Again tariff taxation was to be in
creased. The Republican convention
that nominated Mr.. Garfield and the !
campaign orators of his party alike /
promised the people that the tariff |
should be reformed and taxation re- |
duced. but protected monopoly had |
not so decreed.
A Remarkable Performance
Congress met and discussion of the |
tariff began. Then came a most re- /
markable and never-to -be-forg often /
performance Instead of reforming
and reducing taxation. a junketing |
committee. royalty ensconsed in an ell |
egantly equipped and well supplied |
parlor car. visited the principal |
points" in the Nnited States and took |
the testimony of those engaged in man |
ufacturine as to what duties they
thought their respective industries /
needed in order to protect our labor
ing classes against the "pauper'' labor |
of Europe. The result. of course. was
that tariff taxation was increased. /
while the ports of our country were
left wide open for free trade" in
''pauper labor of which the pro
tected" industries got the full benefit
in the shape of reduced wages for
their employees.
This action Of the Republican party
gave an emphasis to the tariff question
that had not before attached to it. In
1884 the issue began to take definite
shape, and, speaking now from mem
DRY, ! recall that Mr. Cleveland in a
short speech, made. I believe in Jer-
sey City, stated that the power of tax
alton in the federal government was
limited to the raising of revenue 10
support the government, and that TO
carry it beyond this was both an I'M
due assumption of power and an in
justice.
I remember now with what interest