The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1897-05-08

DfngIey Tax IL.
To-day 1 clinched another OF our
great democratic arguments aguinst
Mckinley protection. We call IL the
breakfast table argument Soclless
Jerry Simpson Is the father of the ar
gnment. Ii Is worSied thus:
"A protective tariff taxes everything
On the poor mans breakfast table"
When / met Congressman Dingley to-
day l opened up on him.
your internal Mckinley bill robbed
the poor man for the benefit of the rich.
You tax the poor mans breakfast Ia
BILE" said.
Congressman Dingley looked over his
glasses and smiled. Ard then he asked
me: who said 500"
why, Altgeld, Tillman, Soclxless Jer-
~ Simpson and Mrs. Lease say so. and
Tennessee McMillin said so in his
speech. All of us free trade democrats
say So"
why, Eli" said Mr.. Dingley, as he
knit his brows. you democrats should
think a little before you talk so loud.
Now, tell me what did the Mckinley
bill tax on the poor mans breakfast
table? Did the Mckinley bill tax bread
and meat?"
mo, bread and meat were free" /
said, meekly, examining the bill.
And how about tea and coffee?"
"Well, / see they were free, too"
"And the table, was that taxed?"
NO; Grand Rapids is shipping furni-
ture to England every day"
"And the fish and oysters, and milk
and cream, cheese and lard were free,
too, weren't they? Yes; and the Cali
fornia wine and canned peaches,
raisins and Delaware peaches, too?"
YES. Mr.. Dingley." / said, growing
red in the face. IL see the poor man
paid no tariff on these things"
''And chickens and eggs and onions,
potatoes, apples, oranges and your
canned fruit and salmon-they were
free?"
"Why, yes, they were free, of course.
We send canned fruits, salmon, apples
and oysters to England"
And the tobacco smoke after break
fast-was that taxed?"
mo; it came out of the field in Vir-
ginia--pure virgin leaf, rolled up with
out even an internal revenue tax"
''Then what was taxed on that poor
mans breakfast table, Eli?"
why, champagne, French brandy
and truliles, Cuban cigars, Russian
caviar, Scotch oatmeal and Dundee
orange marmalade. Yes, and my Irish
bacon and English Southdown mutton
chops were taxed. My English silk vel
vet spread was taxed. My wife's Chi
nese embroidered morning gown and
her Venetian laces and glass were taxed,
and her kid gloves and diamonds, and
the four-dollar English Wilton carpet
under the table-oh, it was an awful
tax for poor man to pay"
ut is sad" said Mr.. Dingley, with
an accent ON the is. ut makes me weep
when think the only tax on the poor
democrats breakfast table is the sugar
tax OF two cents n pound. And to think
that that tax was put on you by free
trade democrats. IL was so mean an
act that even Cleveland refused TO sign
the bill. But we will keep it on, just
MS German left il, as a monument-sl
gentle reminder to you laundering free
trade democrats who made tariff for
revenue into q $500, 00O, 900 deficit"
must say to the Sun that Dingley
and the black republicans handle our
democratic arguments with silk gloves,
but they look like skinned cells when
they get through with them.
ann going to Mount Parnassus, the
seat Of all learning, tomorrow to get
Prof. Sumner and Prof. Elliott TO make
us a new free trade syllogism or putty
up the cracks in the ambiguous middle
term which the protectionists have dy-
..n,..iAnL LIZ pnrI.inr In n " Sun