The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-05-12
ASIDE FROM THE POINT.

ASIDEn FROM THE POINT.
Mr.. Erastps Wiman naturally finds
it difficult to understand why a tariff
on Canadian products. whose proceeds
will not exceed $6.Qo0,00O all told. should
be allowed TO divide two friendly peo-
pies and toudestppy all possibilities Of
that commercial wand political union
which would bring to both the highest
benefits. This sum. said Mr.. Wi
man. divided among the people is bare
ly the price Pf.a Cigar to each. It cuts
no figure In the public revenue. 1t
could be dropped out Of sight without
so much as a tremor by the officials Of
the treasury. 1t is unintelligible to
him, therefore, that the aspiration for
q trade union so beneficial both to cur
selves and to our neighbers should be
defeated on account Of this trifing
sum.
The difficulty is that Mr.. Wiman is
ises. He takes a view Of the protec-
tive system which Is not justified by
it's nature, it's history or the expert
ence Of our people under it. He as
sumes that the revenue derived from
protective duties plays considerable
part In the imaginations Of those who
insist upon them. He is wholly wrong.
This 100000, which the United States
is to obtain from duties on Canadian
imports. might just as we'll be Sc or 6
cents, as far as those who insist upon
1t are concerned. They do not care
whether the tariff produces revenue or
not. In fact, so utterly hollow and
false Is their pretense that they not
only adopt in 1897 as means of rails
ing revenue the same policy which they
adopted in 1890 as a means of reducing
it, but they frame tariff bill on lines
SO destructive Of revenue that the SEN
ate, in order to prevent a larger def
lett than has ever yet existed, is COM
PEELED to add a tax on beer and another
ON tea to furnish US with some of the
money that prohibitory tariff duties
cut off. So it is perfectly useless fer
Mr.. Wiman or any other man to argue
about tariff "duties from the revenue
standpoint. 8r =
Revenue Is not the object Of the
chase. The people who made these tar
iff schedules are not interested in GUS
toms receipts any further than these
insure the exclusion of foreign products
and the building up of domestic mo-
nopolies It is not the $6,OOO,o0O to be
collected at the custom houses along
| our Northern border that counts, it is
the prohibition of entry to Canadian
lumber and manufactured products,
enabling thereby the American produc-
er to raise his prices and swell his
profits Appeals to reason avail little
with the advocates Of that form Of
mental arrangement which manifested
itself in the thing called McKinleyism,
and has now developed into the acute
! mania known as Dingleyism. The tar
if is and must. be hereafter moral
ISSUE THOC tile money &tHdC II DP1nSS
in, but the goods that it keeps out, is
in it's eye Not the improperly of rails
ing revenue by this means, but the
iniquity Of taxing many for the benefit
of the few is the point of attack Leg
islating directly for the pockets of a
favored few who control the law-mak-
ing power is a crime against morals
that has acted and will continue to
act to lower the tone of public thought
and action in this country and to
spread the degrading vice Of corrup-
ton and money worship through ev-
cry stratum Of our social and business
life. Let any man who touches on the
tariff dismiss the revenue features of
it, which are nolonger it's avowed pur-
pose, and come straight to the real
point, which is-shall particular class
in the community use the machinery
of government to tax all the other
millions for their private gain?