The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1900-05-17
ABSOLUTEEY PURE

Towne ticket must look to the other
classes for its vote, and must propose
to do something for them. Unless the
former more unanimously supports the
Bryan-Towne ticket the dog is dead
indeed unless the farmer can be aroused
to his interests we had as we'll make up
our minds for an imperial government
by the aristocracy of concentrated
wealth. The salvation of the public
rests with the farmer, not with the far
mer of high attitudes of much color and
those of foreign extraction, who can
neither read nor understand English,
but with the intelligent farmer, native
born and on the low grounds, and with
less color and party prejudice, and more
gumption. The republican party seems
to haye cinch on the others, and with
out this vote the small classes for
which the party stands could do moth
ing toward winning an election.
Well, what does the democratic plat
form propose saying to the farmer? As
it now stands the republican party does
more for the farmer than did Cleveland
democracy. 1t gives him protection on
wool, hides, sugar and a few other
things, whereas Cleveland swelled up
to twice his usual size because the Will
son bill did not let in free of duty all
''raw" material. Do you say we ought
to say nothing about these things? The
Lord bless your innocent soul, do you
suppose the astute republican leader
does not utilize these facts in the cam
paign, and that the farmer benefited
does not think of them when he comes
to vote? If the Bryan-Towne, the
demo-republico, ticket has anything
like the unanimous support of intelli-
gent, white, native born farmers on the
low grounds, the platform must pro
pose, not only to continue the protec-
ton given by the republican party tC
the farmer. but all other possible pro.
lection incident to tariff for reason.
able revenue.
There are those, however-retaiI
merchants, professional men and 6
lot pf ~ orc .ybn opo ,,ot ~ D+orng+o1 +,
this fight between the manufacturer
and farmer over protection, and whose
interest it is that neither have protec
ton, since they must help pay it ant
get no benefit. Then, let the Bryan
Towne platform say: we favor all the
possible protection to the farmer 81
long and to the extent that we have
tariff tax, but favor a good income ta7
and the like so that the necessary tarif
tax will be not so heavy. If | wrot,
the platform it would say; We favo
gradually working from the tariff t.
the international revenue system o
taxation, such as England has, in whicl
one class is taxed in the interest of an
other. And that is the only respect il
which l would pattern after Englan,
and Gs near as I'd want to get to "alli
ance. AS to protection, neither th
farmer nor manufacturers need il
There may have been time whel
''infant' industries needed protection
but not now when they are successful
: competing in foreign markets. But s
> long as protection is the fashion tn
farmer wants oil he can get, othorwis
+ he is taxed in the interest of the manu-
facturer and without any recompens
t or reward When the other fellow
who have no finger in the pie, &c
= taxed, let them vote for income tax, il
heritance tax and any other interni
9 tax until protective tax is no longe
F.. needed. Then the trusts will "bust
$ Of their own accord. At any rate the
t must bring prices down to the free trad
Z level, plus the stamp tax which til
S foreigner must also pay.
/ There is one advantage in the inter-
e al system over the tariff system ths
: every dollar paid goes to the govern
t ment. When under the tariff possibl
o one dollar out of five reaches the go1
ernment, while the other fours goes I
p the manufacturer or his trust; for "
. buy at least four times as much hom,
e made goods as foreign, and the govern
! ment gets not q smell of the tax rai
e on homemade goods.
:, You could support the national GO
Y ernment five times as easy by intern
J. taxes as by tariff tax, for the reasc
&c that all the tax goes to the governmen
e And you would pay in the same wa
e You go into store and pay tariff tt
}, ON pretty much everything you bu
e The fact that some things have Cover,
J. ment stamps on them, and others no
It makes not any difference; you pay Il
" extra price because of the tax all Il
IS same. The fact that you have no Wis
4 BILE evidence that you pay the tariff II
is does not help you, your money go
ct Galliher all the same. If we had fir
Il trade you could afford to pay stan
" tax on every yard of calico and eve
Or other thing, yet save big money in t
d, run of year. But the trouble is
r. have the customer understand that
he buys foreign goods, a part of t
or price is the tariff tax that was paid
or the importers at the custom house. I
al importer never forgets to tack it c
II. and the retail merchant must pay