The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1900-11-30
REVISION OF THE TARIFF.
ne ss neisries of the Protective sys-
ter Are Getting Anxious for
Another Haul.

We are now hearing from certain
republican organs that it is about
time for the tariff TO be revised by its
friends once more.
When these organs speak OF the
tariff they mean the protective sys-
TEN. They are not talking about
revenue They do not have that IN
mind at all.
Therefore. when they say that the
friends OF the tariff should revise it
they mean that the friends OF the
protective system should revise it.
Who are the friends" Of that sys-
tenn? Its benefciaries, of course. Its
friends are those who get rich out OF
it. They are those who are at once
licensed by tariff laws to demand far
more than the competitive prices for
their products and armed with power
to collect the extra charge from their
fellow citizens.
Thus il will be seen that what the
republican organs referred to propose
is that II shall be left to those who
are practically armed with public
powers for their own enrichment TO
saw for themselves just how far they
shall be armed with those powers.
We are told that many of the bene-
fciaries of the system do not need
so high duties as they formerly did
to shut out foreign competitors and
give them possession Of the home
field. And the suggestion is that
since they can hold the field with
lower duties they, the friends" OF the
system. will voluntarily reduce them.
Perhaps they will. But we thank
them for nothing. We may be sure
from our past experience with them
that they will arrange the duties SO
as to shield them completely against
foreign competition and extort the
highest possible prices. We may de-
pend on il they will keep up the rates
so that by combining among them.
selves to stife competition they can
extort far higher prices from their
own countrymen than they find quite
satisfactory when they sell theiI
goods to foreigners.
Those organs which suggest that
the tariff should be revised by its
friends" are not in the least prompt
ed by any desire to relieve the Amer.
lean people from the wrong OF being
compelled by the agency OF law to
contribute out of what is justly theirs
to the enrichment of those who are
engaged in pet industries.
All they intend is that there shall
be a reduction of such duties as Dc
not produce revenue or enable any
body to practice extortion. and thai
on the strength Of such reductions
their party shall get credit for re
ducing taxes.
Heretofore they have not succeeded
even in playing this dishonest gam'
to any purpose.
The friends" of the tariff mod
OF extortion revised it in 1890. blu
they did not even make pretense
relieving the people which could i'm
pose on any intelligent person. AS
matter of fact. they increased tn
protective duties and gave US highe
protective tariff than we ever had be
fore. The most they did was to dis
| Eul>t NtlN tht 49, - e.'~ -
crease by abolishing the duty O
sugar, which was equivalent to som
rs per cent. and substituting a
equivalent bounty for the benefit Q
domestic producers of sugar.
In 1897 the friends" revised agar
! and again they helped themselves I
: more protection than they had eve
before ventured to take.
Thus we learn about how much IN
. people have to expect from n revisio
, Of the tariff by its friends" Peopl
who enjoy profitable privileges do nc
as rule surrender them voluntaril.
They never see the time when the
can get along with any less privilege
| IT would be as rational TO leave a
: criminal legislation TO the inmates I
the penitentiaries as TO leave tart
, legislation to the beneficiaries OF pr
! lection. The public would fare abo'
! equally well in either case.-Chicae
: Chronicle.