Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-24

IL to say. 20 per cent above the highest
protection that any protectionist has ever
claimed That is the issue. that Is the
fight. that is the conflict. and the repubii-
cans are beating a cowardly retreat upon
1t; but 1t is an issue that will not be sup
pressed. 1t may be met by mercenaries
and for a time overpowered. but IT will be
kept to the front and challenge corruption
to battle until 1t eventually prevails,
Foreigner Gets Goods Cheaper.
There Is another issue OF supreme inn
portance. I am addressing an audience that
Is largely agricultural. Name me- IL you
can, a single implement of husbandry or
utensil of the farm made by an American
mandatory that you cannot buy cheaper
any place In the world than you can at
the door of the concern that manufactures
ii. This Is something entirely new. There
may be several of such articles, but | as
sert here now that you can get the price
list of plows, harrows. drills or any similar
implements from Europe made by Ameri-
can enterprises, and in every instance they
are about two-thirds the cost at which you
can buy them here. In other words, they
make them so cheap that they can pay the
freight, and even the duty where they are
outiabie, and compete with foreign goods
in the foreign market; but at home they re-
quire prohibitive tariff to keep the for
eign goods from getting here and then put
their own prices TO the American consumer.
Such thing has never happened before in
the whole history of the tariff of the United
States. and it demonstrates to a greater de-
gree than anything else connected with tho
present tariff its glazing injustice and
oppression.
Trusts Fostered by Tariff.
Now I am prepared to show you that
as result of the tariff legislation of tho
republican party more than hundred COM
binations have sprung into existence pro-
tected by the American tariff under the
operation of the Dingley tariff bill, and
who by keeping out all foreign competition
absolutely dictate their prices to the Amer
lean consumer. l will give you a list OF
them If you desire IT, and / challenge the
entire republican party on the hastings in
this state to discuss this issue with me.
and not waste their time talking about
prosperity.
"Of course. there is prosperity. right
around the United States Steel Corporation.
with steel rails selling at SIS ton and 50
on the Canadian and Mexican borders. Why
should not these lordly syndicates he pros
porous? The United States Steel Corpora
and the Standard Oil Company pays an an
nual dividend five times as large as the
capital of the original enterprise
High Prices and Prosperity.
II do not believe that high prices create
prosperity, nor low prices. either. ] think
that fair prices indicate that times are
prosperous. / do not believe that tremen-
dous and fabulous fortunes around the SUI
gar trust and the oil wells and the blast
furnaces and the steel mills indicate pros
perity l do not believe that the exorbi-
tant profits made by American manufac-
turers under the protection of a prohibtuve
tariff is evidence of prosperity Every one
that is in partnership with the government
on the tariff of course, is prosperous. III
there is anyone that has acquired any de-
gree of prosperity outside of that select
assemblage l would like him to speak, and
then explain what connection there Is be-
Ween his prosperity and the Dingley tarin
bill 1t is said that we cannot accomplish
ANYTHING on the tariff even if we elect
democratic Congress, but that Is no reason
why we should surrender to the republican
party on this issue. We must drive away
at it until we arouse our countrymen from
their slumbers. We must not be agitators
or demagogues but with the weapons or
intelligence and mathematical demonstra-
ton we must show the peope that they are
being robbed then the day will come when
there will be an economic uprising of the
business interests of the country who will
demand a restoration of their ancient
rights. who will demand that monopoly
must cease depressing the people, who will
claim that this government has no right to
tax the whole nation for the benefit of
particular class of governmental favorites
who will insist that the tariff must be re-
yised not by its friends. because that will
never take place. but by those who have
been the victims and the sacrifice upon the
affairs of its Unsuitable greed and rapacity."