Year: 1870

There is wide difference of opin-
ion as to whether the free-trade ques-
ton is likely to be a leading one il,
campaigns of the immediate future, OF
whether it shall be postponed to
some more remote period.


Whatever may be thought Of this
there can be no doubt there is a gen
eral desire on the part of the people
that it should come at once. 1t GER
tainly is for their interest that it
should.


They want the matter settled.
For long time the people have
been under the burden of the protect
i've, and in many instances, prohibito-
ry tariffs, and many have never clear
| ly understood why. They have
known that they have paid an increase
of five, ten, twenty, and in many in
stances fifty per cent. more for their
groceries, dry goods, and other neces-
saries than before the so-called Re
publican party attained a majority in
Congress, but they have never clearly
understood why this was.


When this increase of prices was
complained of by the people, and
charged to the dominant party, they
would be told that it was the result Of
the war. In the fulness of their pat
riotism they ceased complaint, and
year by year went to the polls in
blissful, patriotic ignorance, and vot-
ed into Congress the very men who
made laws to enslave them; men who
forged their chains and then lied to
them about it Under the false and
hollow cry of loyalty they were used
by dishonest men and plundercrs-and
still they had confidence iu these
men.


Now it is different.


The war has been ended now more
than five years, and yet the people are
still told they are sa riiicing for the
sake of patriotism, when the people nre
beginning to learn that they are sac
rifcing for the sake of plunderars.


We have an Internal Re:enue SER
vice, which reaches to every depart
ment of trade and business everywhere,
blightin5 all within its reach.
We have an eXtortionate tariff upon
all imported goods, and much that is
not reported. In the case of the first
mentioned, this tariff is frequently so
high as totally to prevent the import
ing of the goods, and the Government
gets none of the benefit from the tariff,
while the manufacturer of that par
tieular goods is enabled to fix a price
up to the utmost limit, and there is no
escape, for the poor victim who is un-
fortunately a consumer, is compelled
to submit to it.


The advocates of the protective tar
iff have attempted to dupe the people
into the belief that it was necessary
as revenue measure, but the people
are becoming aware of the very indis-
putable fact that there certainly can
be no revenue from this source when
the duty has been fixed so high as to
prevent the importation of foreign
goods. Without importations there
can be no revenue. With a prohibi-
tory tariff there can be no importa-
tions.


This fact is being rapidly developed
to the people.


The nonsense of s1oyalty" and Gre
suit of the war;" is no longer current
with them. They understand that
this tariff is made for the benefit of
the few who have grown more and
more wealthy each year under the
protection OF the class-legislation of a
Republican Congress. They know
that the money which has enriched the
manufacturer has been drawn from
the mechanic, the laborer, and the