Democratic Sentinel, Volume 7, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 May 1883 — TARIFFS IN POLITICS [ARTICLE]

TARIFFS IN POLITICS

Strices !—Strikes ’.’.—Strikes 111— Seem to be the order of the day, not withstanding the high tariff prfiec tian given the— monopolists. Genuine “protection to home industry, -not monopolies—will never be productive of "Strikes.”

Hon. William A. Woods, Chief Justice of our Supreme Court, has been appointed by the President Judge of the United States District Court for rhe District of Indiana, vice Judge Gresham recently appointed Post Muster General.

The price of ffmtebes remains the sum-, uotwlthstaudi g the fact that the tax of $3,272,258 has been taken off the match monopoly. Mr. Swift, the head of the match monoplr, explained the matter to Commissioner Baum the other day _ The provision of the new 15w authorizing the payment of bounties on owls, hawks and wood-chucks requires an order from the Board of Commissioners to make it effective in pi each county. Until such an order is passed the auditor is powerless to pay uUt money tor this purpose. Under the new law passed by the 1 ist Legislature, it is made the duty of the Judges to call the docket in a.l estates on the first day of the term of the court in which there is a report due from executors administrators and guardians, and upon theii failure to wi bin twenty days to cause attachments to issue against guch delinquents.

If the toilers in our manufacturing industries were the recipients of the b-nefits arising from protective du ties, is it possible that Strikes would be so universal over the land to-day? Is it not clearly evident that the laborer is not benefited thereby, and that the policy of Republican legis-. lation has been, and will continue to be, should it re ain power—“to make the rich richer, and the poor poorer? While we are not, and according to way of thinking, could not belong to the Republican party, yet we cm < eartily suggest to Gov, Porter the appointrne t of Judge E. P. mond, of this Circuit, to the pesition made vacant by the promotion of Judge Woods to the bench of the District Court. Off the bench Judge Hammond is a republican—on the bench he is the able, upright Judge. No purer-minded, cleaner-handed Judge presides n Indiana to-day. - He was first appointed Judge by Gov. Hendricks, and ever since has been retained by the people of this Judicial Circuit without opposition. We have not consulted Judge Hammond—in fact he is absent—and do not know that he desires the position, but we make the suggestion to Gov. Porter for his favorable action at any rate.

Some time siuce Mr. Swift, the head of the match monopoly, called upon Commissioner Baum in Washington, when the following conver sation occured: "Mr. Swift, when will I get the benefit of the reduction in the stamp duties on the matchejlbuy?” Replied Swift: ‘‘Why, I look at the matter in this light: Too much money has been coming into the treasury. Now we’ll just Jet it come into our pockets instead of burpening the treasury with it.” “But is not the public to get the benefit of this stamp reduction?" persisted the commissioner. "In the expressive language of Vanderbilt, the public be d—d,” responded Mr. Swift. All the legislation in this world is for the rich, but there is a day of reckoning coming. Stand from under I The Chicago Morning News, in chronicling the death of Eliza Pinkston, the negress, whose testimony convulsed tne world over her wrongs, and gave the electoral of Louisiana to Hayes, says: “When she wept in to gi v e her testimony in that noted

case she vas crippled by the treat* • meat she received, so near death from the bruraliiy of her persecutors, that she had to be taken in on a stretcher, and was so low and feeble that her death was expected every moment. Her condition created the most in tense sympathy, and being telegraphed over the country, excited a bound less indignation. Two hours after this helpless political martyr was carried dying up the stairs she was seen by a writer on the Morning News in another part of New Orleans, jn perfect use£of«all her limbs and faculties, and as lively a negress as ever indulged in a ‘walk around,’ or took a foot in a ’hoe-down’ on a cot ton plantation.”

Colonel Bennett H. Young, President of the Louisville, Now Albany and Chicago Railroad, in his order that do work be done or trains be run on that road on the. Sabbath Day, says; “You will in future run uo ex. cnrsion trains of any Jrind for any purpose on the Sabbath. This erder applies to camp meeting trains. If Christians can not find other places for worship, this Company will not violate Divine and civil law and deny its employes the essential rest of the Sabbath to carry them to camp meetlog ground, la® informed that a number of the company’s employes have conscientious scruples against any work on the Sabbath. There are likely others who do not feel so strongly on this subject. Under no otdlnary circumstances must any employe, who objects on grounds ,

of his religious convictions, b© order? ' ed or requiied to do any service on the Sabbath. If any difficulties arise in the execution of the regulation, ycu will please report them to me for consideration, and you will also notify employes of rheir right on cons .ientious grounds to be fully protected in the observance of the day or rest.

Tuesday last Democratic victories were the rules—not excetious,—in the towns and cities of Indiana: Many heretofore Republican strong holds went Democratic.

It has been thought the part of wisdom, says the Indianapolis Sentinel, to -disco nevt tariffs and politics* to eliminate tariffs from politics or polities from tariffs. Those who will take time to consider -he subject tboioughly will discoror the impracticability of the preposition. Politics b ing the science es government, and government, regardless of name, bein" unable t© exist without money, taxation, the means of raising revenues is i extricably interwoven with po itics, with the science of governing ut. The idea of those who would take the tariff out of politics is doubt less to take it out of partisan politics; that is to say, by putting in operation s ich forces as reasoa and suasion, bring all men into perfect agreement on the subject of taxation. Without stopping to discuss the desirability of such agreement, it must be regarded for the present, at least, as vision ary. We conclude tho tariff is in polities to stay, and that just now it is the most vital question before the oeople. It will not down at any man’s bidding. Tariff means tax. and so long as men are taxed they will talk about taxes. If they are unjustly taxed they will protest, and the longer the outrage is continued the more hostile will the people be* come. The people of the United States under .tiepublican rule have been subjected to taxation so palpably and flagrantly iniquitous that in« genuity is pu to the severest tests to find an explanation. If they had been taxed for the support of the Government, and it could be shown that the money extorted from them had been honestly expended for the public wflfare, there would be general satisfaction, but since it is discovered that they have been taxed $lO for the benefit of individuals, for every one dollar that has gone into the Treasury there is almost universal complaint, and, fortunately, a robust determination to rectify the wrong. It is admitted that taxes? levied upon foreign goods which enter into competition with domestic productions are necessarily to the extent of the tax protection. It this tax is levied tor the support of the Government, no one does or can justly complain. But when this tax is levied for the support of individuals or tions then it ceeomes an outragevicious in all its parts and at war with all proper ideas of fair-dealing. The advocates of tariff duties, levied for protection, are aware of the fallacy of their arguments, and therefore seek by chicane to obscure their real purpose. They declare that the great object they haye in view is the wellbeing W workingmen. To hear them talk, one is led to conclude *hat the pampered owners of all the monopolies in the land are the best type of philanthropists the country has pro<% duced; that self-abegnation, the entire absence of selfishness and mer-

canary purposes are their prominent characteristics Tney talk of “eheap labor” and the prosperity of laboring men and women in tones of profound sympathy, as if the woes of workers engaged their thoughts continually, and by such arrant duplicity they have managed to make themselves fabulously rich, while they have created unrest and distrust, in the minds of the greatlmass of the wage people of the country, who have discovered the cheat and are demanding more wages—a It rger share of the wealth they create by their skill and their work. It is by no means a difficult task to show—and in due time the figures shall be forthcoming— that the highest protected industries do not pay the highest wages, and it will be shown also from authoritative statistics that the highest protected monopolies—those which declare the largest dividends —pav less wages than other industries less fortunate in securing protection. And such figures, from which there can be no appeal, at once expose the hypocrisy of monopolists, who profess such a yearning desire for th® prosperity of working people. The tariff is in pel itics, and it is in partisan politics, and it happens to be one of these vital questions which the people are exhibiting a commendable determination to understand. Agitation is now in order, and will be kept up. If protection has merits its advocates and champions will be required to do more than recite them in glittering g neralities. They will have to come forward with figures and facts. “Infant industries” and “fres trade” bugbears have had their day; henceforth square talk, common sense and Jus'* tice. Dodging, sophistry and deception and intimidation will not in the future, a in the past, shape the tariff policy of the American people.