Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1848-02-11
DELIvBRED IN TIE HOUSE, or RxPsrsEsrA-
TIvEs, JANUARY IL, 1913.

CONCLUDED.
THE EFFECT OF Low DUTIES AND
FREE TRADE ON LABOR AND PRICES
Thus il appears that the learned S~cretary's
facts and his theories are always at war
His utopian schemes look exceeding well Till
his facts are brought TO bear upon them, then
they vanish into thin air. Unfortunately for
Mr. Walker, ingenuity cannot overcome truth,
for truth is mighty and will prevail" To
show the contradictory cha OF Mr. Walk
er's Reports, he would here cite a few. out of
great many instances.
Ia one part OF his Report, the Secretary
boasts OF the happy effects OF the tarifl OF
1916, in reducing taxes, tightening the bur
dens Of the poor, OF the "loiling millions"
In some instances, he says, they have been re-
duced from 100 and 2)0 per cent. down 20 %
and 30. On bar iron the duty had been
brought down from rs TO 80 per cent.--from
S25 10 10 dollars per ton; on the poor mans
coal, the duty had been reduced from 67 down
10 ~ per cent.-more than half the tax had
been taken of foreign coal, now, this all looks
very well Tor the CONSUMERS OF iron and coal,
but alter a while he comes 10 speak of anoth-
er class OF the ";oiling millions" the voters
OF Pennsylvania, who make iron and dig coal:
and now hear what this consistent Secretary
tell them. He tells them that the tariff of
1916 is the very thing for them; he congratu-
lates them on the fact that "coal and iron are
In greater demand. are bringing better prices
than before the repeal OF the tariff Of 1872"
these were his very words. Now, how the
tariff OF 1916 can at the same time reduce the
prices OF iron and coal to favor consamers
and raise it to favor producers, is a theory |
cannot underestimate is an up and down, yes
and no operation. which it will puzzle the in
pannIfy nt the S.erptary bina.alf 10 sxnla,,
But, then he has another, aud a worse difficult
ty TO explain, The object of the tariff OF 1916
was 10 increase the revenue. Now, what
has been its effect? 1t has DESTROYED more
than half the revenue arising from these very
articles, without benefit 10 any body but the
foreign I'm porter who sells us his iron, accord
ing TO Mr. Walker, for a "bettrr price, :" paws
ten dollars instead of twenty five into Mr.
Walkers empty sub treasury. puts his fifteen
dollars as additional profits into his pocket,
which, under the tariff OF 1912, lie would
have paid into the Treasury. Now the same
thing may be said OF coal-inslead of six
cents a bushel, the foreign importer nov PAYS
less than three, sells his coal at a better
price" and tobs the difference. Who then
does Mr. walker tariff benefit? The foreign
or, and the foreigner o1ly, al the ex pen,e of
the American Treasury and the American
people. Salt was another article Illustrating
the folly OF low duties, the effect of which
was 10 destroy revenue aud increase prices:
the prices are increased by diminishing ho,ne
supply, and giving the foreigner the control
OF the market, and the REVENGE is reduced by
the operation. Nearly three iourths Of the
duty was taken OFF salt 10 favor the poor-the
result Is, that foreign salt has raised % per
cent, and the Treasury has lost three fourihs
ot the revenue. And yet Mr. Walker insists
that ms tantf tavors the poor aud increesest e
revenue! Tins same thing is true in an infn.
lite variety ot similar cases, which he had not
time now 10 paruCularize; he would, however.
refer 10 one VI two, for The benefit Of the SJuth
the cotton-groweTs, The great admirers Of
the tarln OF loib-now how has IL affected
these gentlemen The duty had been greatly
! d1ced on cotton basging; this checked the
supply. aud The price, | am credibly
informed. has increased from IL cent. ncr
yard, under the tariff OF lsI2. 10 ~ cent, an
der The glorious free trade tariff of 1916. The
Treasury getting less, aud the consumer pay
ING more; the price OF the cotton itself has
been reduced nearly one third, amounting to
loss on the cotton cIop OF twenty million,
dollars. Cotton, under the tariff of 1912.
ten cents per pound, il is now down
seven, and still declining. The sugar bust.
." Notus q idtch even worse than
the cotton. Mr. Walker is him .elf oblioed
10 al nil that the cotton interest has suffered.
sha what Southem interests has not? The
INJURY Is universal, and the suffering mus, ,oop
become SO. The famine AMI the pot.to. -,
had saved, for the moment. the N,r,h .nJ
"es'; but that over, aud III. hooi- of fo,eign
goods will soon sweep away their las, dolIsr
such always has been and always will be he
ELECT oil low duties. Nothing bu, par and
Ja"lns has saved this administrators il I,
now The daily bread il feeds upon; DESTROY m,
war at home. and the famine abroad. and il
cannot survive an hour.
Before leaving this topic, he wished to make
one othef { marx, 1t was this: that it spo-ar-d
IRON the lfeasury Reports, that tn. imoo,t,
iron, coal, salt, &c, had been very little
increased, ~ that the Treasury had ,ytn,liv
lost more than hall the revenu. on th.sa ~
icses' amounting b several millions of All.
lars, which was - much clear gain to IN.
loreiga importer, while Mr. Walker, "n,or
had bael Obliged to nav NOR -,
Ihese necessities Of life. imported from sbfoaI
han they had to pay under the oppressive and
much abus Il t4ntf OF 1912.
But there Is auo,h Z position taken ~ NJ,
an favor o. the free trade th-ory
'aichi cannot LEI pass unnoticeI. MIR Walk.