The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1865-01-31

people which brings 20 money luJO Tue
Treasury. OF course, Congress never
intended such stroke Of public econo-
my, and twill be strange if it shall
adhere to it. 1t is tax laid upon the
whole people solely for the benefit OF
a small ring of paper manufacturers.
The price of paper is adjusted, not ac-
cording to the cost, but to what it will
cost to import paper from Europe,
paying upon it twenty per cent. in
gold, which makes it equivalent TO
from forty-fve to fifty-iive per cent in
currency, N
Outside this small circle of paper
makers, the whole people desire relief
from this tax, which takes from them
without benefited the revenue. And
we shall show that the majority of the
paper makers are not bencfuedby the
monopoly which this tax has created, but
are held in combination for the advan-
tage of a f.w of the largest of the class.
There is a ring within a ring. The
large manufacturers, welding any
amount of capital they desire, hoard
ing their own paper and stock, buy up
the materials in market, and the pa
per Of the smaller manufacturers, os-
tensibly for the purpose of sustaining
the combination for the interest of the
whole Then they raise the price, and
simultaneously advance the price of
materials.
Thus they bind the smaller manufac
| q 81 Il a.I
them of their share Of its inordinate
profits. This operation has been re-
peated at each advance in the price of
paper and the inner circle, who are
more spectators in paper and paper
stock than manufacturers, take the IL
ons share of the profits. The paper
makers will bear witness with us that
this has been the operation of the sue
cessive advances of the monopoly
price, and that a large portion of them
have had to sustain the combination
without their proportion Of the gains.
These heavy firms are they who be-
siege Congress, protesting 10 repre-
sent the interest Of all the paper mar
ket, and insisting on the duty for their
protection. We believe the greater
number ofthe paper makers are not
anxious for the duty, and are not
greatly benefited by the combination
which h IS been made upon it.
And there is an inner circle still who
manage the paper makers combina-
ton for their own purposes, although
hostile TO those of the rest. They are
the strw paper makers. But portion
have the machinery for using this ma.
terial. 1t is costly, takes time to Gre
ate it, and is further incumbered by a
patent. The men Of straw make
news-printing paper, using but twenty.
five per cent. Of rags. The rest is
straw. This paper they get nearly the
same price for as for rag paper.
When paper is 25 cents pound, there
is difference of about two cents be-
tween this and paper mado ontiroly OF
rags. m
Of course these men Of straw desire
an advance in rags, for that forces the
rag paper makers to raise the price OF
their paper, which enures to the bene-
fit of their straw fabric. The advance
in the price Of materials is only on
twenty-five per cent. of theirs, while
the advance in the price of paper is a
net advance on seventy-five per cent.
of their product. On the other hand,
the rag-paper maker has the price OF
his whole material advanced on him
with every rise in the combination
price. He is used by the men ofstraw
and gets only crumb for his share,
This operation has raised the price OF
rags to nine cents pound in the
West, while it is but seven cents in
the East. 49, .ras rs.
And concerning this price of rags
the original gatherers get but -four
cents or less a pound. The greater
portion ofthe price is added by these
paper-maker spectators, and by the
operation of the straw-men that we
have described. Therefore, when the
members of this combination approach
members of Congress with their pa
rade of figures, showing that by tn,
price of materials they are forced to
raise the price Of paper, and are only
making a reasonable profit, the true
reply is that the price of materials i,
the work oftheir own combination.
But these figures do not in Other
respects present n true showing The
price Of nine cents is for rags in tn,
mixed quality in which they are gath
cred. From these they sort all the
white, and all that they cln make
white by their process, and sell them Of
work them for the finer qualities of pa
per. Only the rest are used fol
news-printihg paper. ~ 4
The difference in the exchange O
our currency and the gold, which has
to be paid for foreign paper, together
with the expenses and commissions il
sufficient advantage to our paper-ma
kers. They need no other for fair an(
legitimate profits. The duty of TWEEN
ty per cent, payable in gold, enables
them to add fifty per cent, to the prio,
of their paper, and to draw it from tn,
people without bringing a cent int
public revenue. .miur.I.sVf duuorl
If the duty were repealed, the com.
bination would fall to the ground
Under its operation they have advanc
ed the price of common news-printins
paper to twenty-five cents per ponnd
and although there has been a littl,
falling off lately, to operate on tn,
question of repeating the duty, it will
in all probability, be advanced to thir
ty cents as soon as Congress adjourns
If it adjourns without taking of the du
ty. , Cincinnati Gazette.