Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1870-03-25

on this necessary article, and one
which so generally and extensively
enters into the production ofcomfort
to man and beast, although the
government receives not one dollar
from the millions thus drawn from
the people! Where does it go to
if not to the Government? The
facts are that no money is paid. us
duty, By the producer Of American
lumber, but the tariff gives him the
opportunity to advance the price, to
the full extent of the duty imposed,
and he collects just that much more
on every thousand feet from those
who use it. and, hence the tax goes
directly into the producers pocket
So you see we will soon have land
now have some men whom we may
denominate as lumber master as
well as iron masters, whose millions
of dollars, of which they boast, have
been gathered from the real laborers
all over the land, and all in the hon
eyed name of protection to Ameri-
can industry OF course every pro-
ducer of lumber, who holds the
right to the standing forests from
which such products are drawn,
cries Justify for protection, but to
the man of smaller means who has
to buy his trees and logs, which have
also advanced in price: there can be
no reason for such desire. Sift it to
the bottom. and you will find that
all this additional cost to the former
price Of lumber and all the benefits
resulting from the duty thereon. is
enjoyed by mere handful of sharks,
who need not go out to seek their
prey, because it is compelled to come
to them.
All, yes, says the sprotectionist,
"now I have you" Does not pro
lection increase the value of every
mans timbery' Yes. it does, but
has every man timber to sell Who
in all our towns, has timber to sell ?
Has every farmer, even, timber to
cell? What will the thousands Of
poor, honest and Industrious me-
chanic gain from high-priced tim
ber? Nothing. The gain is but as
a drop of water in the bucket, TO
the loss! Even should the now
mistaken doctrine of protection in
crease, to some extent, the products
of the farmer which we deny is the
result) still the protection ends not
there in it's results, but is, in what.
ever degree imposed, transferred
iuuriously to the shoulder of the
mechanic, precisely to the extent to
which the farmer is benefited! 1ti il
not the high price Of an article that
adds to the wealth of an individual
or nation, but the equality of price
of all commodities, including labor.
Such should be the aim Of all acts
Of legislation, and if so, protection
would not he known in this connec-
ton.
| Under the existing duties on lum
Der and iron our shipping interests
are nearly destroyed. Congress, by
special committee having full invcs
tigated this matter, has now before
it two bills with the object of relisv-
ing that important branch of nation
al interest. And what does Congress
propose to do?
1st to remit all duties on imported
lumber, metal and iron actually used
in ship building not exceeding eight
dollars per ton for ii vessels and
fifteen dollars per ton on iron steam
ers. Congress would, therefore, at
one blow, take off the sum Of S15,
600 from the cost of building 1000
tuns iron steamer! Is not that 3
confession as co the effect duty has
upon the cost of ships? But more
than this. End That where Ameri-
can material is used in the construc
ton of vessels there shall be paid to
the builders an amount equal to the
duties imposed en- similar materials
of foreign manufacture when i'm
ported Such recommendation OF
a Congressional committee should
brand such committee as worse than
fools and knaves.
Congress first imposes by law, a
duty or tax to be paid, the effect OF
which has been to destroy one of
the vital interests of the United
States. A committee of Congress
is then appointed to investigate this
matter thoroughly. 1t does SO and
reports. What? That this interest
must be paid back to the amount OF
this tax! Who is to pay it? Why
as the shipping interest can not at
ford to do it, and as the iron mas
ter and lumber masters must have
their bounty urimpaired to fatten
on, so this Committee kindly says
masters, nesp thy unearned millions
and we, the people of the United
States, through Congress, will pay
that duty! So you see the people
not only pay the tax to the iron and
lumber masters but from what
they have paid to the Government,
this committe of Congress would
again use to pay the ship-builder,
thus doubling the amount of the tax
Now if Congress would only be so
magnanimous as to pay all the duty
imposed, Of every kind, we would
not complain, for soon would it tire
of the job, and fail for want Of funds,
and Congress, too, would favor
free traden And as the tariff weighs
heavily on all branches of industry
using the products Of protected raw
material, why should not all such
interests be reported on by a com
mittee of Congress- in like manner
as we'll as ship builders and ship
nwners2 Why release that Interest