The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-06-10
THE oUININE swINDLE.

From the NJ Y. World
'tBefore our present tariff went into effect com.
pany organized by Peetier. a French chemist lost
s1eO in vanly trying TO establish factory for the
production OF the drug in this country. But it is
the American people al less than IL woud have cost
them mad they remained dependent on foreign mar
kets. Tribune.
M. Pelletier, the greatest quinine manu-
factuler in France, or in the world came here
about 1867 to manufacture quinine. He
bought some property up town and CON-
menced to manufacture the drug. The duty
at that time was 10 per cent, and the price
50. Messrs Powers q Weightman and Rosen-
garten q Sons combined against him, as the
Frenchman refused no doubt to JOIN them in
perfecting the home industry by keeping the
price up, and during the year 1853 the price
of quinine was down to 81 '25 and during
1859 to 81 30 per ounce.
The object was to drive the Frenchman
away, and this was the more easily done that
M. Pelletier made quinine only, while they
manufactured all kinds of drugs About the
year 1860 or 1861 NJ Pelletier was offered
about four times as much for bis uptown
property as he had paid for it four years
before. He sold it, and left Rosengarten and
Powers & Weightman to continue
to produce quinine at the cheap rate of 81 20
per ounce. But no sooner was the French
man gone than the aforesaid monopolists
raised their price on the drug, and through
influences best known to themselves had
the duty raised three times in three years,
thus:-
April, 1861, from 10 per cent. to 20 per
cent.
August, 1861, from 20 per cent to 80 per
cent.
July IA, 1868, from 80 per cent. to As per
cent.
So much for the history of NJ Pelletiers 3
endeavors to manufacture quinine in New
York, and refusing to league with the 1Ti-
6aae and its monopolists against the fever
sick population of the United States.
And now come down to facts and fig
ures that have taken place within year,
namely
In June, 1870, year ago, quinine was sold
in New York by the two monopolists for
1920 per ounce At that time there was q
duty of 20 per cent. On the bark of which it
is made.
On the LIST of January, 1871, the duty on
the bark came off, yet Messrs. Powers &
Weightman and Rosengarten & Sons raised
the price on quinine Is cents per ounce, at
which it sells now, viz, So 35, for M. Pei
letters factory was stopped by the German
war.
Why was the price raised Is cents per
ounce and why was it not lowered 10 cents
per ounce when the raw material was made
free? Do these facts and figures not show
how entirely we are at the mercy of mono
poly? Said Mr.. Wells at Chicago
Suppose MIR. William D.. Kelley, who managed
that qunine business In the House, had gone tc
work In an honest straightforward way, instead Of
fixing it up to the profit of his constituents In Phila
delphia. Supposed he had proposed the form OF q
bill granting SO much bounty to these constituents
have you any idea how such a bill would read?
think can give you the form OF it:-Be 1t enacted
by the Senate and House OF Representatives In
Congress assembled, That in order to establish JUS
ticeyou must have that In, for 1t sounds good you
know-to promote the general welfare-that will
! take well with the people-and to protect American
| Industry and especially the industry OF manu-.
| featuring quinine-that the Secretary Of she
| Treasury be empowered TO pay from
| any moneys OF the Treasury, not otherwise
| appropriated, Sl50,000 to Powers Weightman and
| Rosengarten Il Sons, on condition that they will
charge theAmercan people for quinine not more than
twenty cents an ounce more than 1t can be pur.
chased for anywhere else. Do you suppose that any
Representative would dare TO vete for such billi
Do you suppose that any member OF Congress would
dare home and face his constituents after having
| voted for such bill? They have a saying down
| Hast-where they used to build Ships but do moi
| now-when anything untoward happened, that there
was the devil to pay, and there was no pitch hot
| but tell you, gentlemen, that II any member oi
Congress voted FOR such bill as that, when he came
home to his constituents he would find not only the
devil to pay but that the pitch was hot and feathers
all ready. (Applause and laughterV