The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-12-27
Helping the Committees.

The New York World is undoubtedly
the ablest paper in the United States ca
the subject of the tariff, Though able
and accurate and pai1staking in every
thing, Mr.. Marble has developed really
wonderful aptitude for discussions upon
the tariff, and has so mastered the details
of the subject that, if the ways and means
committee will heed his suggestions, mil
lions of dollars will be saved to the pockets
of the people without impairing the public
revenue, He has commenced what will
probably extend to series of able articles
reviewing the whole tariff question, thus
aiding the ways and means committee and
pointing OFT work for it to do; and he calls
on the press of the country to study the
subject and 90 to work and aid the COM
mittee in preparing an honest revenue
tariff. In the World of the 23d he COM
mences with list of SO articles, chemicals
and medicines, on which the government
received revenue of less than $4,000 in
1874, and says:
Inasmuch as several millions Of dollars
worth of these articles are made and con-
sumed in the United States, the false pre-
tense of federal revenue is a real trick for
taking about 100000 out of the pockets
ct American tax payers of which never a
cent goes to the federal treasury, but all
10 the tills of three or four men, This is
petty swindlc, but in hard times even
greater swindles in the tariff on cotton
fabrics, woolens, iron and scores of other
articles, and some of them we shall
expose, in order to help the Democratic
ways and means committee do its great
work
In the World of the oath is table
showing that, in 1874, on burnt chickory
coke, copper, and yellow metal for sheath.
ing the government received only SAL, 35I
revenue, while the price of these article.
was so enhanced by our present high pro
tective tariff that $2,5OO,O00,OO were
actually drawn from the pockets of til,
people and put into the pockets Of The
manufacturers of these articles.
II 10 ShuNu IlldG hucllCdu COppCl Cdl
be produced for II cents q pound, but TIL
duty makes the cost Of foreign copper %
cents. But inasmuch as the home-pro
tected copper costs but II cents pound
the producers by dropping the price fror
20 to 20 cents can at any time entail los
on imrOrted copper of 81 cents pound Will
making cents pound profit themselve;
The copper product in the United State
is about 100000 pounds more than ca
be consumed here, Now in order to kee
up the price of copper here at % or % cent
pound, the copper producers during tn
last year Of 1919 exported smelted COZ
per to the amount of 5,l23,470 pounds
besides ], 10000 pounds of copper or
The smelted copper was sold in Englau
at an average rate per pound, after d
Quoting cost and charges, OF Is to ia cen
currency, whilst our own manufacture
had to pay about % cents. But one of Il
great trades for which American manufa
turerS we're aud are famous is making
Cartridges. Millions of pounds of copp,
are consumed in this way--and our I,al
Superior copper is of all copper in Il
world the best adapted to that manufa
ture, Our cartridge trade with Sou
America, Turkey. Egypt and all 9th
countries, has deem driven to England b
cause our swindling, laundering tariff e
ables the English maker to underselI Il
American maker by getting this very La
Superior copper at to ceGts a pOul
cheaper than he can. The tariff, which pu
5 cents pound duty on copper is precis
ly the instrument by which this monstro
injustice to American industry is effecte
The result of the protection copp
tariff shows that, in 1874 the people of t
United States paid to few copper pl
ducers, on,
10000 900 H. at sc duty ......... ...... 2,j00C
And the U. $. treasury, only ............. 3d.
Not even the American people can affc
to pay out $S3 for every 81 which they I
into the Fedral treasury.