The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-01-24
SALT.

years has shown the utter hOpeleSsness OF ever
obtaining such general revision Of our pres
ent tariff system as shall materially mitigate
the enormity Of that atrocious system Of rob-
berry. There is SO much capital interested in
maintaining the system-so much cash avail
able for lobby purposes in its deience-tha'
nothing short of some mighty political tenn
pest can ever bulge congress on the subject
Yet there are here and there hldeous defOrmi
tles--warts as it were-on the system tina,
might be cut off without seriously affecting
the main body, and IN such cases one would
of obtaining relief, Such wart is the salt
monopoly. Nothing is more abundant the
world over than salt. In fact, in proportion to
the amount needed for consumption, 1t is as
There is hardly a state in the Union that has
not copious salt springs. Saline county, Hi
nois, alone could produce salt enough to sup
ply the United States. Michigan has some of
the finest salt springs IN the world, and could
supply the world with all the salt it uses at
present prices, If left free to manufacture it.
There are salt beds in Louisiana where the ar
ticlc can be mined like coal and put upon the
market nearly as cheaply. AT Turks Island,
and on the Brazil coast, as well as on hundreds
of other coasts, ocean water cast up by the
waves has been evaporated by the sun, leaving
vast banks of pure salt that are free to all the
world for the mere gathering and transporting,
and in thousands of cases the commercial
shipping of the world would be glad to trans
port it free of cost as ballast and put 1t down
in our ports at nominal figure, were it not
for the internal robber system known as a tar.
if to prevent it.
The salt monopoly of this country ls owned
by company having its headquarters at SYRIA
cuse, N. Y. 1t has grown 50 enormously
wealthy that it allows no other salt works TO
be established anywhere in the United States
except under its own control. Frequent efforts
have been made to start salt works in Illinois,
in Michigan, in Virginia. &C. &c, but as soon
as the salt appears in the market the Syracuse
monopoly gobbles the works and either shuts
them up or allows them to run along fccbly
under its own control Thus it is master of
the situation SO far as this country is concern
ed, and to maintain the mastery as against for
eign competition, the robbcr system of tariff
protection comes to its aid Turks Island salt,
the best in the world, that could be put down
in any American port at Is cts. a bushel, and,
cleansed and barreled, sold anywhere in the
U. S. at Is cts. barrel, is excluded from our
ports by duty of 20 cts. per bushel. The
same is true of all other foreign salt. The re-
suit is, that our people are compelled to pay
from 81 80 to $3.50 for all the salt that is used
in the country, when but for the Syracuse
and the tariff swlndle it ought not
to cost rs cts per barrel Why, Syracuse itself
supplies Canada with salt at 90 cts. barrel
when our own people must pay double that
price for it, The tax on the whole country
amounts to millions year, and not soul Is
benefited by it but less than o hundred "bloat
ed money lords" that own the Syracuse salt
works. 1t IS sheer robbery, Us gross and I'M
ustIfiable as if the money was levied on the
people as special tax and paid over to band
If frecbooters.
We have been provoked into this train of re-
mark by noticing the failure of an honeat
,ffort in congress on Monday to obtain action
IN n bill to repeal the duty on salt The vote
IN taking up the bill stood 115 to 1l5, two
birds vote beng necessary to bring the bill
before the house for effective action Wewant
o see the yeas and nays OF that vote We
want to see who of our representatives in con-
,ress are owned by the salt monopolists; for
10 man fit to hold seat IN congress can be go
tupid as not to be fully conscious of the hid
GUS enOrmity of the salt monopoly, or can
ote against its extinction unless in some way
n other he is PAID for his vote.
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