Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1880-02-20
THE DUTY ON PAPER,


Under the extreme depression which fol.
lowed the panic of 1878 the price of white
paper, such as this paper is printed on, fell
to 5l@6c. This was three cents per pound
below the prices that prevailed for the
same article prior to the war-that is to
say, in 1860. While the improvements
that have been introduced within the last
ten years in connection with theimanuiact
ure ol paper would cheaper the article, yet
il was not to be expected that panic prices
would continue; yet newspaper publishers
| who claim TO be good business men based
their calcu' atiOns for the future upon pam
| ic figures In many cases the size OF papers
was increased and in others prices were re-
| duced, while the cost OF composition aud
other expenses were increased. This WIS
called enterprise, aud it WAS successful un-
! I'll paper makers, who had been under the
harrow Tor years. were enabled TO obtain
remuneralive figures for their products.
This caused the enterprising publishers to
squeal, and now they are calling upon Con
gress 10 help them by abolishing the duty
on paper. Notwithstanding the large adj
vance in the price Of white paper, it is still
below ante-war figures. The lowest price
the war was S3c. The same quality can
he bought now for Sl@S2c. The advance
in price, therefore, Is only great as we COM
pare it with panic figures. The advance
in iron and its products has been greater
even than in paper. This is true also OF
other commodities. There is no consisten-
cy, therefore, in demanding revision of
the tariff as regards paper while retaining
it as regards other articles. There is 10
good reason why publishers should be
singled out as a class 10 be favored above
all other classes, and as we oppose tariff
tinkering and financial tinkering in every
shape, we are opposed to Il change in the
duty on paper.
Newspaper publishers have been cutting
each others throats. They have been fur
nishing more reading matter than the peo-
pie called l"r or were willing to pay for.
II readers are willing to pay for blanket
sheet and blanket supplements, publishers
,cdn advance The prize. Some publishers
have advanced the price. ii subscribers
viii stand his il is all we'll. ii not, the
other way is tu give the people what they
are willing to pay for. In one or the oih,r
Of these ways publishers can protect them,
selves aud they need not fly to Congress for
relief
The talk about taxing knowledge is all
humbug. Every duty levied for The sup
port Of the government is Il tax upon in
duStry, and all duties, or nearly all, are
protection TO home labor. To ask repeal
OF the duty on paper, therefore, is to ask
that publishers as a class be specially fa-
vored by the government. There isno rea-
son in this, and therefore the demand
should not be acceded to.
The paper makers have no doubt gone too
fast in advancing prices. So have the iron
men, and so have the managers OF other
branches of industry; but the laws of trade
will come in TO correct all this. High
prices always serve to reduce consumption
and stimulate production, and thus prices
are equalized.
In rcgrrd TO the duty on chemicals
which are not produced in this country,
and which enter largely into the nlanufact-
ure of paper, it would he good policy to
reduce or abolish the duty. That would en-
able our paper makers to compete success
fully with the manufacturers of Europe.
This would be n move in the right di-
rection, because it would promote the in
tercsts OF an important branch OF home
industry.
For the rest, newspaper publishers
should be permitted to take care of them
| selves. What they most want is COM
mon sense, rather than Congressional guard
ianship.