Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1880-02-21
THE PAPER MONOPOLY,
Immense Increase in the Price o1
White Paper-How it May be
Stopped.
Let Everybody Save Their Rags and
Then Let Congress Repeal
the Tariff.
[From the Cbicapo Tribun.


Under the heading of "Savo the
Rags" the Milwaukee Wisconsin
| gives the following bit of advice to
ITS readers:
"The price of paper has been ad-
vanced from 81 to 9 cents all over the
country. Ii this price is maintained,
the public will be compelled to pay
more for their newspapers. Some
daily papers have already had TO in-
crease their price from 20 to 80 cents
Per week, and weekly papers from
81 so to So.
The advance in paper can be stop
ped if the people will save and sell
their old paper and rags. Three
months saving of rags and old paper
by the entire population, and selling
| them in the markets, would cheek
the advance in paper. Rags are
worth 3 and 81 cents per pound.
Every newspaper in the land should
| appeal to the people in this matter.
And they should also cconomize in
the consumption as much as DOS.
sible.'
An advance in the price of rags
will naturally induce people to more
carefully save them to sell, but that
will not accomplish much toward a
reduction in the price Of print-paper,
more than 95 per cent OF which con-
sists OF pulp made from straw and
wood. The thing that will stop the
| ln0rdinate rise in the price of print
is repeal of the duty on paper. Aud,
| in order to compensate the paper.
makers for the loss OF the congress
| slenal bounty tax on publishers and
subscribers, let the duties on bleach
ing chemicals and soda-a,h be re-
moved. This will place the paper
mills III solid and advantageous
position and enable them to defy any
foreign competition, and also to ex-
port their surplus paper to other
countries whenever the home de-
mand falls to furnish them 4 market
Tor all OF their production. BoIn the
newspapers aud the REPRESENTATIVES,
turers are now luiurluusly handicap
ped by congressional distractions
which should be removed-lhe press
by AN onsrous tax on'imported paper,
ana the mills by an equally ouerous
tax on bleaching chemicals.
Congress first levied tax OF S5 60
ton on soda-ash in order to protect
lew insignificant pap-suckimg Sin
rants, VINO manufacture the article.
but hnding this tax injurious to the
paper-makcrs aud operating to the
advantage of foreign competitors,
Instead of repeating the duty ON
Soda-ash, congress levies tax of 20
per cent. on publishers who venture
TO import any paper. Thus bleach
Ing powders are arliticially made
denrer to the paper. makers by 20 or
20 per cent, and, to counterbalance
'hat, tax--nominally 20, hut in eff
feet 70 per CENTS levied on pub
fishers to make the paper they con
sumo that much dearer to them and
their subscribers, so as to eoualize
the damage done to the paper MANI
faclurers by the wrongful duty on
neutrality-suspicious..
1t Is by such unwisdom and yicioua
legislation that congress has greatly
Injured two leading industries. and
Inflicted huudred-fold more mis-
chlei than benefit. 1t has reduced
'he consumption and production of
paper, and III making the cost of it's
manufacture artlticially dear has pre-
vented Its expectation. to foreign
ports. NO country in the word can
paper as cheaplV as this, if the
du'les on bleaching chemicals were
removed aud free field aud no
tavors shown. Congress can alto
sether better protect both psper.
makers and paper consumers by re-
moving the Gripping and burden
some duties 1t has forced upon them.
The Louisville Courier journal
says: We print elsewhere in this
issue an article from the CHICAGO
tribune OH the oppressive tariff
rates OIL mat erals mead -, 81