Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1882-03-23

are attempting to increase, and doubtless
will increase, the tariff upon that class
of manufactured iron in which is Included
"cotton ties description of iron that
affects tho pockets Of the greatest number
of the poorest Iaborcrs in this country.
These laborcrs are, however, all farmers,
who seldom feel the helping hand of
paternal Government. The duty on cotton
ties somc years ngo was 70 per cent. I'D
valorem For some reason, not pertinent
at this mop,cot, this duty was reduced to
30 PER cent. nd valorem, which is about
thrcc-!ourtls Of one cent per pound The
bill ianiIiarly known as The Mckinley bill
proposes to restore tho 70 per cent, tax
or increase the duty three. fou,lhs Df | cent
per pound. Ccrtoiniy such tax Is opv y
mite when Imposed upon an individual
farmer, but what is it when AGGREGATED
upon co''or crop numbering millions Of
oe'esI illc.. bale usually has six ties
around :, nnd they weigh ten pounds,
h'nto the levy upon each bile is II cents.
Tho crop Of 1882 will doubtless aggregate
8 600 600 bales and hence tho tax on the
o6 GOO, 900 ties that bind them will amount
to the sum Of S45o,000. Now, sir, if this
amount c. nli be collected at our custom
houses and then covered ino the treasury
not farmer in Tic South would complaiu
of tie tax But when VIC keow from past
experience that it will all CO. or at least
81 900 of it, into the Golfers of less than
half a dozen cotton tic manufacturers of
this country, We can but dcnouncc the
proposition as an Effort to rob the mapy for
the bcucfit Of the few.
But, sir, the cotton farmer is blapdly told
he should not complain for iuasmuch as he
buys these ties 1T 2! cents per round or
less by retail, he sells them around his
balcsat the net price Of cotton. 9, 10 or
| eln's per pound. THIS plausible argu-
mcnt does not warrant an unjust tax. But
however plausible tho proposition, it is not
true in fuct. The price Of cotton in the
South is regulated by the price in New
York, aud the price in New York depends
upon the price in the English market,
which is gradnatca by speculation and not
by supply and demand. / this Congress
would or cou, imposc tho penalty of the
hangman's rope alound the neck OF every
man who dealt in what is knowc tcchui..
caliy as ''cGlton futures" positive and
direct protection would DO given to the
cotton planters in 50 far as they arc de-
traudcd by the gambcrs of New York and
elsewhere But from the influence of the
Liverpool market they can never anticipate
protection, for English cotton buyers
sc21''4c tha prioc of co!!ous as if every
rUS chase were made Of the net lin!. 4
STANDARD trrt is deducted from every bale
as it is weighed, which is an absolute loss
If l.. IL, l,l, A., T.
thc tagging and ties, and this loss falls
directly upon the producer. Hence an
increased duty upon the cotton tic would
be direct tax upon the farmer for the
benefit Of the manufacturer
TIE OLD CRY.
Mr.. Chairman, there is another feature
about the iron iuLuairics of our country
worthy of attention. Iron manufacturers
never admit that reduction OF the tariff
Will injurc their jnvcstmcn,; they always
assert that it will completely destroy them.
Away back 1888 the iron manufacturers of
Pennsylvania pc,tionch the General As
scmbiy 10 prevent the importation Of foreign
iron by prohittory tariff, "or there
would be a total sioppeee anJ destruction
of that very uSeful and beneficial mnnn p.
| iocturc' in that province From that day to
this the echo Of thpt appeal has been re-
vcrhcra'in" through these h,lls, growing
louder and moro potent. rs time rolls
on a few years ago, when the du,y on
cotton ties was reduced from 70 10 35 per
cent. al valo'cm, we we're assured that
there would bc manufacturers closcd up
and latolcr" with dependent families
thrown pcnniIcss upon an unchari,abie
world, and er ui suffering in consequence
lh'f gaunL spectre, lie pnupcr lanorcr of
lingiomi, wns 10 step ri@ht in aud npov--
ariSh Oar cotton tie manufacturers Alas,
."r these prophets, results warrcntcd no
such anticipation Ga the contrary, the
factories were kept busy almost night aud
day, and the price OF cotton ties to the
farmer we're reduced in price more than
the reduction of the du,y, and nobody
seems to have been Injured.
But, sir, this cry of obstruction to the
enterprise il yon reduce the ta,iif" seems
peculiar tic vocation Of manufacturing
When in the fory~fith Congress the duty
was removed from qninne We were assured
he manufacturers occupation was gone
iiiEh priced 1nininr, adu!lcraicd quin!nc.
no qnininc at al we"a the prognostics Of
the future given US by the 1nninc monopo.
lists at that time But what arc the facts
in the case? Two months before tho repeal
of that duty qnininc sold in this city at So
an ounce, for bought it at that price
Subsequently, | bought it at $I2o a
ar ago bought it at $3 so Since then
it was sold for S;', md to day can he bought
for S3.25. We haze beard of no consequence
Suffering, Mr.. Chairman, nor of adul-