The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1882-11-24
A Proposed Business Scare.

IL Is difficult 10 see why an attempt
to create a business scare on the tariff
question, which failed in its object be-
fore the election, should be revived
again, now that the election is passed
The price of steel rails has been steadi-
ly declining for some time, until it has
reached S45 a ton in Chicago, and the
Scranton company has cut down to
$42 The alarming statement has been
made that cause Of the present stagna
tion in the trade Is the fear that the Demo
cratic congress will repeal the duty on
iron. 1t is strange that the result of the
election should produce such fear when
months before hand there was decline
in the trade, and many leading manu-
facturers were delberating whether to
shut down their mills. or reduce wages
1t was but few years ago that the
price of iron declined lower than ever
before, and at time too, when the
majority in Congress was Republi
can. Was that because of the fear
that Congress would reduce the duty,
or was it simply because the building,
of railroads ceased, and the supply was
greater than the demand 1t was the
latter, and that is the case now. many
leading iron men ascrlbe the present
situation to the overstocked market,
and those who talk about closing their
mills. not wishing to accumulate a sur
plus stock in the face of a democratic
Congress, place themselves in a ridicu-
lous light. The Harrisburg Patriot
says on the question:
"Ar act which, on such pretext,
throws a large number of workmen
out of employment just when the hard
ships of winter are so near, is subject
to the suspicion of having been inspired
by an intention of making political
capital for the Republican party on the
tariff question. The idea that any cor
poration would make such an effort
thus early, to the direct injury of its
own interests and the depletion of its
treasury, is absurd in he extreme. 1t
must be plain, therefore, that the real
cause for closing the mills has not been
given but is concealed for some ulteri-
or and sinister purpose. 1t is appar-
emily only the beginning of scheme
to raise another such business scare as
was created in the Hancock campaign.
The republican party should take war
ming from the fate of Boss Cameron,
who attempted this year to bolster him
self and his methods by similar trick.
Pennsylvania is a tariff state and a
scare Of that kind could be made effec-
tive here if any where. But the peo-
Pile at the polls on election day most
emphatically condemned the sham and
refused to be again deceived by it.
The voters of the state would not be
led astray by any false issues but held
steadily to their purpose of restoring
the democratic party to power. They
recognized the fact that the tariff needs
careful and judicious revision and
knew by experience that they could ex
pect no work of that kind from the
republican party. Therefore they will
not be frightened now by any bug
bear of the sort attributed to the cor
poration in question but viii calmly
await the action of the next
congress in the well grounded
belief that the tariff and federal tax
alton generally will be so adjusted as
to result to the benefit and not to the
iniury of the country II