The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1882-08-03

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articles. Take spool thread as ar
example. Spool thread costs in
England Is cents a dozen. Here il
sells for so cents a dozen. Take
trace chains; they cost in England
% cents; here they sell for rs cents
The cost of salt abroad is 60 cents &
sack; here it is 81 so. The cost Of
sugar abroad is 4 to 5 cents pound
here it costs from 8 to IL cents, al
though the tax is only 8 cents a
pound.
Now the government derives nc
revenue to speak of from spool
thread and trace chains. But the
people have nevertheless to pay the
increased prices which the tariff al.
lows the manufacturer to add to the
cost of the article. These are what
are called protected articles. The
English manufacturer offers to sell
trace-chains for % cents; the Amer
lean manufacturer can make them
for the same price, and as he lives
right here at home he ought to sell
his goods for less than the same ar
ticles can be brought from England.
But the government gives him
further benefit and protects him
against English competition by put
ting tax on the English goods
which excludes them from the mar.
ket. No trace-chains to speak of
are imported. 1t is the same way
in regard to spool cotton. The larg-
est manufacturers of spool cotton
are j. Il p. Coats, of Scotland.-
They used to sell their foreign made
goods here, but finding that Con-
gress had put such a heavy tax on
spool thread they came here and
started a thread factory in the
United States. And now the gov
ernment receives no revenue from
spool thread, but the people have to
pay the same old high prices as
formerly.
That is what is called "protection.n
1t means putting on such a tax that
English goods cannot proftably be
sold in our market, and the result is |
70 allow to the American manufac-
turers, as long as they do not over
stock the market, a large bonus out |
Of the pockets Of the people, by |
giving them an opportunity to
charge much more than the articles
cost.
Messrs. Goats & Co. make spool |
thread in Scotland for Is cents
They move a part of their establish. |
ment over here and make it for |
abont the same, and sell it for 20 |
cents a dozen; and the government |
gets no revenue from it. That is |
how the tariff works. That is called |
neutrality-suspicious. of what? pro-
lection of whoms Who is benefited |
by it? Only the Messrs. Coats who
have moved their machinery, &C.,
from Scotland to make money at the
expense of our people. If the tax
we're removed the price of cotton
thread would fall. 1t is true the
government would raise no revenue
N that case, but then it receives
none now. The American manufac-
Iurers having the field to themselves.
put just such a price on their goods
IS the tax will allow. That is the
Ease in all branches of manufacture
where the business is not overdona
The tax enables the manufacturers
20 increase their profits enormously
BY keeping off all foreign competi-
lion. In some branches when the
business is overdone, the American
manufacturers have to compete with
Zach other, and then the price be-
comes reasonable and fair. In those
eases where the supply Of American
goods is limited, the price is gener-
ally kept up to near that at which