The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-03-02
"rHE MCKINLEY BILL"

The tariff monopoly is attracting
more and more attention, and will un-
til honest Indignation on the part of the
people who are plundered, shall arouse
to action and Overwhelm at the polls
and in Congress the monopoly plunder-
ers and their willing instruments.
Farmers and others will appreciate
the following circular which we re-
ceived yesterday and which explains it
self. The infamy of the Mckinley
scheme of plunder will be seen by a
careful reading. 1t would seem that
our Congressman is not trying to serve
the industrious and business public, but
the few .mOnopOlists that scheme for
plunder. But read the circular:
MANUF'Rs' EQUITABLE Asso'N,
Room %, Music HALL BUILDING,
CHICAGO, February q, 1882.
DEAR SIR-The report comes from
Washington that the Ways and Means
Committee of the House of Representa-
tives propose to introduce bill (knOwn
as the Mckinley advancing the tariff
rate on steel blooms, bale ties, and steel
rods, to 215 cents per pound specific
duty. The articles above enumerated
have been heretofore admitted, by rul-
ing of the Treasury Department, at an
ad valOrem duty of 30 per cent. By
computation the consumer will dis
cover that $4,000 per ton will be added
to the present duty as named above
against him. These staples of steel
manufacture in this country have been
allowed to come in as unfinished, and
therefore, not classified because it was
or f,v fhn INT Of or
manufacturers (until nOw) to have
these crude articles classified on the
tariff list, they not having the necessary
cOnYerters and appliances to produce
BessemeT steel. Blooms, steel rods and
bale ties were not known to our tariff
system when organized as at present.
Later on these articles of commerce
were produced, and the question arose,
should they be imported into this cOun-
try as ingOts. As ingOts they were to
be charged at the rate of 215 cents per
pound, or $54.OO per ton. As articles
of manufactured steel they would
come in at or about nine dollars per
ton.
The virtual effect of the Mckinley
bill, if it becomes law, would be to
throw the whole business of producing
steel blooms, bale ties, and steel rods of
this country into the hands of the own
ers of plants of the Bessemer process.
The above is mere outline of the
scope which the Mckinley OUTRAGE pro-
poses to inhict on our too much PRO-
TECTED iron and steel industries. The
use of wire in the manufacture of barb
wire has grown from mere nothing in
1864 to $4,000 tons per annum, and the
increased consumption for telegraph,
telephone and other purposes has un-
dOubtedly doubled in the last few years.
The Bessemer plants can not fill their
orders for steel rails before January
1st, 1888.
To manufacturers of Barb Wire Fenc-
ing, as well as the consumers of their
product, it is of vital Importance that
every means within their power should
be resOrted to, to strangle this iniqui-
tOus bill in its inception. We therefore
call upon you, as well as the people of
public sentiment against it, and bring
such local influences to bear upon your
Representatives in Congress as shall
make them think twice before they vote
to increase the burden of taxation upon
articles of prime necessity, in the inter
est of a few mOnOpOlists. We invite
cOTre~ pOHdence upon this matter, so
that an organized effort can be made
for the interest of the many as against
Une rev. we are SIT,
Respectfully yours,
The MANUF'RS EQUITABLE ASSO'N.
Farmers in this county and district
should either join in petitiOning Con-
gress or send individual letters to Con-
gresham Mckinley. Republican far
mers, as well as others, are interested
in this question. Barb wire fencing
has come into general use and is rap
idly on the increase. In fact, people in
general are interested in fair trade and
equal justice.