The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-01-19
rARIFF ARsuRpTrIEs.

The Hon. Abram S. Hewitt, in recent
interview with a reporter of the New
York Herald, furnishes some very sensi-
BILE and incisive views in regard to our
present tariff system. Mr.. Hewittam
other things said:
am extensively engaged in getting
out iron ore. There is duty OF twenty
per cent. on iron ores, and would nave
that duty abolished, both upon prlncl-
d Q and for eXpediency. Imported ores
are useful for us in mixing with our
own, and the benefit would be Teelpro-
cal. The duty acts as an obstacle 10 the
best interests of this industry, yet If the
proposal is made to abolish it, it will
meet with an active opposition from the
mining furnaces of Pennsylvania, VIZ
ginia and West Virginia, because OF the
popular ignorance of the subject. My
friend, Mr.. Randolph Tucker, as Il free
trader, would find his views in OppOsl-
ton to those of his constituencies, ana
his vote might afterward lead To his de-
feat at the polls or in convention, where
Is with a full discussion of the matter
lhe facts of the case would be made
1lain. Again, | have interests in the
natter of steel rails, upon which there
Il duty of S2S per ton. When 1T was
imposed English steel rails were quoted
1T $ $50 per ton, and the duty was, there
tOre, about twenty per cent. The Eng
.ish rails are now $32 per ton, and hence
.he duty now amounts to about ninety per
cent. Last year the demand was In excess
f the supply, 50 that the American man
facturers could demand and receive
bout the entire protective duty of
ninptv ppr cent; but with the inevita-
be domestic competition the cost of the
home article will rapidly fall, until, as
/ am convinced, after the lapse OF
| twelve months the increased price Will
| be only $14 per ton, or forty per cent.
duty. | had Intended offering a bill re-
lucing the duty, as the duty was re-
duced on quinine without reference to
other features of the tariff, but frankly,
as told you, the effect Of domestic
| competition will practically be to re-
| luce the price on rails within year TO
the point at which my. bill would bring
! it. | am, however, quite ready to adyO-
| cate and to vote for bill reducing the
| duty on steel rails to $14 ton. This
| reduction would not interfere in the
| slightest degree with the growth OF this
| manufacture. One mill for the manu-
| facture of steel rails in this country,
| with a capital of S2,OO0,OOO, made a
profit in one year of $5,OO0,OOO.
Utterly absurd and ridiculous is this
howl about protection" The labOring
man needs JUSTICE. Let him have JUS
tice with equal rights and equal Oppor-
tunities and free from the enslavement
of monopoly and the tyranny of capital,
and our word for it the labOring man
will not suffer. The protection" howl
is but the scheme of designing political
tricksters who seek monopoly and the
opportunity to plunder through iniqui-
tOus legislation.
This fact stated by Mr.. Hewitt, that
lone mill' engaged in the manufacture
of "steel rails protected by duty of
ninety per cent, with capital of two
millions, made PROFIT, IN ONE YEAR,
OF FIVE MILLIONS OF DOLLARsP is con-
elusive evidence of the fraud that marks
the whole system.
Now, it is not probable that the la
bOrers' wages in this mill were in
creased by reason of these enormous
profits. The people of the country paid
these five millions and thus were robbed
by the act of the Government in afford
ing to capital this unjust monopoly
At all events, the labOring men do moi
usually come in for a share of these
enormous gains. That is horse of an
other color; but it shows that the pro
lection" howl is not really to benefit tht
labOrer so much as to give the capital
ist an unjust monopoly.