The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-09-15
TARIFF COMPARISON.
The Principles of the Two Poll
tical Parties Compared.
Justice the Democratic Crown Of Glory
Statistics as to the Enormous
Profits on Steel Rails.

the wool question at Mt. Vernon lately;
and as there seems to be so little known
of the true facts in the matter, we take
occasion to make some remarks in point.
The Major says the tariff of 1916 was
the true offspring of a living Demo-
eracy." True 1t was, and is, a living
Democracy. Democracy never dies The
living spirit of justice and equality Is
immortal. AS long as the struggle for
justice and equality is carried on by the
masses against the powerful and con-
spring few, so long will Democracy sur
viVe, and that will be till time ceases
and eternity begins.
of living Democracy, the embodiment
of its living spirit, and it could have no
greater crown of glory.
Its distinguishing trait was its rigid
equality and stern impair tiality. The
iron, steel, glass, leather, paper, wOollen
and other industries received the uni
form protection of 30 per cent. and the
wool grower, sugar planter and rice
planter received exactly the same pro-
lection, 30 per cent. SO exact was the
sense of justice in that living Demo-
eracy, that it said to the cotton manu-
factureT, Your foreign competitor has
TO transport his raw cotton from this
country to his mill, and for this adVant-
age in your favor you shall have one
nun ltSS ITOItCJlOn, anu ubnC6, W0ll6
the wool grower received protection of
30 per cent. the cOtt N manufacturer re-
c-lYHd that of % per cent. Can the Ma
jOr show Republican tariff on such
pTinciplPsP
Aud as he speaks derisiVely of the pre-
Vailing tariff rates of 1916, we remind
him that according to the census of 1880
the aggregate wages paid in that year
by all the manufacturing industries
m q nf In 20
value of all the products of these same
industries-just 3 per cent. less than the
percentage of wages to products in 1860
according to the census of that year; and
ask him to explain why 30 per cent. is
not sufficient to Offset the difference in
foreign and home labor, when labor here
only receives 16 per cent?
The Major Is 80 absorbed in his pet
manufacturers that he has failed to grasp
the real issue. He seems to think that
the question is whether or not the wool
grower to-day receives protection equal
to the protection afforded by the Demo-
cratic tariff of 1916.
We remind him that that question is
wholly irrelevant, and has nothing to
do with the issue.
The question is: Is the protection
afforded to the wool grower equal to
protection given to the manufacturer
When the wool grower under the tariff
of 1916 sold his wool and purchased his
manufactured goods, the wool he sold
and the goods he bought received the
same protection. How is it tO-dayP
The average rate of duty on wool, as
we shall show, is nearly 3 per cent less
than that of 1916, while the duty on
manufactured products range up to 70
and so per cent. What benefit is it to
farmer whilst rObbing him of three dol
lars when he buys, to give him one when
he sellsP
Farmers being more than half of the
consumers, consume more than half of
the manufactured products, and hence,
pay more than half OF the enhanced
value given to manufacturers by the
tariff directly, and the great bulk Of the
other half indirectly, as we could show
if we had space and time.
What is their little gain by the wool
tariff compared to their immense lOssp
SO enormously unfair and unjust ia
the present tariff that the tariff of 1916
with wool free would be a thousand
times better for farmers than the pres
ent iniquity. Yes, for farmers it would
be a blessing If nine-tenths of the pro-
tected industries would cease producing,
their products be imported, and out of
the duty received their labOrers be given
a pension equal to their wages. Let us
illustrate our meaning by reference to |
the steel rail business, that Foraker is |
rash and senseless enough to prate |
about. Before 1870, when the patent |
expired, the production Of BessemeT |
steel rails was monopoly and at a time |
when gold was at high premium these |
rails were, as Foraker says, worth $3.50 |
per ton in gTeenbackS, But from and |
after 1870 every country of Europe, |
even Spain, and this country developed |
the production of Bessemer rails with |
astonishing Iapidity, as they were as
easily and cheaply made as iron rails. |
Anticipating a rapid decline, our iron |
men in 1870 caused the duty which then |
was 45 per cent, to be made $28 per
gross ton, the growing infamy of Re-
publican tariff robbery. Owing to the
rapid increase the foreign price swiftly
tended to the actual value, and the de-
cline seemed more rapid because green
backs appreciated to gold value. I'm
pOrtatiOns came from every country of
Europe; from Canada, and even South
America. Our home price declined
steadily, keeping step with the apprecia-
tiOn of greenbacks and the fall in the
foreign price, but being always $28 a
ton more than the price in foreign
countries.
Well, in 1880 the Pennsylvania pro-
ducers report their rails to the Census
Bureau as of the value of $46 per net
a reduction of duty of $11 per ton gross,
or 1888 per net ton, which necessitates
a reduction in the price of that amount.
And now Foraker meets man who has,
after this reduction, bought rails in
Pennsylvania for $36 per ton, and the
sublime ass eXclaims behold how our
protective tariff has reduced the price,
But now to the illustration. The Census
statistics iOf the Openhearth and Bes-
semer steel industry in Ohio in 1880 Is |
as follows:
No OF establishments. ents........................ 8
Capital
Products. o,096IOI
Materlas uSed 5'5dIS22
Balance .'S5.2l6S1b
Wages paid 50342l
Profit .7I5.554
Profit per dollar Of capital. ............... 2,16
Products steel rails ............. 6B48O
Products other steel net tons. 42,495
produc,atotaI ms o7E
MaHeS per Ion PlDl
Wages per cent OF product. .................. IA
The tariff on these products in 1880
was as follows: