Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1885-12-29
SOME PLAIN TARIFF TALK.

One of the noticeable features of the re.
cent free trade conference at Chicago was
the presence and participation of numerous
representatives of the especially protected
industries, who spoke from actual personal
experience of the iniquitous workings ofthe
existing tariff. Thus, for example, two
well-known citizens from Michigan thus
demonstrated the absurdity of protection to
four of the great industries of their State,
namely, lumber, copper, salt, and irou-ore.
According to Mr.. Stout:
THE lumber ia Michigan was rapidly
diminishing in quantity. Two persons in
Detroit owned one-third of all the pine lands
in Michigan, and one hundred people owned
90 100 OF all the pine lands in the State. To-
day they were protected 81 per l, 900. While
labor in Michigan had deprecated 40 per
cent. in two years, pine lands had increased
more than 100 per cent. The two indivi-
duals in Detroit spoken of owned pine lands
which, if placed on either side of the Mich.
gan Central Railway, would span it mile
wide. The 81 thousand protection was
not in the interest of the laboring man, be.
cause labor had deprecated lit was in the
interest of the lords of the pine lands. In
regard to the copper interest, Mr. Stout said
that the one copper mine, with less than
81 900, 600 Of paid up capital, had divided in
the share of profits over 100000 year;
and yet the copper men asked duty of 4
cents pound on ingot copper. On the iron
question, he said there was an iron mine in
Michigan which began twenty years ago
with capital of 100000 That mine had
paid 80 per cent. per annum on the invest.
ment fo- the last fourteen years, and though
it had, during the last six years, watered its
capital 100 per cent, it was still paying 80
per cent. per annum. In the face of this
and kindred facts the Government was ask
ed to place tariff rs cents per ton upon
iron ore.
Mr.. Brownlee, of Michigan, knew some
thing about pine lands in his State. Though
he was not one of the 100 men mentioned by
Mr. Stout as owning 90 100 of the pine lands
of Michigan, he was the owner of small
quantity. The owners reaped all the bene-
fits of the duty, and the laborer got none OF
them. The great profits came 10 the form
of stumpage. Some time ago he bought
from man 1853 acres of pine land in Pres.
que Isle County, and within six months he
sold the pine on forty acres of it for s75
more than he paid for the entire tract.
Now said Mr.. Brownlee, we are the poor
gentlemen that need to be protected.
Laughter. We want to protect the poor
Iaboring mani Laughter. When the
laboring man wanted an increase of wages
or decrease in the hours of days labor,
the owners imported Canadian laborers and
q number of Pinkertons men from Chicago
with repeating rifles to shoot down anybody
that interferred them. The owners of 50
percent. of the pine lands in Michigan
could ride in one car, and most of them were
millionaires. He had looked upon the salt
question and found that the average wages
of the men engaged in the salt works was
Sl37 day. There was duty on salt to
protect it from Canadian rivalry, but it was
q fact that salt could be manufactured in
Michigan much cheaper than in Canada,
cd ~