Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1888-12-29
STORY OF AN AXE.
sd. W. n. Manner Relate- Il.

Il
The poor man is taxed ton per cen,
on his axe"
And of course he then goes on 10
show what an internal injustice this is,
and how it grinds down the poor wood
chopper. VERIFY little knowledge is
a dangerous thing. Let us take up
the story of an axe. and see if any
American wood chopper has good
cause to curse the tariff.
In 1865 first quality axe was sold
in Toledo at Sl6 so per dozen; to-day
. far better axe sells for 81 per dozen.
! Then American axe makers were buy.
4 ing English steel; to-day they use Amer
lean steel. The tariff protected the
axe makers in 1865 as it does to-day.
but it created no monopoly; it protect
/ cd the Toledo axe factory. with its few
hands. exactly us it protected the great
I Collins company in Connecticut. Ali
secured was that the i'll paid labor of
Europe should not cut the throat of
well paid American labor.
This being secure. capital locked TO
tho max ng Of aNes. There was big
factory in Maine. another in Massa-
chusotts. larger one in Connecticut.
several in New York, several in Penn
s,lvania. Il large one in Cleveland. and
innumerable small ones elsewhere.
Wages being about the same, it be-
came a question of quality aud of
economy in shop and office expenses.
New sections of tho country were
being settled. anil the pioneer needed
his axe as much as he did his pillow.
Every season the compel on among
makCrs was more energetic; prices
touched the point where the goods
could be made in Europe; they went
lover, aud lower. and to-day this
country sells axes to South America,
Africa, Australia, and all over the
known world. We can sell to En-
gland, and we do sell to Canada. And
the Michigan wood chopper buys bet
ter axe for IS cents to-day, than his
father paid 81. IS for in 1868
Yet the young man who is teaching
us business. grieves in his soul over the
poor man who is taxed 10 per cent on
his axes!
There is village near Hartford,
Conn.,. that would interest the men
who value so highly ''Lhe markets of
the world" There they show him u
peculiar shaped axe that they make for
and sell TO Mexican trade; another pat
tern for Brazil; another for India; an
other for Cape Good Hope; another for
Abyssinia. aud another for Egypt.
They would show him the books and
prove to him that their goods are bet
ter known in these foreign countries
than in Ohio; that their brand is coun-
forfeited in England and Germany to
make the poor heather believe that he
is getting Collins axe, when he is
not, and that the best trade they have
is among Englishmen in Australia,
who will pay more for the Yankee
axe.
Such a story. no doubt. would please
the free trader, for the markets of the
world are his thoughts by day and his
dream BY nights. But they would also
show him that this result was reached
By the help given under the benefcient
protective policy begun by Washing
/ ton and continued by Lincoln.
But have the manufacturers grown
rich? wish they had. Men who in
vest their money in factories, who
give employment to other men, and
who assume the risk Of change in
pr ces. ought to get rich if any men
do. But do they? Are the stockhold-
ers of the Union Manufacturing COM
pany in this city growing rich9 Are
the owners of the Alilburn Wagon
company growing rich from their
profits? Is the Bolt 81 Nut works here
paying fat dividends? Are axe facto-
ries growing rich with axes selling at
81 per dozen? One of the best man
aged factories paid the stockholders
in the past ten years an average Of 5
per cent. They could have stood on
the street corners and loaned their
money for double that
What have these factories done for
the country at.large? Have they rob
bed she farmerP They have saved him
money upon every axe lie has bought
! IN 10 years. They give employment
I 10 at least 1900 mon. whose earnings
are easily 100000 per month. and
probably hall as much more. These
earnings have not been boarded, but
have been spread abroad for the com
forts Of life, and the farmer does not
\ live in America who can say positively
that he is not a tr1le the richer because
Of these consumers.
And yet, says the Toledo parrot,
''tne tarilf is tax.
But. says the wagon maker ] mel.
I Their buy axes, nor sell axes; nor have
I l graiD 70. sell; where am | better off
because Of these axe factories.
fIltn answer IL fliat thpee mon are