The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1888-07-26

o'O AoiSoAy uoCu Ill A"iA"dy oAiuSoS
are sold at $66 per ton, a profit of at
least $50 per ton over the cost OF pro-
puction. One of the members of the
Edgar Thomson Steel mills acknowl-
edged that he drew a dividend Of ST.
SOC, 900 per annum-he only one
member of the firm and no statement
of profits undivided.
Carnegie Bros. on steel rails and
beams alone have a profit Of nearly
three millions of dollars annually and
with this enormous profit, they pro-
posed to reduce their workmen's
wages ten per cent. The enhanced
price, if you get foreign goods, goes
to the government, now if that was
all the way through it would be en-.
durable. but the price of similar goods
made in America is forced up and the
government gets none Of the surplus;
it all goes to the manufacturers.
The great bulk of the woolens we
use are made here. But the worst is
yet to be seen in case of blankets. In
1882 the value Of blankets imported,
s ,8S7;the duty collected was $6,862,
showing an average tax Of II per
cent. This was a prohibitory tax
practically. There are no blankets
imported to speak of, yet in that year
the American people bought at least
500, OOO, 900 worth Of blankets, and
the tribute to manufactures was about
5000, 900 dollars.
The home production of cotton fab
RIGS for 1880 was 210, $50, 1888 dollars;
average duty 40 per cent. Govern
ment revenue from cotton about seven
million dollars; tribute to manufac-
lures about two-thirds of the duty,
45, 900, 600; that is, for every dollar
Of revenue to the government from
the tariff, six dollars went to the
manufactures.
In wooden goods then (and now IS
per cent. Tribute to manufactures
at 20 per cent, $1,000, 600 dollars.
The revenues from wooden goods in
that year was but $4,000, 900, ratio
one dollar to government to four dol
lars for manufacturers. The result
in steel rails was worse. For every
dollar the government derived as duty
on these, thirteen dollars was paid as
tribute to theAmerican manufacturer.
When the Michigan Central and the
Canada laid their tracks one
half mile a part in 1872, the Ameri-
can cost 5000 dollars per mile more
than the Canadian just because it had
to pay 81 dollars more per ton for its
rails. All Of which the farmer, and
the merchant who sells to the farmer,
had to bear, in increased freight and
expenses. I am no demagogue and
no foe to capital. Without capital we
would have been without railroads,
etc. 1t is monopoly caused by want
of competition I object to.
In 1860 the farmers comprised one
half the population of the United
States and owned. one-half the wealth
Of the country. And hat in 1886
they still made up nearly half the
population, but only owned one-quar.
ter Of the wealth. And there will
never be another period when the
farming interest will cover so much
new and fertile land. The farmer is
on the down grade. He has either to
fight the trusts or be bled to death by
them. Reduce the tariff and let US
have competition. The American
principle held by al! u early states
men, that the heaviest tax should be
on luxuries and a light tax on the
necessaries of life, attracted thous-
ands to our shores and made this a
place of refuge from old world tyr
amy and oppression.
Under the new un-American system the
poor is taxed for the benefit Of the rich.
Corruption in high places. D~iscontentment
among workmen kept down by Pinkerton
detectives, and as heartless scenes of evic-
ton as ever were Witnessed in Ireland. Our
liberty is in danger as our great President
Lincoln foresaw when he uttered these mem
orable words, ''Ies, we may all congratulate
ourselves that this crue! war is nearing a
close. It has cost a vast amount of blood
and treasure. The best blood of American
youth has been freely offered upon our