The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-07-31
SONE SPECIMEN BRICKS.
From the Democratic Free
Trade Structure.
THEY CRUMBLE TO PIECES
When Exposed TO the Light of Day.
Register Theories Versus Facts
from Mon Who Know What
They are Talking About.

The weakness and fallacy OF the argu.
ments advanced in advocacy Of the Mills
bill and the Democratic Free Trade
policy were never more amusingly illus
traied than by several little paragraphs
which appeared in the Register yesterday
morning, and which were evidently
supposed to be very strong arguments
in favor OF reduction of the tariff. So
weak were they, their theory so at var-
ance with the facts, that they led a well
known Democratic Protectionist who
will vote for Harrison in November, to
remark;
ut looks to me as II the Register were
conducted by the Republicans, It is
daily printing arguments or statements
ostensibly fayoring tariff reduction, but
which arc easily answered in favor OF
Protection; and then the alacrity with
which the ISTELLIoENcER jumps on
these funny theories and pounds them
to death with solemn facts, leaves no in
ference possible but that somebody on
the Rebi5ter merely deyises texts for good
Protection sermons to be printed in the
INrELLoBNcKR."
THE AJAX" on STARCH.
The Register yesterday contained this
paragraph:
Democrats: We propose to cut down
the tax on a dollars worth OF starch
from SO cents 10 Al cents"
An ISTRLLIGESCRR reporter yesterday
inquired at several groceries, retail and
wholesale, concerning the price OF
starch. A good article Of laundry starch
can be bought by the single pound at
five cents; the best laundry starch ut
six cents, or twenty pounds for dollar.
Counting the starch ut this average
price, which Is high, the RegidGr would
leave Of the 81 after the alleged tax is
paid, eighteen cents to pay for twenty
pounds, with the manufacturers, the
ioDbers' and the retailers profits in
cluded in the eighteen cents. Anybody
who ever saw box OF starch knows Il
cannot be wrapped in packages and
boxed for eighteen cents, let alone pay
ing for the raw material and the labor.
The fact is, laundry starch is sold at
wholesale in single boxes by the Wheel.
ing wholesale grocers, at 81 cents per
pound, and in larger quantities at 8
cents. The seller OF course makes Il
profit ut this figure. The duty on i'm
ported starch is . cents to q cents per
pound, according to the material from
which it is made. Even at cents, any.
body can sec that the tariff has no bear.
ing on the price OF starch.
HOW THE TARrP WORKS.
The foregoing figures are from the
Tariff act OF SO. Prior to that laundry
starch paid duty OF cent per pound
and 20 per cent advalorem in addition.
Under both these schedules, the price OF
starch has steadily decreased, until TO.
day II is fifty per cent cheaper than it
was ten or twelve years ago; that is,
whereas it now sells for 5 TO cents a
pound, 1t then cost 10 TO IL.
It's alRrge family that will consume
more than one-hali pound Of starch u
week, SO that the tax" that anybody
might pay, il all the starch were i'm
ported, could not have much weight
''There was time in history" said n
Wheeling merchant yesterday, "when
starch cost twenty cents n pound, and
was all imported. There was no duty
on starch then. A duty, was put upon It
probably in 1864, and the price has gone
down ever since. Why, It is the old
story over: Protection encourages home
production, and competition brings the
price down. To-day starch is sold in
this country ut about the tariff on it.
Had it never been protected, it would
doubtless be selling to-day at twenty
cents, and all our starch be made in
England. 1t is sad mistake for an ad-
yocate Of tariff reduction TO mention
starch"