The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1888-10-17
CHEAP GOODS foa FOREIGNERS.
How the Tarif karons Furnish Them.
Cheap Sugar: Axes and shoyels-

How the Tariff Barons Furnish Them.
Cheap Sugar. Axes and shovels-
An esteemed correspondent sends us
this:
There Is one argument with regard to
the tariff, If statement which have
heard is trrle. that have not. seen any
where in print. The statemsht is that
American manufactured goods, of some
kinds anyhow, arc sold in other countries
cheaper than they are sold here-that
American hatehets, moving machines and
other such articles are sold in Australia,
in Sweden aud in other places. even after
paying freight and other expenses, consld-
erably cheaper than they are sold here. i
have not tho means of verifying tho state
ment, but, If it is true, not simply as to
old stock or an occasional overstock. but
true as general statement. it might be
made. it seems to me, the basis of good
argument"
Half minutes reflection is enough to
show that this is not only true, but lleces-
sarily true. For instance, there is a great
deal more sugar exported from the Uniteo
States than is produced in tho United
States The refiners import the raw
sugar, refine it and export 1t. When
they sell. in the English or any other
market. they sell at the prices of that
market. Compare the price of sugar in
the London market with the price in the
the sugar trusts benefits us.
If we export any article. plows, axes,
shovels, sugar or what not, TO the Au-
stralian or Swedish markets We must sell
in competition with English prices. In
other words. and in, short. all our exports
to free markets are sold ut free trade
prices-and these prices are necessarily
below the high prices artificially main
tanned by high taxes in our own market.
Then, if our exporter of manufactured
goods is cut too close on the price of the
precious little he is able to export under
the protection given his English COM
petitors by American taxes on raw mate.
rial. he must recoup himself by putting
up prices at home.
This is not an accident, but a necessary.
effect of protection. 1t is not peculiar
to American protection. but is part of
the experience of all nations which have
tried the system.
The Russian government, for instance,
undertook to "foster the sugar interest"
by taxes on the people in the shape of
bountics on exports. France and Ger
and in the United States the Republican
laws were giving the sugar refiners a draw
back" that answered tho same purpose.
Our refiners in 1885 exported 26,000,U00
pounds moro than our whole sugar crop.
They met Russian competition in Eng
land. and while sugar was high here it
was literally "dirt cheap" in England-so
cheap that in 1856 tho English consump-
tion amounted to seyenty-fve pounds
head for every man, woman and child in
tho kingdom.
Tho Russian exporters aimed to so d.
vide their stock as to make sugar scarce
enough in Russia to enable them to re-
cover their foreign losses and make
handsome profit, but they miscalculated.
They kept prices far higher in Russia
than they sold at in England, but finding
they had on hand surplus they could
neither sell ut their prices at home nor at
any price abroad, they were insolent
enough to ask the government to restrict
production SO that they could control the
Russian market and squeeze ont of the
Russian consumers enough to guarantee
them against the competition of the 'fos-
tered" sugar interests of Germany, France
and the United States-whose people were
all taxed to make sugar dear at home and
cheap for England.
What the Russians wanted their gov
ernmeut to do for them our manufactur-
ers do for themselves in forming trusts"
to control the home market.
If they export to free markets their
prices arc controlled by competition. but
no matter how cheap goods thus become
to foreigners, their trusts. syndicates and
combinations enable them to squeeze their
own countrymen. and they squeeze them
accordingly.-St. Louis Republic.