Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1888-10-05
WAITING FOR TRAIN CONNECTIONS.

WAITING FOR TRAIN CONNECTIONS.
The Democratic club of Benton
township was addressed last
Thursday evening by one who
purported to be an eastern manu-
facturel 4 unanimous call of the
audience caused him to take the
rostrum, When he announced that
he would not make n speech, but
would give them a little talk.
He was strictly business man,
he said, and not politician, but
being a Democrat he was always
willing to do what good he could
for the party. He was only wait
ing for train connections and drop
ped into the meeting to see and
hear, and his talk could not
be attributed to selishness as he
was not working for business nor
expecting to run for office.
He asserted that there were
two classes of manufacturers, one
engaged in working up the raw
material, the other in taking the
product from the first class and
using it in making a finished pro-
duct.
The speaker claimed that the
first class, only, was benefited by
the tariff aud by it was enabled
every year to make immense for
tunes off Of the second class. He
gave as an example of the first
class the Carnegie Brothers of
Philadelphia, who, he claimed,
made profit OF S1,500,0O0 every
year, while manufacturers like
himself thought that 100000
ought to be profit emo ugh-that
is, the Carnegie Brothers were
making a profit fifteen times
greater than was just, and that he
was actually paying them this i'm
mense profit on the material he
was using in the manufacture of
mowingmachines and feed cutters.
This statement caused a buzz in
the audience, for all were wonder
ing why firm headed by so
shrewd a business man as the speak
er, did not manufacture their own
material instead of purchasing 1T
of Carnegie Bros, and thus secure
to themselves these immense pro-
fits.
'Take off the tariff said the
speaker "and relieve the farmers
of the burdensome profits they are
now paying us and when l 60 out
to sell goods, as l am doing now,
the farmers will be ready to buy"
Again was there hushed excite
ment for the audience remember
ed that he had said In the begin
ing of his speech that he was not
out fer business.
He then took up the Mills bill
and stated that it reduced tariff
only D per cent. Manufacturers of
his class wanted it reduced at
least Is per cent. Now let us see
about this . per cent. The entire
customs revenue for 1887 was
S2l2,000,000. Mr.. Mills proposes
by his bill to reduce this amonnt
to the extent of S50,00O,0O0. Now
S50,OOO,OO0 is nearly % per cent of
S2l2, 100000, and this is the re-
duction really contemplated by
the Mills bill instead of 5 per cent
as the speaker would have de-
ceiyed the people into believing. |
But the amount is not 50 alarming
as the manner of producing it.
This vast reduction is made, in a
great measure, by putting large
number of our most important
American products ON the free list,
ii step that is disastrous, ruinous.
We have tried to keep track of
this manufacturer and we learn
that he is still making speeches,
but always at points where he is
waiting for train connections; and,
4 diligent search has failed to re-
veal that any such individual is
engaged in manufacturing.
Missouri Democracy is certain
.y hard pressed when a Democrat
as to 90 about the country in the