The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-08-23

All KNIT goods are cheaper mere than
in England, especially jerseys such as
women wear. So are the commoner
grades of stockings and socks,
American farming implements of all
kinds are exported and sold in competi.
ton with English. They are better,
more ingeniously made, more durable
aud cheaper than the farming imple-
ments of any country in the world.
American cutlery Is imported by and
sold IN England. Does not this prove
that that the price is not higher than
English cutlery? Pottery and window
glass cost one-third what they did when
we depended on England to manufact-
ure these articles for us. The difference
in the price to-day is not the duty.
Sugar is Democratic industry, and
rice taxed" l02 per cent,is carefully ig-
nored. The Republicans repealed half
the internal tax on tobacco In 1888, and
would have repealed the balance last
session only Speaker Carlysle refused to
recognize Judge Kelley for this purpose,
What folly, therefore, to talk about 1919
per cent. on chewing tobacco. In Free
Trade England the workman pays
| 1900 per cent, on his tobacco.
Blankets vary in cost here from 81 to
s. pair The retail price in England
is practically the same, and the blankets
compare favorably; that is, pair OF 50
blankets here would cost about 81, its
equivalent, in England, The Govern
ment, in a recent purchase of blankets
made abroad, discovered that the diff
ference in the price was only 80 cents a
pair, "
A calico dress can be bought in this
country as low as cents per yard, a
sum equivalent to the duty. Ii the
price is increased by the amount OF the
duty, calico dresses cost nothing in Eng
land And yet the people go ragged;
The fact is they cost more in England
than here. And this is true OF all staple
cotton goods. A stuff dress can be
bought here as low as 10 cents, and the
duty is II cents, Thus on the theory
that the buty is TAX" in England
these dresses are given away and cents
yard bonus for taking them.
An example even more astonishing IS
found in the fact that while chloroform
is subject to duty of so cents pound,
the domestic article is selling in this
country for 35 cents pound, or actually
for 10 cents pound less than the duty!
Turning TO hardware, we find the
present price OF steel rails in this
country is S33 a ton. The duty is SIT
and the freight is SO. so, together max
ing $3.50, the tax on imported rails.
This deducted from $3S leaves $3.50,
which should be the British price Of
steel rails. if the Presidents theory is
correct. But the British price is, in
| fact. $50 instead of Sl3 90.
Further, the steel rail industry in this
country was built up under duty OF
1928 ton. In 1885 steel rails were sold
here far $27, just one dollar less than
the original duty.
Take another illustration. The price
of cut nails in Philadelphia is 81 for a
keg of 100 pounds. The duty on cut
nails is S1.25. II the above proposition
be correct, cut nails should be bought in
Europe for rs cents keg, In fact they
cannot be bought anywhere on earth
for less than $3.50 key.
Again, cut nails have been sold in
this country as low as el,S5 keg of 100
pounds, while the duty was $3.50 a kcg.
Thus, according to the Democratic cir
cular, cut nails must then have been
purchaseable IN Europe for 80 cents a
keg,
Three ply carpets are sold in England
at %. 3D.. or 6215 cents per yard. Add
so per cent. taxes" to this and the
price would be 1871 cents per yard.
Yet you can buy better and more arts
tic carpets at Dobson's or Sloane's for
621f cents per yard than you can for the
same money in England,
And 80 it is with every article OF gen
eral consumption which the masses OF
the people buy. AS for the cost of the
Bible, those who get up such literature
as the above are not likely to pay that
tax. Bibles are plentiful and cheap
The Press will not answer these back
number questions again this campaign,
so those interested will please paste this
in their scrap books and stop sending
the circular to the Press. We are too
busy graphing with live issues to dip
into ancient history and answer state
ments which on their face pIesuppose
the farmers of the country to be fools.
They are not, but know more about
this question than the Free-Traders who
try to instruct them. New York Press.