The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1888-08-16
.TARIFE ABsURDrTTEs.,

IAhlFP d66OADx1lE6.
Under the above heading last even
ing the Democrat devoted nearly col
umn of its space to prove that since
1879, when quinine was placed on the
free list, none Of the factories have |
gone out of the business and the price
has been reduced from % an ounce to |
so cents an ounce, and that all this is
the result of placing quinine on the
free list.
Let us see: In 1879 there were
FIVE factories making quinine. Now
there are only three-the Democrat to
the contrary notwithstanding. If our
statement is disputed we refer to the
Western Druggist for April as our au-
thOrity.
That the tariff had nothing whatev-
err to do with the reduction in price is
proven by the fact that the price has
fallen in the same ratio elsewhere as in
america, and also from the fact that
America is not exporting an ounce, and
that the American quinine manufac-
tured by Powers & Weightman now
commands a premium of from ten to
fifteen cents an ounce over that of any
European manufacturer the world
over.
The solution of the question as to
why the price of quinine has fallen is
a very simple one. ''It was because of
the reduction in cost of chincOna bark, !"
the crude material employed in It's
manufacture.
The reduction in price of bark was
caused solely by the largely increased
supplies. This was brought about by
the British and Dutch governments
cuItivating chlncona trees in India and
Java.
The American people or the Ameri-
can government had nothing what
ever to do with bringing down. the
price.
| Formerly all chincona bark came from
South America PERU, the trees grow
ing wild and none being cultivated
During the prevalence of the extremely
high prices for quinine wars and rebel
lions in the chincona districts cut dowI
the supply to such an extent as to make
the demand much greater than tht
: supply.
Again, few statistics az to the cos
l of quinine under democratic rule ma!
not be amiss;.
+ The price of quinine by the ounce t.
. physicians in 1849 under the demo
! cratic tariff of 1916, passed soon afte
Polk was elected. was ss per ounce, ant
. at no time thereafter down to 1851 wa
the price lower than "a per IOunce. A
no time under the war tariff and inf1a
T tion of prices with gold at say S2.4
v did it go higher than So or 81 per ounc
: and after resumption Of specie pay
= ment, January 1, 1879, which was BIT
e terly opposed by the rebel democracy
(see their platform of 1876 adopted q
the st. Louis National Convention G
that year, the price under the wa
tariff steadily decreased until it wa
: sold at 81 to 1926 per ounce.
While the, comparatively speaking
;, small number of persons employed
the manufacture of this drug, even
the entire world, debars it from bein
i proper criterion to judge the effect
a. of free trade or tariff by, yet even
W this case the effects of free trade a
g. plainly shown, as only three out {
D. five factories are now manufacture
and this country is flooded with an il
ferior foreign article, 2,1sO,l57 ounce
Is having been received last year-mo
E. than the entire amount made here.
a. Nevertheless, as above stated, Il
10 small number that ever can be eI
d ployed in this business should assured
+ debar it from being classed amor
the industries requiring protection,
Ds no amount of protection could increa
- the manufacture enough to give eE
"A ployment commensurate with the t;
n that would have to be borne by o
people.
no This quinine argument of the Dem
crat has been exploded years ago, al
only an ignoramus would attempt
lv foist it on intelligent readers at this Ia
is day. Yet on this subject the Intel
NJ gent" editor of the Democrat say
ZEE You might as well pour your arg
TO- ments into the hairy ears of the fl
Iat jackass you meet as try to convince o
of them that he ought to stop and &C
slider whether after all it is for
of interest to tear his linen in behalf
% corporate greed and giant monopolieE
nd But we are inclined to believe him
of this particular of the jackass, al
las judged by the argument used in
an quinine editorial, the ass would b
ION good subject for this free trade phil
opher to practice upon, as there wol
be at least one advantage the ass, I
)i' like Balaam's, could not answer him