Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-10-11

Hon. VIM. ". Springer, Representa-
tive from Illinois, was closely identified
with the legislation In Congress which
put quinine on the free list. In re-
sponse to q request for a statement of
the effect of removing the duty from
quinine upon its manufacture and use
in this country, Mr.. Sprenger has con-
tributed the following. The facts given
are startling-"strong words and bitter,
but they are true.n
In 1879 Congress passed bill putting
quinine on the free list. The duty was
20 per cent. ad valorem. While the
bill was pending in Congress the usual
predictions were made by protectionists
as to the direful consequences which
would follow In case the bill should
pass. Senator Morrill,, of Vermont,
pleaded earnestly for the monopoly, in
sisting that the factories would be
closed, and the business ruined if
quinine was placed ON the free list
While the bill was pending In the Sem
ate, Senator Morrill, said:
They import annually 5,000,0O0
pounds of bark, and have large quanti-
ties on hand, and will be deprived of
au POWCl VI ubfuE IL. IOE
they will be compelled to stop the
manufacture ofquinine. They will be
closed at once; although the duty is but
20 per cent. on the article. My judg-
ment is the repeal of this duty upon
quinine will not result in giving the
American consumer any lower priced
article for any length of time and that
In the end we shall have to pay even
higher prices. When you get up the
cry of "Mad dogn the dog is sure to die.
l am very sure that the result desired
will not follow, and that within two
years from now, or one year from now
the price of quinine will be higher than
1t has been heretofore unless the de-
mand shall subside.
Now what are the facts? The bill
was passed. There were then three
factories in the United States which
manufactured quinine; now there are
six. Quinine was then worth $3.50 per
ounce, now it is selling for fifty cents
an ounce. The consumption of quinine
in 1882 was 100000 ounces; in 1883
about 100000 ounces.
The duty on cinchona bark, which is
the raw material out of which quinine
is made, was abolished in 1871. In one
year thereafter the importation was
double and it has continued to increase
up to this time. From 1872 to 1879 the
bark imported aggregated 28,819,5 ,552
pounds. The quinine was then put
upon the free list, and from 1879 to 1888,
the importation of bark has aggregated
40, ,678, 1875 pounds, or an average of A.
5l9,819 pounds for each of the nine
years. That is to say the average of
imported bark has been, since quinine
was put on the free list, 402, ,740 pounds
more per year than it was before that
time. AS the bark is used only for
making quinine, it follows that there
has been corresponding increase in
the production of quinine in this coun-
try since the tax was abolished. 1t is
true that there has been an increase of
importations since quinine was free,
but that only shows that the home
manufacturers were unable to supply
the home market owing to the greatly
reduced price, and the consequent m
creased demand anll increased con-
sumption.
So much for putting quinine on the
free list. Now let US try free salt, free
lumber, free tin and free wool!