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

we take the following from a speech
Of E. A. HartshoIn delivered recently in
Troy, n. Y,
President Clevelands last annual mes
sage said in substance "Our present
tariff laws, the vicious, inequitable and
illogical source of unnecessary taxation,
ought to he at once revi ed and amend
ed. These laws ra Sc the price to con-
Fumers of all articles imported and sub
ject to duty by precisely the sum paid
for such duty. Comparatively few PEG
pie use imported articles, while millions
purchase and use things of the same
kind made IN this country, and pay
therefor nearly or quite the same en-
HANGED price which the duty adds to the
imported article Those who buy i'm
ports pay the duty charged thereon into
the public treasury, but the great ma
jority of our citizens who buy domestic
articles of the same class pay sum at
least approximately equal to this duty
10 the home manufactures"
THE LIGHT TURNED ON.
Now | will prove to you by evidence
which would hang man If charged
with murder, that there is not word Of
truth in these statements, and will then
leave you to decide whether "vicious,
inequilable and illogical" should be ap
piled to the Protective system or to the
men who wish TO destroy our home in
dUs rie5.
FACTS AND FIGURES.
Mr.. Hartshorn exhibited yard of 80
ounce blue chinchIlla overcOating pur-
chased in New York. The invoice was
dated July 25. The cloth cost 10 cents.
The duty is 80 cents per pound or 70
cents for the yard, and IS per cent. ad
vslorem. The same goods abroad cost
80 cents yard, making the ad valorem
duty ~ cents, or a total duty of S7la
cents. lie then exhibited a pound OF
chlorofOrm bought at Albany July 81 for
As cents. The duty on this rs so cents,
aud if the Presidents theory is correct.
the cost of these two articles abroad
must be lat least approximately" 14l2
cents and five cents respectively, less
than nothing. The President should
have studied the literature of the Amer
lean Protective Tariff League and not
the publications of the English Free
Trate Golden club before writing his
message.
BRINGING 1T HOME.
A great variety of domestic goods are
sold here for less than similar goods are
sold abroad. Mr.. Hartshorn exhibited
the invoice of suit of clothes bought in
Troy the speaker wore the suit; war
ranted all WOOL fast color, well made
suit, costing $40.
He then took from his pocket Water
bury watch which cost him 81 20 year
and half ago. and offered to pit 1t
against any imported watch in the Unit.
ed States as an accurate time keeper.
He exhibited his suspenders, which cost
him Is cents pair in distant city. He
also showed two pairs of new suspenders,
with invoice of same, purchased in Troy,
costing 10 cents each, and invited atten-
ton TO the fact that all articles exported
from the United States to distant coun-
tries were cheaper here than there.
THANKS TO THE DUTY.
Next Mr.. .Hartshorn produced an in
voice of nails purchased in Troy. These
nails are sold by Troy firm at cents
pound, yet the duty on foreign nails is
/ Il cents per pound. The car load price
of nails at the mills is 81 90 per 100
pounds. 12 cents of which is the cost of
the keg containing the nails. In letter
attached to the invoice the firm say that
they cannot give the price list of foreign
nails as mo regular cut nails are now
imported, thanks to our excellent duty"
THE FREE TRADERS CHALLENGED.
This represents large varieties OF goods
made here under our Tariff for Protec-
ton to American labor, which are now
selling nearly as cheap as in England.
The Free Traders have been challenged
to name a single article made to any i'm
portant extent in this country which is
selling as high as the foreign price with
the duty added, and no answer has yet
been made. The President cannot find
such an article.
PROTECTION AND PROSPERITY.
Protection ultimately reduces prices to
the lowest point consistent with pros
perity. mo man, said Horace Greeley
several years ago, "can truthfully sug-
gest an article which, having formerly
been impoI ted, has since. through Pro-
lection, been no naturallzed on our soil
that 1t is now produced here nearly to
the ex ent Of satisfying our own wants,
yet which now costs our people more
than it did when we procured it from
abroad"