Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-04-06
Notes and Comments Concerning the
Mills Bill and Related Subjects.

The Des Mcines State Register,
printed at Des Moines, Iowa, Justly
denOunces in severe terms a coal
trust Which how exits In that
State. 1t says; every Iowa con.
sumner of hard coal has had to pay
an advance Of from 50 to 81 II ton
all this winter because OF the coal
trust. Thus hundreds of thousands
of dollars have been unduly taken
from the people OF Iowa. The
"harl coap here referred to is
Pennsylvania anthracite. AS an.
thracite coal has been on the free
list since 1870 the prevalent dispo.
sitiOn to attribute the formation of
all the trusts of the day TO our
Protective tariff is shown by this
illustration to be unfounded and
unjust. AS Mr.. William l.. Scott,
of the Ways aud Means Committee,
is a leading producer of anthracite
coal, he can probably tell some.
thing about this Iowa "coal trust'
and who divide the enormous prof.
it's realized. His workmen, who
recently struck for higher wages,
got none of it, for after suffering
for several weeks the pangs of hun.
ger they were compelled to go to
work at the old wages.
In no respect is the Mills bill
more sectional than in its treat
ment of the tobacco growers Of the
North. In the tariff schedule the
duty on Sumatra wrappers is re.
duced to 80 per pound, or more
than SO per cent. In the internal
revenue "annex" to the bill cigars
are excepted from the proposed re.
peal of internal taxes. The tax is
abolished for the benefit of South
ern planters, whose product is
suitable only or mainly for manu-
facture into smoking and chewing
tobacco, while 1t is retained on the
Northern product of leaf, which is
suitable for cigar wrappers. The
Democrats from Connecticut and
other Northern States have not
been slow to discover this unjust
discrimination. It would almost
seem to have been the deliberate
purpose of Mr.. Mills and his con
federates to compel Northern farm
ers engaged in raising leaf tobacco
to abandon the business.
Mr.. Depew deserves the thanks
of the country for having brought
before the people on Wasbington's
Birthday the significant language
of the first act which received
Washlngton's signature as Presi-
dent. "Wbereas,D this memorable
act begins, SIT is necessary for the
support of the Government, for the
discharge of the debts OF the Unit
ed States, and the encouragement
and protection Of manufactures
that duties be levied or goods,
wares, and merchandise imported"
Washington himself was an agri-
culturist, and so were most of his
associates in the Government
some of the most influential of
them were Southern planters but
TO them 1t seemed both just and
necessary to bnild up manufactures
in order to make agriculture pros.
porous.
The Engineering and Mining Jour
nal, discussing the Mills tariff bill,
says: "There is no change pro.
posed IN the iron ore or coal duties,
in fact the Canadians do not care
for free trade in coal, as they would
lose by it while we would gain"
This is the first admission we have
seen from an authority which
speaks kindly of the Mills bill that
Mr.. Mills, in framing its provisions,
was legislating for the interests of
Canada. 1t is a great relief to
learn that "the Canadians do not
care for free trade in coal )" other
wise we would have had coal on
the free list. Thanks to the |
Kanucks /!
OF the twenty blast furnaces in |
Allegheny county nine are closed |
down. Outside of the county, OF |
the furnaces that are out of blast
or banked, the proportion is sup
posed to be about the same. Prob
ably the outside world will have
an idea what this means. To others
it has an unmistakable significance.
In such state of things the Mills
tariff bill comes like cry of fire at
night. Our Industries are in
similar position. The bill might,
with propriety, be entitled a bill to
put out the fires of Pittsburg mills
and MISUNDERSTANDING Times.
The ROthschilds are at tho head
If a quicksilver "trust' which con-
trolls all the output Of that metal
save that which is produced in the
United States. \ 10 per cent.
lury has prevented them from
leluging our market to a degree
hat would make profit impossible
o our mine owners, and then nur-
chasing their Improbable mines
,heaply and regulating tho price
lver all the earth.
The Senate has had a test vote
N the tariff. a charter for an
Electrical railroad in Washington
,eing under discussion an amend I
nent requiring the rails used to be G
# American manufacture was car c
led by 20 votes to II. Every Re. |
publican present and two Demo {
rats, Messrs. Brown and German, |
.oted for the amendment, We +
cunt on Senator Payne, of Ohio, (
mother Democrat, as beng on the r
light side of all tariff questions. 1
The Chicago Inter Ocean says; =
IL must be remembered that the :
en- capita consumption OK splritu. y
us liquors is much greater Ia Eng :
and than here, although the taxes !.
n liquors are much higher there y
han here. The reduction of tax =
rom 50 to 80 cents per gallon was a a
ot followed by either an increased y
consumption or a cheapening of /
he retail price of liquors in this
Lord Macaulay is credited with
l,o cor;, - fbof Igfha unrat inQult r