Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-08-17

SHeIS; DuL JueE MAKE Il Sdu mess OF
the undertaking.
They can not free themselves of the
delusion that the tariff regulates the
price of labor, and III weak and tire
some article attempt to sustain this
position. They seem to be ignorant of
the fact that wages vary greatly in the
United States where uniform tariff
laws prevail. Even in the same in
dustries labOrers do not receive the
same pay in one portion of the country
as they do in other portions. The
Mineral Point Zinc company which
the Tribune seems eager to draw
into this discussion, pay their en-
ployes thirty per cent. higher wages
than are paid by oxide manufacturers
in the eastern states.
I'm another article The Tribune
charges that the democratic party
would reduce the surplus "by taking
" the tariff off from articles and pro-
" ducts in which the people of the
" north are mainly interested; retain it
" on sugar, rice, etc, 50 that the con-
" stituents of democratic congressman
"may be protected and foreign manu-
" facturerS benefitted.'
A sufficient reply to this baseless
statement is to refer to the fact that
while the Mills bill proposes an aver
age reduction Of only seven per cent,
it would reduce the import duties
upon sugar fifteen per cent, and upon
rice about twenty per cent. Further
more, the republicans in congress, in
Guiding our own darling high tariff
representative, Hon. Robert NJ La
Toilette, voted solidly against the
separate clauses proposing these re-
auctions in the sugar and rice sched-
ul2s. The charge that the Mills bill
is Il sectional measure is without fOun-
dation in fact.
Finally, The Tribune strives to deal
The Democrat crushing blow by re-
frrring to what it is pleased to call a
local application of protection. 1t
says:
THE establishment and mainte-
nance for the first few years of its ex-
istcnce of the Mineral Point Zinc
Works was on the basis of protection
to home interests and home labor. In
this good work all our people rejoiced,
including the free trade editor of The
Democrat Mr.. Jones was not then,
we believe, resident here, and had no
part in the matter, so he cannot feel
that what we say is in the least per-
sonal to HIM"
The fact is then referred to that the
works were by act of the Legislature
released from taxation for the space
of three years. The statement in the
above quotation that the works were
run for the first few years on the basis
of protection is misleading. The stock
company by which they were started
was formed in May, 1881, early in the
winter of 1882 they were released from
taxation for three years, and soon
thereafter they were sold to the present
Mineral Point Zinc Company. At the
time the change of management took
place they were not on a self sustain
ing basis. OF course lobby had been
sent to Madison and by persuasive
button boiling the unconstitutional act
which seems to give The Tribune so
much comfort was passed. But not
10y such methods could the manufac-
turc of oxide of zinc be made a paying
business in Mineral Point. BY a
change of policy and the investment
OF additional capital factory which
was tens of thousands of dollars in
debt was made self sustaining insti-
tuition. If there is any tariff lesson in
the establishment and maintenance of
the Mineral Point Zine Works it is
all on the side of commercial free
DOM
We thank the editors of The Tribune,
however, for directing attention to
local application of the protective sys-
tenn. The people Of Mineral Point
and Iowa county have had very dear
and bitter experience in the matter of
fostering an infant industry Even
before the passage of the Morrill, high
tariff bill they entered upon the bust
ness of fostering on grand scale
The infant they adopted was the fam
Gus old Mineral Point railroad compa.
ny. How costly local application OF
the protective system this scheme
proved to be every man, woman, anG
child in Iowa county can testify. Di
rectly. it cost in taxes over 100000
and. indirectly it cost millions more
by reason of freezing out, by excessiv,
freight charges, enterprises like thu
old Bellevue Zinc works, and by reason
of soaring out Others by excessive tax
alton. But although it consumed i'm
menSe quantities of pap it never grew
sor extended its lines If The Tribun,
editors must point with pride t,
some local application of the protec
tive system let them point to tn
scheme Of Substituting the Minera
Point railroad.
) Under our present laws more thai
: four thousand articles are subject t
/ duty. Many of these do not in an