St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-13
The Favorite Topic of the Repub.
IiCan Party.

mean fafCy.
To the Editor Of the Globe.
There is no argument Sweeter to the
tongue and clearer to the memory of
Republican protectionists than the false
assertion that the tariff has greatly
cheapened the price of steel rails. This
is the argument by which they attempt
to mislead the public. They say:
'There was a protective tariff on steel
rails in 1871, still rails sold for SOL per
ton, and now they sell for about S33 per
ton, therefore see what vast benefit in
cheapening the product has come from
our pet method of robbing one class of
people for the benefit of another, which
we call protective tariff" Governor.
now senator, Davis in the last campaign
fed his hearers on this specious argu-
ment, and the Republican editors of the
state have continued since then to adj
minister this argument to their readers
in doses more liberal than they could
afford were there protective tariff on
nonsense and deceit. Is there anything
in this argument? Revenue refOrmerS
assert that steel rails have been cheap
ened by new inventions and improve
ments in processes of manufacture. If
the tariff, which is now SIT per ton, had
been the cause which brought down the
price, the price would have fallen first
in the United States, aud the fall here
would then have dragged down the
price abroad, the price ruling lower here
at all times than in other countries.
But the fact is the reverse of this, and
the price since 1871 has at all times been
just about the amount of the tariff
higher than abroad This fact conclu-
sively proves that it was no
cause operating in this country
alone that brought down the
price. 10 show the enormous amount
the tariff has enabled the less than
dozen combined state rail factories to
eXtOrt from the people of this country,
l will take as an example the year of
1880. We actually paid in that year for
American rails S23 ,321, 900. more than it
would have cost to buy our rails in Eng
gland and pay freight at 81 per ton upon
them to this country; and this much
more than they would have cost had
there been no tariff upon them. This is
not theory, it is fact proven by actual
figures. The protectionists tell us this
eXtOrtiOn is all necessary in order to
maintain American wages. Let lis see
if it is. In 1880, according to the
census. there were engaged in all
of the steel works of the United States,
them for year were s., 93O, $40; capital
invested, S21,0O0,0O0. The bonus OBJ
tanned by the steel rail factories by
means of the tariff for the year would
then have paid all of the wages in all of
the steel works of the country and leave
a balance of SIS, 800, 900, enough to paw z
per cert upon all the capital invested in
steel works in the United States, and
pay besides more than one-third of all
of the interest OH the national debt for
the year. A tariff of s. per ton would
have given the steel rail factories bo-
nus more than sufficient to pay all of
the wages paid by them in that year.
But the most brazen prOtectionists do
not claim American wages are more
than twice as high as English wages,
and even were they twice as high a
tariff of $3.50 per ton would
more than equal all of the difference in
the rate of wages in the two countries.
But the freight is more than S2.50 from
England here. Therefore no protect
ton whatever would be necessary upon
steel rails for this purpose i'm excess of
the tariff on pig iron. A table in The
Million shows the whole cost of protec-
ton on steel rails in the period covered
was Silt, 100000. This has gone into
the cost of railway equipment and con-
StfucllOll, anu mas Deen PAID Tor by IN
creased freight charges; and, not only
so, but large part Of it has gone into
the cost of railway construction, and
formed the basis for dividends from
year to year. Every bushel of wheat
shipped east has had to pay its proper
ton of this increased freight and
dividends, and has by that
much been lessened in price here.
All of the other protection arguments
will be found equally erroneous upon
close investigation. and most of them,
no doubt, may be found to be made in
the interest Of equally as great monopo-
lies. do not mean to admit in this
article that the tariff does increase
wages. believe ON the other hand
that it can be conclusively shown that
it decreases wages in almost every in
dustry in the country whether pro-
tected or unprotected.
p. A. FOSTER.
Mankato Ian II 1893