The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-08-18

iuTHtlN anu
There Is nothing ike TACT to reiute n
theory. The New York Press these days
is full OF facts that knock the noise out
OF fine spun Free Trade theories. Here
is series OF facts addressed to the farm
ers that hit right between the eyes:
A common flannel shirt costs in Eng
land IS. Cd, or 81 cents. The cost here
would, therefore, be nearly double, or
81 6S. The actual price is 81.
A common suit OF clothes costs in
England sos, or 81 80. The cost here,
therefore, would be SD 80. The actual
cost is 81 80, same us in England: An
Atwood $40 suit, such as that exhibited
by Major Mckinley, costs Just e., orSlO,
in London.
In England common boots cost IS.
Isl 5O,) and fair ones los. (S2 50.) In
stead OF costing One-third more here,
the price is 81 % for well made brogans
and g 50 for fair boots.
A IS. Cd. (S4 cents hat in England
can be got here for 81, and 1t does not
cost nearly 50, as asserted.
A tin bowl costing l0d., or 20 cents,
in England can be got here for about the
same price, or ut most % cents. On the
other hand, kitchen utensils as a whole
are cheaper. in this country than in Eng
land, our ingenuity in making such ar
ticles being greater than it is in Eng
land.
4 cheap cotton towel, quality for
quality. costs less here than in England.
The Grafton linen mills, who have
places on both sides OF the Atlantic, say
about thread "We sell large proper
ton OF the product OF our mills at Graf
ion. Mass, at prices that are us low alb
solutely as prices obtained in Britain for
similar Qualities made at our mills in
tombstone, Scotland" Wages here are
100 per cent higher.
All knit goods are cheaper here than
in England, especially jerseys such us
women wear. So are the commoner
grades OF stockings and socks.
American farming implements OF all
kinds are exported and sold in Competi-
ton with English. They are better,
more ingeniously made, more durable
and cheaper than the farming impIe-
ments OF any country in the world.
American cutlery is imported by and
sold in England. Does this not prove
that the price is not higher than English
cutlery? Pottery and window glass cost
one-third what they did when We de-
pended on England to manufacture these
articles Tor us. The difference in the
price to-day is not the duty.
Sugar is Democratic industry, and
rice taxed" l02 per cent is carefully ig.
nored. The Republicans repealed hall
the internal tax on tobacco in 1888, and
would have repealed the balance last
session, only Speaker Carlisle refused to
recognize Judge Kelly for this purpose.
What folly, therefore, to talk about 100
per cent on chewing tobacco. In Free
Trade England the workman pays LOO
per cent on his tobacco.
Blankets vary in cost here from 81 to
s. a pair. The retail price in England
is practically the same, and the blankets
compare iavorably, that is, a pair Of s.
blankets here would cost about Ct, its
equivalent in England. The govern
ment, in recent purchase Of blankets
made abroad, discovered that the differ
ence in the price was only 80 cents n
pair.
A calico dress can be bought in this
country us low us q cents pcryard, a sum
equivalent to the duty. II the price is
increased by the amount OF the duty,
calico dresses cost nothing in England.
And yet the people go ragged. The fact
is they cost more in England than here.
And thisis true OF all staple cotton goods
A stuff dress can be bought here as low
as 10 cents, and the duty is II cents.
Thus on the theory that the duty is u
"tax !" in England these dresses are given
away and cents yard bonus for taking
them.
An example even more astonishing is
found in the fact that while ChloroiOrm
is subject to a duty OF 80 cents pound,
the domestic article is selling in this
country for 50 cents u pound, or actually
for 10 cents less than the duty.
Turning to hardware we find the pres
ent price OF steel rails in this country is
$50 a ton. The duty is Sl7 and the
freight - so, together making $40 so,
the tax on imported rails. This deduct
ed from. S33 leaves Sl3 50, which should
be the British price OF steel rails, II the
Presidents theory is correct. But the
British price is, in fact, $50, instead of
$3.50.
Further, the steel rail industry in this
country was built up under the duty Of
SIS ton. In 1885 steel rails were sold
here for S27, Just one dollar less than the
original duty.
Take another illustration. The price
of cut nails in Philadelphia is s. for n
keg OF 100 pounds. The duty on cut
nails is 81 %. II the above proposition
be correct, cut nails should be bought in
Europe for 70 cents keg. In fact they
can not be bought anywhere on earth for
less than 81 80 a keg.
Again, cut nails have been sold in
this country us low as 81 So key OF 100
pounds, while the duty was 81 80 key.
Thus, according to the Democratic cir
cular, cut nails must then have been
in Europe for IS cents
keg. i
at q. Cd, or 62l cents per yard. Add so
per cent "taxes" to this and the price
would be 9Si cents per yard. Yet you
can buy better and more artistic carpets
ut Dobson's or Sloane's for 62l cents per
yard than you can for the same money
In EnUluON