Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-08-02
"Leprosy pI.ewns serofula."


It is not at all uncommon TO see some
rascally children disown their parents;
but II Is perfectly unnatural to see
parents disown their offspring. Hero is
the leprous monopoly tariff, the parent Of
the scrofulous trusts, actually feeling
ashamed of its own offspring, and taking
pains to repudiate and deny the relation
ship.
Some months ago pointed out, as
thought then, as clearly as possible that
the trust scrofula was the offspring of
the monopoly tariff leprosy. Now let me
once more make this point clear. There
is duty of 1t cents per pound on iron or
steel beams and girders for building pur-
poses. This product costs in Europe
1.20 cents per pound. Therefore duty of
1t cents per pound is 1925 per cent.
There is combination or trust in this
country which regulates the price of iron
beams and girders. | believe that Mr..
Carnegie is one of the chief producers. In
1887 we imported 13,513,672 pounds Of
this product, which cost abroad $164, ,403,
and the duty paid thereon was $685.
920.93. The home combination or trust
have an agreement, so at least it is said,
and they have but one price between
them. There is no home competition.
In order that there ray be no
mistake, call upon the iron
beam and girder producer. to gainsay
these facts. and | will then, as it be-
comes an honest reformer Of abuses, stand
corrected Now then thAse homo manu-
facturers, having protection of 1902 per
cent. and having combined upon n selling
price, naturally take, as near us possible,
the full pound of flesh that the tariff gives
them, and still we import ut 102 per cent.
duty 13,500, 600 pounds. This statement,
l hope, is plain for everybody to under
stand In other words, the tariff lcprosy
having put 102 per cent. duty on beams
and girders, the trust scrofula was begot-
ten i'll the shape of u trust or combination
to exact millions of dollars taxes from the
people who use this building material in
the country. Now, is it not plain that
without high tariff there would have
been no trust or combination? Is it not a
fact that if, as in the Mills bill, the duty
on these iron girders and beams is reduced
from II cents per pound to G-10 of cent
per pound, this combination will have to
reduce the price at least G-10 of cent
per poundH And is it not possible,
that when the leprous duty of l02 per
cent. is reduced to about so per cent
there may be q chance of the combination
breaking up and wholesome home COM
petition setting in? What is the use of
that eminent statesman Senator Sherman,
who so Gcutely suffers now from that
"green sickness" known as the disap-
pointed presidential 'itch," to try to re-
pudiate trusts and relieve the consumers
of that curse by improbable and almost
impossible laws, when the only relief is
in burning deep into the leprous tariff
with hot iron, and by that means take
the leprous poison out of the scrofulous
trust. The action of the protectionists in
repudiating the trusts, which they alone
are responsible for, is of piece with the
anxiety of the Republicans to repudiate
the free whisky plank in the Chicago
platform. What is the use of trying to
evade or explain the actual facts?
"The tariff as it now exists is leprosy."
Trusts are it's offspring and therefore
scrofula; and free whisky is as distinct
an issue in the Chicago platform as is the
nominee for the presidency.-J. S. Moore
in New York Times.