St. Paul daily globe., 1888-06-17

Let the reader imagine for himself
the above statement, and see how much
free trade there is IN it. The rate of
duties proposed by the Mills bill is
nearly double the total sum paid out in
wages in the United States. In some
industries it largely exceeds that pro-
portion. Thus the duties on steel beams
is S2S.SS per ton while the labor costs
only 1913; on ton of steel rails the
labor is S4.00, and the duty SIT. In this
connection we make notable extract
from the Chicago Tribune in reply to
some tariff talk of Gov. Alger, of Mich
igan:
Without going into further details, the
census of 1880 presents these fOotingS of
the total value of all the manufactures
produced in the United States for that
year, protected and unprotected; the
value of the raw materials used the
amount paid to labor, and the gross
prOfitS-viZ:
Value of total output. IS, SIC. .000. 900
Value of all materials used. $780,, ,OO0, 900
Total wages paid all en-
plOYeS. SOU, ,OO0
Gross profits remaining for
capital. ..s...-....... 1, OPS, ,000, 900
Showing that labor received of total
value Is per cent, and that capital re-
ceived 20 per cent. Number of en-
plOyes, 2,132.595; average wages per
day, S1.16; profit of high protected cap
ital on each workman, $3.50 per day.
The duties in 1880 averaged about 43
per cent, but, as labor and capital got SO
per cent of the total value of the output
of manufactures, it would appear that
the goods were sold 5 cents on the 100
below the bounty furnished by the tar
iff; but it also shows that the protec-
ton tax was cents on the 100, more
than twice the total sum paid to all of
the 2, 2,732,595 men, women and children
employed in the production of goods.
So far as competing with foreigners is
concerned, the census table shows that
the American manufacturers enjoy a
bounty protection which extracts from
the public in extra price of their goods
considerable more than twice the
amount they pay for their labor.
The metal schedule of the Mills bill,
in which Pennsylvanians are most inter
eSted, proposes an average rate of 1919
per cent, being reduction from exist
ing war tariff rates of 1877 per cent,
absolutely less than the Republican
tariff commission of 1888 Harry Oliver's)
maintained was demanded by the best
interests of trade and industry On the
dutiable schedules above quoted the
Mills DlllS proposes tariff OF S4S.21 on
every hundred dollars of imported mer-
chandise, as against existing duties of
s65.9S on the hundred dollars of imports.
What imposture to call this free trade.
What reserve force of lying it
indicates! What confidence in the
gullibility of the peoplei Said John
Sherman in speech in the United
States senate: Every duty on imported
merchandise gives to the domestic
manufacturer an advantage equal to the
duty, and to that extent every tariff is
protective tariff. The. expression of a
free trade tariff involves an absurd
ity." The tariff of 1851, under which
there was great prosperity until the
civil war came, was passed by Repub
lican house and Democratic senate.
and the average rate of duties under it
was only SlS.S4 on the hundred against
S53.34 proposed by the Mills bill. This
little statement, frequently published,is is
a brOadside argument in itself:
Republican tariff of 1857 1884 per cent
War tariff, at its highest
1866 .......... 1885 per cen.
Present tariff, 1887. 54.16 per cent
Proposed by the Mills BILL. 1891 Der cent
Is not the justice of tariff reduction