The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1888-09-20
Democratic Methods.

Democratic Methods. :
AS rule our people are too apt to take
tatements of public speakers as true.
Without investigating for themselves, as
O the facts of the case. Not long since
We heard distinguished Democratic
speaker addressing an audience of Demo
,rats who upon general subjects are fully
10 to the average of Intelligence, but who
we're either grossly ignorant OF the subject
be was discussing or were willing to re-
ceive as true any statement made that |
others might be deceived, and thus be led
to form opinions founded upon ignorance
and prejudice. The speaker to illustrate
the advantages of free trade, and the hard
ships and burdens of the tariff. took the
article of quinine and declared that before
the tariff was taken off of quinine it sold
at 81 per OF. and that just as soon as 1t
was removed the price fell to 81 an ounce,
solely in consequence Of the removal OF
the tariff. Never was there a more un
warranted statement nor more unfortu-
nate illustration to show that free trade
cheapens commodities.
The tariff on quinine in 1878 was 45 per
cent. In that year it was reduced to 20
per cent. and was put on the free list IN
1879. With duty of 20 per cent. in 1873 it
sold in the London market at So SO per o.;
in 1857 the price in the London market
was so cents an OUNCE. Will any man OF
ordinary intelligence undertake to state as
true proposition 80 ridiculously absurd
as that the removal of 90 per cent. duty
in the United States reduced the price OF
qulnine In London, England, from 81 81
in 1873 to SO cents in 1882 In 1877 qui-
nine sold in London as high as IA per
ounce, and the average price tor that year
was for English quinine 1915 per
ounce. For 1879 the average was $2,96
per ounce. The maximum price in the
London market was 1896 per ounce. How
absurd it would be to say that the 20 per
cent. duty in the United States upon for
eign quinine had any influence on the
price in the London market. Quinine
dropped in price the world over between
1877 and 1887. English, French. German,
Italian. and all manufacturers lowered
their figures at the same time. This gen.
eral decline in prices was produced by one
and only one cause, which might have
been well known to our Democratic breth-
rem if they were searching for truth and
knowledge. Qlinine is made from Gin
eLoua bark trum the cnchona tree, which
grows only in remote mountain regions OF
South America. and ia gathered in rude
way from the native tree by natives OF
that country. In 1877, owing to wars in
New Grenada, and the low waters of the
riyeis Of South America, the supply OF
cinchona bark was Sc Interrupted that the
price went up to 81 per w. Ia the London
market. This Threatened condition OF the
supply of the bark tor the manufacture of
this important drug led to experiments In
growing and cultivating the oinchona tree.
| The Dutch Introduced it into Java, and
the British into the East Indl, S. and met
with complete success, In the season OF
1882 So 6 925 ,595 lbs of the bark were ex-
ported. In the season of 1885 81 l6,237,
775 lbs. were exported. In addition to
this immense supply Of the bark. the cul-
| tivaled bark of Java and the East Indies
yields FROM to IL per cent. OF quinine,
while the natiye bark yields only per
cent. And to this must lie added the fact
of the improved methods of extracting the
uuinine from the bark-the new method
requriI only 10 hours to do The work
which was formerly done in 10 days
Powers and Weightman, the highest au-
thority in the world Oh this subject, say 1t
| is simply absurd 10 state that the removal
of a 20 per cent. duty i'll the United States
could affect the price of quinine The world
over, but TINS is what our Democratic
friends would have us believe. This high
authority says further THAI the removal OF
the duty has been IA positive injury to this
Improbable. and that there are only three
houses now attempting the manufacture
of quinine in the Uui.ed States. They say,
too, that "A American manufacturers Can not
hold their home market, nor export an
ounce.'' In 1878 before the removal OF
the duty, we imported only II $40 ounces;
in 1879 when the duty was off we imported
22S 34S ounces; and in 1887 we imported
2,lSO Isl ounces.
SO we Low use the imported free trade
article. and take chances as to its being
pure, a: the American manufacturer eau
neither control the price in the home mar
| ket nor export a single ounce. Powers q
Weightman already quoted, say on this
point: I'm every respect We are fighting a
very unt quail battle. The Italian manu-
facturers pay very low wages, their gen
eral expenses of doing business, cost OF
plant. apparatus, machinery. etc, are far
below those in this conuntTy, and the
italian government pays bounty on all
Italian quinine exported.
| And yet this is the competition to which
free traders would open up the markets OF
our country, and to attain this end. they
willingly and maliciously. either falsely or
ignorantly, put off on a too confding PEG
pie, such statements as were made i'll this
Democratic meeting. How long will a
suffering people submit to such insults to
their intelligence, at the hands of men
who stoop to such measures that they may
gain place and power. 1t is perfectly con.
sistent with their political economy to
keep the masses ignorant by denying to
them the advantages of the Blair Educa-
| tional Bill, to the end that the Democratic
party may rest securely in power over an
| ignorant and misinfOrmed people.
Caught.
Tie Democratic press TIT ated The cOun-