Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-08-04
HE KNEW IT ALL,
BUT ALL fHR SAM BIB IS cALLBD DOWN
BYAPAINTER.
Some Additional Data on the Subject Of FlaIssed-
An Irish-Amsrican Speaks Out Loud and
Clsar-Gsnsral Political.

"I see by the InteHigenoer this morning
that some one who seems to think ne EN-
bodies the whole sum of human knowl-
edge of the linseed oil industry, takes tho
REGISTER to task for alleged ignor-
ance,n said q gentleman well In
formed on the subject to REGIS.
TER reporter. ''Now,, I am as direct
Iy in the 'lipseed oil business as Mr..
Martic.z. and there are some few iaets
conra.,rd with il that will make tina.
Lar, ! high tsx advocate very wearv II hs
,.i,..s ;. - a controversy on the suhjHS:t.
L. ,ne first place, Mr.. Martin'z says
that this country has grown surplus OF
fiarseed within the last few yeara. Inns
ia true. We have been able to export IL
profitably. In the years 1856 over
| / .1OO, 600 bushels, or one-ninth OF the en-
tire ccop, of American seed, were sold in
the foreign markets. Last year nearly
half a million bushels went TO England
alone. Just 80; that is exactly in the
line of the REGISTERS claim as under
stand it. II our Americso growers can
enter the European market and sell fax-
seed at profit, just as they do wheat, how
in the name Of common seuse can tney
stand up and ask for tariff tax to protect
them?
'sIt isn't the farmers who grow max,
however, who are raising all this howl
against tax reduction. They don't get
| the benefit of il. 1t is done by few
dealers, who buy up the crop at low
price and put their own figures on 1t to
the consumer; thing made possible by
tariff tax that shuts out all reasonable
competition.
81 would like to refer Mr.. Martinez to
the well known fact that the farmers OF the
| West and Northwest, where all the Ameri-
can fiaxseed is grown. are the most clam
orous in favor of the Mills bill. They know
that the benefits that may accrue from the
tariff tax never reach them, but are swal-
lowed up by few middlemen, whose po-
sition enables them TO control the fiaxseed
market.
"Another thing that may be news to
Mr.. Martinez and the Iate'iigencer: The
flax seed crop is grown early in the spring
and harvested before the middle Of July.
A splendid wheat crop is raised from the
same ground, and the fisxseed is just 80
much gain to the farmer. 1t wasn't the
protection as Mr.. Martinez says, that en-
couraged the farmer to 60 into the bust
nes,. Mr.. Martinez knows, aud everyone
else knows, that on fields bearing two crops
annually flsxseed can be grown as cheaply
here as in auy other country, and there IL
no more reason for paying burdensome
tax on it than there is for putting heavy
tariff duties on wheat, corn, oats, rye, etc.
''Now Mr.. Martinez goes on to cay that
all paint materials are better and cheaper
now than they were many years ago, and
all this is the direct result Of the pr0tec.
tive tariff. Mr.. Martinez is very knowl-
edgous person, and of course this must DO
true. Grant his premise, ana see where
it leads. This tariff tax was imposed some
twenty years ago. Then it was. rs our
friend Mr.. Martinez says, sufficient
protection for the haxseed industry.
Since then the cost OF manufacturing
fsxseed oil has been greatly reduced;
nearly one half Mr.. Martinez would have
us believe. Is it not plain then that part
of the original tariff duty is now uuneces-
sary for protection, and should be cut off?
ut must he borne in mind that Demo
Gratis do not attack the protective system,
as such They ask only that that part OF
our tariff taxes be Topped off that are I'M
necessary for purposes o. true protection,
and their proposal TO reduce the teriff on
flaxseed from an average rate OF 80 to %
per cent. is exactly in that line. Such n
reduction wouldn't do any injnstics to the
manufacturer, and would make linseed oil
Just that much cheapeG to the consnm.
err"
Chow about Mr.. Martinez's figures on
the importance OF the Industry"
"Ob, guess they are nearly correct.
There are only 81 oil mills in this country;
most of them ore located in the west. Mr..
MARTINEZ, however, neglected to state that
d combination among these 81 mills con-
trolled the market, and fixed the price on
oil. 1t is all bosh about it not being a
profitable industry. Our blessed pro-
tective system gives them q monopoly OF
the market, and they make profits TO suit
themselves.