The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-08-02
Is 1t q Free Trade Bill?
From the New York Herald.


The Mills bill is completed at last an,
will be voted ON to-day in the house o
representatives. We take the earlies
moment To present elsewhere such al
analysis Of il as will enable every work
ingman who reads the Herald to decid,
for himself v neither it is what the protec-
tion lords md their Spokesman in con
.gresS have so persstently denounced it rs
being, "free trgde" measure.
We advise wOrkingmen in all indus ries
10 cut out the sta emeLt which appears
elsewhere and thus examine for them
selves the changes We are confident
that whoever does this will be no more
oeluded wi h the cry of "free trade" and
that he will see, on the contrary, that C. Q
bill has been drawn with the greatest care
for the protection of workingmen.
In the first place. the workingman will
find that fOrty-seven industries, most of
them like those in leather, 81 k, cutlery,
straw workers, stoves, furnaces and CRATES
-employments where the labor is the
largest element in the cost Of the product,
ard where, accordingly, the laborer's in
terest is the greatest-are absolutely I'M
touched by the Mills bill The rates of
duty are not changed, but remain pre-
cisely rs fixed in the present tar IF.
Tina. certainly is not Gree trade" Gs
every workiugman can see for himself
Then he will fluid, further, another large
number of important industries where
again the labor forms a large part of the
cost Of the product. 10 these the raw
material has been made duty free by the
Mills bill, and the present duties on the |
product have been lessened, but in every |
case it will be found that the reduction in |
duty on the product is less than the gain |
by free raw material. IL is evident that !
in such cases the workman gets even
higher protec ion than under the present
tariff, and will have steaiier employu eat
aud better wages.
Finally, there are numerous articles OF
Q jmmon and universal household use on
which the present tariff, in the interest OF
capitalist monOpOlists, lays very high du-
ties. Here the Mills bill has substi uted
mo lerate duties i'll the general interet of
the people. Thus, paint oils are cut down,
so are hammers, files, horseshoe nails,
Il rch, wire, common window glass, thread
and many other article.
Is there any reason why starch should
bear the monstrous duty of S2 per cent?
Or why saws should be taxed 40 per cent?
Or why common rope should tie taxed 30
per cent? Or why paint oils should be
taxed 55 per cent? Is it not an outrage
that such articles of universal use should
have been singled ont to be made the OBJ
jects of protected" monopolies? Is it
not an outrage that while the
treasury is OVERLOOKING with the
peoples taxes men should stand up in
congress and oppose the reduction of
such needless and extol tionate taxes on
articles of universal use ard of absolute
necessity?
"Give us free whisky" the republican
protectionists cry cut, "rath than
cheaper tools, cheaper clothes, cheaper
houses. Give US free whisky, but make
the poor washerwoman continue to pay
so per cent extra on her starch, the car
penter 40 per cent on his saws, the painter
55 per cent extra on his linseed oil, the
blacksmith 76 per cent extra on his
horseshoe nails. Cry out free trade"
they add, against anyone who offers to
lower these extortionate duties only
little"
Can party stand in this country on
such ground as that? Can workingmen
be deceived against their own most vital
interests by such outcries? We do not
haliava ~