The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1888-05-23

a Af-eSes<s
i1sei Every ytage-earIler Read
Workingmen are everywhere told
by the organs and tools of the pro-
tected wealthy classes that the pres
ent enormously high tariff is necess
sary in order to maintain the pres
Eent rate of wages Nothing can be
more untrue. The average import
duty on articles subject to such tax
Cover 1000 IN number) is about 4s
per cent. Many of the coinmonest
necessities of life are taxed from so
to 100 per cent, aud some as high
even as $50 per cent For instance
the esimport duty upon common win
dow glass, over 24N30 inches is
li10O.s8 per eentson- horseshoe nails,
103.s5 per cent; on cleaned rice,
1926 per cents on wooiens manu-
factnrers not costing over so cents
per ID. abroad, 9147 per cent; on
sugar above No. .13 and not above
No. 16, 91.s9 per cent; on red lead
paint, s1.24 per cent; ON sheet-iron
No. 20, sI.3O per cent; on steelrails
at the average cost of 1867, so per
cent; on fiannels not costing over
40 cents per h., 71.12 per cent; on
lead pipes, sheets and shot, 20 per
cent; on wooden dress goods costing
213 cents square yard abroad, 72.1S
per cent; on wooden hats costing less
than go cents per h., 65.54 per cent;
on common cotton cloth costing 8
cents square yard, $500 per cent;
on bar-iron, 51.77 per cent; on files
and rasps, 1896 per cent; and so
forth in every line of goods used
daily and necessary to the COM
mon welfare of the great mass of
consumers. These are simply mat
ters of fact, which any one can as
certain by inspecting the official
list of tariff taxes.
Now, it is contended by the bene-
ficiaries of protection, (and the Oft
told tale is daily poured into the
ear of the workingman) that this
high duty ranging from SO per cent.
to above $50 per cent, is necessary
because of the higher wages paid
here. Let the U. S. census returns
of 1880 Ca year when wages were
higD contradict the falsehood. We
quote as follows:
ain 1880 the total production of
manufactured goods in the United
States was, in value, s5,s69 O79, ,191.
Wages paid to produce the above
were s947, ,953, 1896, which is less than
18 per cent. of the production.
Now, Ito use the words of an emf.
nent writer onseconomic subjects9 Il
is plain if our manufactures are pro
tectad 1s per cent. and the foreign
pauper labor would be entirely
gratis, that we would then be even
as far as wages go. But, as foreign
labor costs something, any. protect
ion over, say, 20 per cent. is simply
for the enrichment of monopoly.
And when such protection is car
ried higher even than 80 per cent.
then it becomes simply an oppres-
sive tax robbery, and the working
man is made the excuse for the i'm
pudent lie that such taxes are nec-
essary for his protection.
Conceding' then, the propriety OF
removing the tax on tobacco, which
is poor mans luxury and may be
regarded as almost necessity to a
majority of the country's voters, the
question is this: Either you must
do away with the internal revenue
tax on spirituous liquors-give the
people free beer and free whiskey-
and keep the tariff up to its present
high rates or you can prevent this
tariff robbery by reducing the tax
on clothing and other necessaries
and tax the drinker on his whiskey
and beer.
The latter policy unquestionabit
commends itself to the great body
of consumers-farmers, mechanics
wage-earners everywhere.
None, we believe, will venture
the assertion that the state affairs ol
West Yirpinia. during the nast fnnr