The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-09-24

directors can furnish these, and, rest
assured, they will not do it, for such
an exposition of wholesale robbery
would "make Rome howl" as she
never howled before. We can, how
ever, obtain a. tolerably proximate
idea on certain specified articles, by
taking the increased cost under trust
manipulation as multiplier and the
amount consumed as multiplicand.
These data being known, an ordinary
school boy can answer give.
Take sugar, for instance, which is
used more or less by every family in
the land, and which yields o%ne-fourth
of the import evenu of the Govern
ment. Under our delectable revenue
system this indispensable article OF
everyday use is taxed under the tariff
schedule from | 40 to 2.32 cents a
pound on the raw OF unreined classl-
fctions. These are the only sorts
which yield any revenue to speak OF,
the refined sugars being virtually ex-
cluded by our paternal Government,
in the interest of a dozen or so rein
cries. 1t has been estimated by com
petent statisticans that, leaving out
the excluded grades, two cents is
about the average paid on imported
sugars. Therefore the numeral 2 is
our multiplier in ascertalning what is
paid into the Federal Treasury for
the fiscal year ending in 1888. Ac
cording to Treasury statistics pub
lished by authority of the Government
the quantity imported was 2,52l, O98,-
Alb pounds. According to my multi
~plication table, taking that as a multi
plicand, the amount derivable to the
Government would be $5O,42l, 969.94.
In point of fact, however, it is a frac-
ton over, namely, $50, 647, Ol4.l7, or
less than a quarter of a million over
my count. The little discrepancy be
ing on the other side only strengthens
my argument in the conclusion now
to follow.
Let us leave off fractions of thou
sands and hundreds of thousands, and
confine ourselves to millions, to avoid
complexity and confusion. Well,
then, if a two cent tax yields fifty
millions of dollars to the Government,
what will O. three-cent tax yield to the
"forty thieves" as represented in the
refinery trust? One-half more, Of
course, or seventy-five millions total.
If you doubt it, change the multiplier
2. and substitute 3, the increased cost
to which it was carried by "the trust"
most unnecessarily and arbitrarily, in
less than ninety, if not in sixty, days,
and you will have the proof by things
that do not lie.
Seventy-fve millions !! Stealage
a single article of the arbitrary
price to which it was raised is kept
up for a single year. And what's to
prevent it, or even a still higher steal,
unless it be the dread possibility that
by their own insatiate greed and
ra pacious action they might open the
way to "pauper labor and foreign
competition" c!ap-trap phrases eve
on the tongue of monopolistic rogues
with which to bait for gudgeon. But,
sir, only a part has been told. Seven
ty five millions per annum to that
and much-favored class on a
article is based exclusively on
the foreign supply. Add one-sixth
for the home product which pays no
duty to the Government, but escapes
not the attracting trust, and the
amount is carried up to $87, $780,
600 u! And that is what you are
paying to this sweet-toothed, or, more
properly speaking, sweet, fanged, mon
ster for the privilege of sweetening
your coffee. l challenge the College
Cardinals to refute the deduction. A
hundred millions yearly, within a
fraction, on one only of some ten
score trusts. Brothers, does it give
you pause? If not, then go to sleep
and wake up slaves.
AS monopolized trusts could only
have birth under our high protective
tariff, it is but natural that we should
demand redress of grievance from the
author of their being, Hence the
resolution submitted looking to the
free list under the tariff schedule for
remedy. Throw wide open the door
of the custom house, and let foreign
competition enter untrammeled on all
articles placed under " trust" and you
will thereby kill the accused "octo-
pus" deader than Hector or C@sor or
a door nail, and may God speed the
day when it is done. The application
of remedy suggested naturally seems
of easy accomplishment, and if all
men were honest or patriots, or even
ordinary philanthropists, so it would
be. But let me tell you, Mr.. Presi-
dent, that ignoring high tariff afilia-
tions 1T will have to encounter the
most powerful "lobby" that was
ever organized in the world before.
Let this aggregation of monopolies
contribute but one.half ono fourth.