Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-03-21
A Flourlshing Beneficiary Of the Pro
tective System.


Mr.. Andrew Carnegie is to-day the
best representative of the pampered
class that has been made immensely
wealthy by the influence of the so. cali.
ed protective tariff. During the rect MT
political contest in which President
Cleveland and the Democratic party
endeavored to secure for the masses n
larger share of the benefits of our tariff
laws, the great millionaire steel pro-
ducer of Braddock was q conspicuous
figure among the favored capitalists
who maintained the policy of the high.
est rate of duties on the daily necessa-
ries of the people. The high tariff W as
demanded for the nurturing of home in
dustries alleged to be maintaipinp n
doubtful struggle with foreign competi.
ton, and among these struggling in
dustries alleged to be maintaining a
doubtful struggle with foreign compe-
tition and among these struggling in.
terests was Mr.. Carnegie's steel nro-
duction. The proposition to reduce the
bonus it enjoyed by very limited Der
cent. drew down upon the Mills bill the
approbrlum OF being rank free trade
measure, and millions were poured into
the republican campaign fund by the
tariff beneficiaries to protect from "free
trade" ruin the infant industrial plants
that are required tariff nourishment.
Now let us see how during the past
year Mr. Carnegie's enterprises flourish
ed despite the intention Of wicked free
traders" to crush them, and while he
eked out his meager profits by re-
ductlon of 10 per cent. in the wages of
his Workmen. The Pittsburg Common
er, paper devoted to lndustria sub.
jects, gives the following account of
how the Braddock steel baron manap-
ed to get along during the year be-
tween Feb. 1st, 1883, and Feb. lst, 1889.
with the kindly assistance of a pro.
tective tariff:
"The firm of Carnegie Eros. & Co.
which, as All iron and steel firm, stands
out at the head of the world, turned
out at the Edgar Thompson Steel
Works l25, 900 tons of steel rails; at the
Bessemer Mill at Homestead, they
made 90. $50 tons, and i'm this city in the
Union Mill at Thirty-third steet, 65,-
900 tons, and at the Union Iron and
Forge Mills at Twenty-ninth street.
10000 tons. That makes total OF 2S2.-
oOO tons In the four works, giving them
a profit OF $3,120,00O. This firm also
controls and owns, of the 20 blast furn-
acPs in Allegheny county, nine of the
largest ones, The output from all was
800 900 tons, and nearly one half of it
was from these furnaces, which IL a
still further profit of $1,OOO0OO. That
would be total profit of 81, ,120, 900,
and as the most time worked was 26O
days in any of these works, it would.
make 1T for each day $15,O75, of which
MIR. Carnegie gets go per cent, which
is the controlling interest, not consid-
eriDg the Keystone bridge works and
all other plants with which he is con-
nected. But for every working day i'm
the year Mr.. Carnegie's income has
been $4,000, even more for the last
three years"
Is it any wonder that Mr.. Carnegie.
who has been SO wonderfully prosper
Gus under the great American protec-
tive system, contributed with such un-
stinted liberaliiy to the campaign fund
of a party which proposes to continue
a policy that is daily putting $1,000
clear profit into his pocket?-BelieJonte
Wntchman.