The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1890-10-24
HOW FARMERS ARE PLUNDERED IN
THE NAME OF PROTECTION.
Another Letter from the President Of the
Deer Creek Farmers' Club.

Another Letter from the President Of the
Deer Greek Farmers' Club. -
For the Egis and Intellgencer.
MR. EDITOR: You are accused of having set up
"straw man." 1t certainly must look very real,
from the attention it is receiving from the pro-
tectionist organs. have seen straw man, clothed
in wornout haDiliments, create much commotion
among crows and blackbirds, but never before
knew straw man to cause so much commotion
among such sensible birds as one would naturally
suppose the editor of the Times and the Hail and
ErpoTt Journal to be.
i may be a ''lay writer" according to the Times,
and am content to be such, SO long as can lay
the truth before the public on this tariff subject,
and presume you have no objection to publishing
the letters of LAY writer long as he is not
Furthermore, Mr.. Editor, do not wish your
shoulders TO assume the responsibility of my let
tiers. l am striking from my own shoulder and
my own shoulders are anSwerable for all that may
ensue from my letters.
AS to the matter at issue. have no direct and
absolute proof that the Mccormick Harvesting
Machine Company or ), l.. Allen & Coo. absolutely
discriminate against the American consumer but
do reiterate Che argument used in my last letter
that if those people can ship their wares from
5000 to 10000 miles into foreign countries, with all
the incidental expenses attaching TO those wares,
and sell thems it Is very conclusive evidence that
the makers OF such goods have no just cause to
tear competition here at home from those same
foreigners. 1t is all nonsense to claim that an
American machine worth say $50 in New York
should be protected against a similar English
machine worth $50 in Liverpool. This is just what
this whole prOtectioniSt school would have us be-
lleve.
do not think the letter from Mr.. ELLINGTON. as
Claimed for it, While the letter is definite
as to discount and export only" it is not
so definite as to mot for retail How would this
advertisement work in practice? Suppose an
English farmer writes to S. l.. Allen & Co. encos-
ing draft ordering seed drill, discount price $500
The drill is ordered for export and of course sub
ject to the discount. Does the firm enquire before
shipping whether the drill is ordered for the single
purpose OF use or to be sold again? Ii the drill is
Il; thn adv falIg .l,o
foreigner, if not sold the advertiser tells the truth
to others, but not to the foreigner. Expectation
of merchandise may be by the Ship load or by the
single article.
The object of my first letter was not merely to
show that the American consumer was discrimi-
mated against but more in support of the claim
that our manufacturers are not in need of the pro-
tective care OF the government.
The Times correspondent denies that the manu-
facturerS charge the American consumer for their
wares price equal to the foreign price with the
American duty added. That this extortion has
been practced by virtue of our tariff, will endea-
vor to show. How the copper mining companies
swindled the American public, is d matter of his
tory. Some years ago the copper mine owners of
this country, to prevent open competition among
themselves at home as well as abroad, entered
into "a combination to maintain the price of cop
per. In 1869 and 1870 the duty on copper was 5
cents per h. and American copper was sold for
export in those years about cts. per h. less than
the price to the home trade. AS the facts in this
copper combination are well attested, will give
them more fully. Among the companies that en-
tered into this combination. about 1879. was the
Calumet & Hecla which according to the contract
was to have complete control over all the copper
mined in Michigan to sell at its discretion. Pro
ceeding to exercise its discretionary powers in the
matter of sale for export. objections were raised
by the Quincy Company as to the price. The objec-
tfons of the Quincy Company not being satisfied,
that company proceeded TO sell its own product in
violation of the contract. The other companies in
the combine applied for all Injunction from the
Supreme Court of New York, to stop The independ-
emf sale of copper by the Quincy Company. Hence,
through the court, the methods of these companies
hpcama known thR nuhlip One of rtia los
of complaint to the court shows how by the aid of
the tariff this combination had feeced the Ameri-
can consumer for about five years. The article of
complaint reads:
Acting upon the faith of and in full compliance
with said agreements, said Calumet 4 Hecla
Mining Company entered into an agreement and
made contract with certain European parties for
the sale and delivery during the periods covered
by said agreements of many thousand tons of cop
per A part of the consideration of said last named
contract with said European parties was the
agreement made by the said Calumet & Hecla
Mining Company acting for itself and for all other
companies above named that no more copper should
be sold by said companies for expectation during
said period; and the European parties a, agreed on
ported into the United States.
One answer of the Quincy Company reads: "FoI
answer and defence herein the defendant alleges
that the contracts referred to in the plaintiffs
complaint were executed by the several parties
thereto for the purpose of carrying into effect
agreements which they had made to combine with
each other to prevent free competition among
themselves in the business of selling their produc-
tions of copper, and to make the plaintiff, the Cal
ument & Hecla Mining Company, to control the
amount of Lake Superior copper which should be
put upon the market. and also to control and keep
uplbeyond what it would otherwise be the price at
which the same should be sold during the continu.
ance of said contracts
The injunction was refused on the ground that
it was against public policy to do So Thus when
rogues fall out honest men get their dues. The
pool was broken up and the price OF copper fell
but for short time only. Another and greater
combination was formed, aided by the duty on
copper, and recently copper was selling for four
cents per pound higher here than abroad, nOtwith-
standing tine fact that we have copper to export.
broker to buy American copper at the foreign price
and sell it again to the American manufacturer
who would reimport it in the original packages
and without paying a duty. On this point will
quote from Mr.. j. B. Sargent's testimony before
the Tariff Commission of 1882, Mr.. Sargent is the
largest manufacturer OF certain kinds OF hardw2 re
i'll the United States. He says:
with the price OF American copDer in this
country cents per pound higher than in England
and Germany, how can the American manufac-
turer of brass goods export them in competition
with English and German manufacturers? There
was short time when American manufacturers
could buy American copper in London; at the
London market price, and import it free of duty as
product Of the United States and original packages
but the protected copper mines discovered the plan
aud European consumption must now be guaran-
teed by the foreign buyer OF American copper as a
part of the bargain. And so the American manu-
facturer is protected cents per pound out OF
pocket on what is used in this country, and he is
substantially estopped from manufacturing copper
1t may be said that combinations have produced
the above cited effects and not the tariff. In a
measure yes, but the tariff is responsible for the
existence of the combinations.
When the 46th Congress. Democratic in both
Houses, removed the duty on quinine. the manu-
facturers of that article alleged that their business
would be ruined, but such was not the result
Powers Weightman, the leading manufacturers
of quinine in this country, labOring under the
upon the removal OF the duty. and destruction OF
their factory by fire, were not only not ruined. but
rebuilt their factory and increased their bus mess
Mr.. Roseng rten. before the Tariff Commission
of 1882 said:
las understand it the object of the tariff is to
make the article higher; otherwise there would be
no advantage in having tariff that can see j"
On the removal of the duty quinne fell in price
in this country about equal 10 that in England.
Again when the duty was removed from leather
there the same cry-ruin to the leather indus
try. Though the price of manufactures of leather
fell ruin did not follow. On the contrary our
exports more than quadruped in ten years.
The Nail and Export imam cannot sustain his
DENIAL. If he does or could then he must take up
my second or alternate proposition: That no in
in need of protection. i exclaim with Mr.. Rosen-
garten, if our tariff does not increase the price OF
our domestic wares, of what earthly use is it? II
it does increase these prices. in the name of COM
mon sense why does the consumer want 10 vote
for the party that advocates the high tariff policy?
Every laboring man, especially every farmer
should look at the tariff question from the con.
sumer's stand point. To every farmer in the
United States L would say, and it can not be
the natural laws of trade, or of free trade il
it pleaSeS you: you are buying all your merchan-
disc under our artificial system OF enhanced prices.
Who gets the benefit of these enhanced prices
Certainly not you the farmer. Your profit in
these articles ends with their Use. Does the
mechanic or laborer'S? They are not growing rich
if so why these strikes and contentious between
employer and employed? Statistics show that in
the last thirty years the manufacturing and min
ing interests have increased in wealth lar beyond
all other industries.
To the mechanics and laborers would say,
how are you benefited by the tariff The pro-
tec'ionist would reply for you by saying the
tariff increases your bilty to buy. How, pray ?
Why, 1t is clear that the tariff increases the
price of my wares, the product of your labor,
aud am enabled to pay you higher wages than
mechanic, reply Your wares, the product of
my labor, l buy as need them and what the
tariff euab' es you to pay me The same tariff ena-
bles you to take from me In the increased price.
This would be the exact situation if it were
true that the tariff does increase wages But
in this whole question there is no assumption
more false. Labor is dear where labor is scarce.
Labor is cheap where labor is abundant-the
natural law of supply and demand. DO the pro-
tected industries pay better wages then the I'M
projected industries? Mining is highly protect
I'd, but the miners are the poorest paid laborers
in the United States. If you have any doubts
on this point, aud are candid and fair minded,
those doubts can be easily removed. Here is u
doubt placed against certainty. You are
doubtful as to the increase in your wsges by the
tariff, but there can be no doubt that the tariff
increases the prices of what you buy.
Our Export man. referring to the Buett Car
riage Factory, offers that company a tariff lesson
on economics. He says: "Axles duty on) 2
cents per pound. when imported in wheels
dutiable at same rate as the wheels in which they
are fitted. ForgiDgs, all kinds, 2 $40 cents per
valorem. Wheels or parts thereof made of iron
etl2h cents per pound. Hubs for wheels.