St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-10-18
AN HONEST DELUsIoN.

The editor of the Moorhead News is
man whose honesty occasionally gets
into his politics and prevents his proper
recognition by the commercial people
who operate his party. He was thrown
over in the recent legislative conven-
ton elected to nominate him. He be-
lieves in an ultra-protective tariff. and is
disguised with the duplicity of his party
in the Fifth congressional district in try
ing to saddle CoMsTOCK Oil platform
looking the other way, while he votes
for the measures of the high priests of
protection. 1t is evidently a painful
eXaction of his position to preserve even
a reticent acquieScence in the wake of
the candidate while vigorously denounc-
ing the attitude of the party. Even
local pride cannot evolve anything sug-
gestive of enthusiasm for the nominee.
He insists that it is not the fact. as
some have alleged, that the duty
makes the price of domestic ar
ticles as much greater than they
would otherwise be as the tariff
figures are. He alleges that there are
some hundreds OF articles among the
four or five thousand named i'll the tariff
of which this IS not true. 1t may be
conceded that he is correct in this.
There are exceptions to all rules. Ex-
ceptional causes at times induce figures
somewhat below. on domestic articles,
the prices at which similar goods can be
sold for if imported. But in such cases
the tariff becomes virtually prohibitive.
The purpose of protection is to enable
the home manufacturer to shield him
self from outside competition; not to see
how cheap he can sell his articles, but
how high he can go without diverting
traffic to the party who imports. ASS
general statement, it is true that the
home manufacturer charges for his
goods about the amount of the duty
more than he would if there were no
duty. An Illustration is already afforded
under the MCKINLEY tariff, although
that measure has not yet developed its
full proportions. In the case of carpets
the duties heretofore and under the
new tariff are indicated in this table:
Old Tariff. Per Cent. New Tariff.
Wiltons .......-.45c and 80 60c and 10
Brussels. ........30c and 80 44c and 30
Tapestry. 25c and 80 4uc and 40
Eelvets.. ...-.......25c and 80 doe and 10
1ngrains, 3-piy.... 12c and 80 19c and 40
IDgrains, 2-ply.-. Sc and so lie and 40
The greater increase, it will be noted,
is on the cheaper grades. The 2-ply in
grains that are used by common people
have the largest per cent of increase.
The home manufacturers have been
prompt to avail themselves of the adj
vantages afforded them by the MCKIN-
LEY act, and put up their prices, so that
the consumer will have the duty to meet
whether he uses the carpet made in this
country or the one imported. The as
ISOLATION of carpet makers has sent out
this statement of the advances in Amer
lean carpets:
On Wilton, 33 cents per running yard
On Brussels, % cents per running yard.
On tapestry, 0 cents per running yard.
On velvets, Id cents per running yard
On three-ply ingrains, 1850 cents per
square yard.
On two-rlY ingrains. IL. 67 cents per square
yard.
The lines are drawn in the same
groove for the poor man. His carpets
have the largest per cent of increase.
The McKinleyite may insist that the
poor man should get along without car
| pets, just as JAY GOULD would have
him reduce his wardrobe. but the point
at hand is that the consumer has the
duty to pay, whether he uses goods of
! home or foreign manufacture. In one
case the duty goes to the government,
and in the other to the manufacturer.
| The man who uses the goods is the vic
tim. and if he uses cheap goods he has a
| larger ratio of the tax.