The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-05-25
TARIFF JUGGLERT.
Inconsistencies and Hypoc-
risies Of Republican Con-
gressmen Shown Up.

" 5Ob one VI LIE peHatIiB dlSCusStyu "a
the Tariff III Congress-, should read the
Congressional Record. 1t is a perfect
mine OF amusement and instruction, but,
as in the case of most other mines, its
treasures are hidden beneath and among
great deal of worthless stuff. | have
had the courage and the patience to wade
through Its pages, and my present pur-
pose is to exhibiu TO your readers few
of the choicest gems which have dis
covered.
Let me begin by introducing Mr.. Walk
er, OF Massachusetts ] take him to be
about the rarest intellectual curiosity
that this debate has produced. His
special fitness for the discussion of econ
onifc questions is evinced by his theory
tnat 1t doesn't make any difference how
much taxes man pays because those
taxes ultimately get back into the pockets
OF the people, Here is his way of putting
it,
II You expend the taxes wisely and economic
ally and 10 the nroft of The people, it Is compar-
ariveiy innlaterial how much you take in taxes,
because the people get it back again.
Mr.: Atkinson, a Republican from West
Virginia, III the course of his remarks
tItee0TU OF May 10, D. 1888 said:--
know our Democrat friends, parrot-like,
cry out The tariff is tax. But they are mis-
taken. They well know this charge Is not true.
But on page 4541 Of the same Record /
find Mr.. Mckinley, the Republican leader
OF the House, using this language in his
speech on the bill
plate, all Of II imported, upon which we paid
-, VOU,U09 duty. euefa dollar Of srifch paid
by the consumer. The price OF tin-plate to the
American consumer for the last tweuty-four
years has been TIE foreign price fTed By the for
e9g5t prodhcef 1gits the American duty added,
and eve1g dollar OF that duty has been paid By
the Gamers end Nv the consumers IN euery form,
small and great
ca that nccor,7fre, r., NJ AfoI<;,elax, ord
he ought TO be considered pretty good au-
thority among Republicans, the tariff on
tin plates is u tax paid by the American
consumer. And if this is 50 of the tariff
on tin plate, why is it not SO Of the tariff
on every other thing2
SOMETHING OF A DILEMMA.
But Mr.. Atkinson is not only in dis
agreement with the Democrats, is not
only in disagreement with his own party
Leader, but he is in clear disagreement
with himself For / find him saying
(Record May 10, p. 453S1:-
A fifth reason why | favor a protective tariff is
because it has cheapened to the consumer every
protected article.
Yet when he comes to speak Of the
American farmer, he says
A protective tariff and especially this BILL pro-
tects the farmer by an increased duty upon
everything he produces. 1t is evident to all
thinking men that the farmer needs more pro
lection, and not less, as our Democratic friends
would have him believe.
If protection is going to make the pro-
tected article cheap how can the prouec-
ton OF farm products benefit the farmer?
II the farmer is now suffering from the
low prices of his products how Will he be
benefited by a protected tariff on those
products which, according TO Mr.. Atkln-
son, must still further reduce their price?
VARYING FARM THEORIES
Although the American farmer comes
in for q great deal of anxious solicitude
on the part of our Republican Congress-
men, there seems to be q great deal Of
uncertainty among them as to his actual
condition. Mr.. Atkinson says:-'I am
aware that agriculture in this country is
greatly depressed" while Mr.. Walker
insists that there is no business SO Sc
cure and In which the profits are so uni
form and so large as in that of farming"
Then again Mr.. Atkinson declares Il am
in favor Of placing the Import duty SO
high on all farm products that Mr.. John
Bull shall be forced to eat his own eggs,
cabbage, beans and potatoes upon his
soil - which means that he is in favor of
making the duty on these things prohibit
tive and thus preventing foreign competi-
ton. But here he is at loggerheads with
another eminent Republican statesman,
Mr.. Kerr of Iowa, who (Record, May 1G,
p. 1896 says:
II you destroy either the home or foreign COM
petition, it you exclude either the one or the
other by the operation OF unjust laws you thereby
put it IN the power OF monopolies and trusts
either at home or abroad TO make prices UNI
reasonably high.
SO that according to Brother Kerr the
duty on farm products proposed by
Brother Atkinson would make the prices
of farm products, that is to say Of food of
all kinds except fish. .'unreasonably
high.n 1t may perhaps be not impertin-
ent to observe that while Mr.. Kerr isquite
right as to the effect of preventing foreign
competition he is wholly at variance with
Brother Mckinley, and other apostles of
prohibftive du5y, on that subject.
A HARD NUT TO BREAK.
That, owing to the tariff, articles of
American manufacture can be and are
sold out of this country at a less price
than they are sold at in this country seems
to be conceded. The Democrats in the
House affirmed this to be the fact and the
following official dispatch from our Con-
sui at London, Ontario, in Canada was
read.
United STATES coSsuLAR AerNcy,
London, Ontario. September 10 1855
(Received September ie)
SIR:-In reply TO the circular OF the Depart
ment of State dated September 4, 1885 request
ing information us 10 the imports OF agricultural
machinery and tools from the United States
into Canada, inquiry ELECTS the following facfs--
find that pows OF American manufacture
are among the most prominent of the IMPORTS In
South Bend, Ind, and the one, am told, that
has the largest sale in the United Stntes). the
Syracuse pi0w, aud the South Bend pillow seem
to be most 10 demand and TO have the largest
sale. I have before me on my desk offer
from an Ontario dealer in the Oliver plows to
sell same IN T. o. b. at this city in Canada for $40
each in quantities. The retail price here is Sis
and numerous transactions take place at that
figure
The same plows | understand, are sold IN
quantities at the factory mot for EXPORT at S1a
each. and cost the American farmer at re-
tail Sl6
Il is pleasing TO observe how cheaply our
manufacturers must be able to turn out these
goods from the fact that the Canadian duty on
this class of goods is 35 per cent. nd yalorem
Even admitting that the manufacturer makes
no profit his salss in Canada, these figures
are of INTEREST,"
Per Piow
ada .r.-..........s..-....-.. $40 90
Duty at 81 per cent ad valorem,
and freight ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 81 80
Profit TO Canadian dealer, probably 1 80
- 5 90
Leaving actual cost to manufac-
tllrer a. -. W
Retailed to American farmer at..-. iG 90
Profit to manufacturer on all home
sales .,..-..-.-.s .--...------t-. IL w
1t would thus seem that the Canadian farmer
has an advantage over his American neighbor In
the purchase OF necessary implements produced
in his own country, and the latter before pur-
chasing his piows might well figure as foiloss;-
Price of plows at retail in United
s..