Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1890-10-09
THE PICTORIAL PROOF.
MISREPRESENTATION OF THE FREE
TRADE PRESS EXPOSED

|
Readers Befoggad by The New York
World and the Reform" Club-Farm-
ers Too Intelligent to Be Deceived.
The Democratic papers throughout
the country continue to reproduce what
they call the pictorial proof or facts
about export discounts as they original
ly appeared in The New York World
A more brazen attempt to humbug and
deceive the intelligence of the country
was never surpassed, even in the col
umns of The World It is pretended,
in the so called pictorial proof" that
the same agricultural implements are
sold to foreign countries at from 30 to
80 per cent. below the price at which
they are sold in the United States In
order to befog still further the readers
it is left very artfully to the imagination
to determine whether the prices are for
consumers or for dealers. The article
carefully avoids specific information on
this subject
A plain statement of the facts in the
case will serve to satisfy every reader
first that the statements Of The World
on this subject are deliberately intended
to deceive its readers and the readers of
other journals throughout the country
which might see fit to copy them In
the first place, the price lists at the low
rates said to be intended for foreign
countries are the net prices with all dis
counts taken off at which foreigners can
buy these implements in the United
States for sale In other countries, with
| cost of transportation, dealers profits
and other expenses added. The other col
| u1nn, representing the same instruments
at very much greater prices, represents
the prices at which American dealers
may purchase these articles with vari-
GUS discounts which. when taken off. re-
duce the net price to a point as low or
lower than the rates advertised for for
eign markets In the other column.
That this is the plain truth may be as
certained by any person who chooses to
make inquiry either of the manufacturer
or of the dealer of whom he is In the
habit Of making his purchases There
is nothing secret about 1t, and nothing |
which either the manufacturer or the |
dealer need have any reason TO conceal |
To substantiate what we have said we |
have the deliberate statement of The |
Mail and Export Journal, reliable
journal, in which the advertisement re-
ferred to has appeared. We have also
the statements of the manufacturers of |
these implements, and many of the
wholesale dealers who sell them both
for home and foreign consumption.
The distinction in the prices of these
different articles is therefore plainly a
distinction between the wholesale and
the retail price. If it be said then that
this distinction Is so enormous as to be
an injustice to the consumer, we might
reply that that objection has no bearing
upon the discussion SO far as regards the
tariff question; it is matter for con-
sumers and wholesale dealers to settle
between themselves, whether the differ
ence between the manufacturers whole
sale price and the retail price to con-
sumers Is unreasonable or not. We will
not undertake to argue this question,
but admit that the handling Of agricult-
ural implements, Of plows, horse rakes,
etc., Is very costly business, and often
times involves greater expense than the
original cost of the article itself. Farm
ers and Others familiar with the facts ,
will readily understand this.
1t is not practicable In a short article |
to produce all the details of evidence
which might be required by persons not
familiar with the business to sub !
stantiate the statements given above,
but this argument Is addressed to
farmers and consumers who are suf- !,
ficiently intelligent and sufficiently fa- ,
miliar with the details of the business to '
judge for themselves Of the unreason-
ableness of the circumstances and of the I
position we take. It Is comparatively [
easy for any of them to ascertain the a
facts for himself, and If he Is sufficiently :.
interested in the charge against Ameri-
can manufacturers he will take the 4
trouble to make inquiry for himself, q
and he will then ascertain that our state
nents In regard to the SO called "pio- j
'orial proof" and the allegations of The Il
New York World are literally true, and
hereby that 1t Is strictly true, as stated
It the beginning, that there never was a -
more audacious attempt to deceive and n
lelude the intelligent farming popula- n
ion of the United States than this, e.
which has been perpetrated by The New b
York World. and is now being widely
circulated In the hope that it will benefit u
he Democratic party. We are conf II II
lent that in this hope they will be bit T. T.
erly disappointed, for 1t will be found o.
n time that the farmers of the United
states are too intelligent to be thus mis- is
ed, and when they recognize the attempt Ia
o deceive them, their indignation will Il
ecoil upon the party which has intended NJ
o do it p'