Los Angeles herald., 1890-11-24
MONDAY, NOVEMBER "a, 1890.
THE TARIFF AND TRUSTS.

We have already adverted to the fact
that the war-tax Republican press is in
dustaiously trying to make the people
believe that the Mckinley tariff is not
directly or indirectly responsible for the
sudden rise in prices of nearly every
commodity used by the people. In
their frantic but vain efforts to do SO
they remind one Of the fellow who tried
to scale fence by lifting himself over it
by the trousers. Even before the bill
passed, the trusts and protected manu-
facturers started in to take advantage of
it's provisions, and to raise prices all
along the line. There is so close an
affliation between the trusts of this
country and the dominating politicians
of the Republican party, that the Nc
Kinley tariff schedule was made nearly
altogether in the interest OF the former;
so that it is impossible to separate the
prevailing animus of the new tariff from
the idea that it was created for the sole
purpose of compelling the people to pay
unnecessary and outrageous tribute to
the trusts.
Not box of tin is made in this coun-
try, yet the tariff on the imported arti
Gle was raised from cent per pound to
2 2-l0 cents. The ostensible object of
the Republicans was to encourage the
development of tin mines and the erec-
tion of great sheet tin factories. Mill
ions were to be at once invested in this
industry just as soon as the bill passed.
Not dollar has been put up, nor the
semblance of a plant started. How is
this fact met by the war-tax press? 1t
says that the late elections having inn
perilled the permanency OF the McKin-
ley schedule, capitalists refuse to risk
their money in developing tin mines or
IN putting up tin factories One excuse
is as good as another. If there had not
been a sweeping Democratic victory
this fall, there would have been some
thing else that would have answered as
well. But the fact is that this extraor-
dinary and unjust increase in the tax
on tin was a deliberate and infamous
plot to force the poorer classes to pay an
exorbitant price for an indispensable
article of general use amongst
them. In the face of the
fact that not pound of tin
has yet been made in this country, it
had declined from $15 per box to $1.75
in the past twenty-five years. Since
the passage OF the Mckinley bill it has
gone up from $1.25 to over So per box,
and of such is Republican legislation.
The window glass market of this coun-
try is practically in the hands of two
large companies, which work in har-
mony as to prices. Before the passage
of the Mckinley bill, their manufacture
had been steadily advancing in price,
the past years increase being about 80
per cent. Yet on glass the most in use
the duty has been advanced from 20 to
rs per cent. Here is case in which
the Republicans legislated directly for
the benefit of trust and against the in
terest of the people.
The American AK and Tool company
is now the head of trust which owns
or controls every tool factory in the
United States. 1t is protected against
competition from abroad by the tariff
and at home by combination to keep the
prices up. Yet it is a we'll known fact
that the same trust sells it's axes and
tools in foreign markets from 40 to 30
per cent. cheaper than it does in the
United States.
In our allusion the other day to the
effect of the Mckinley tariff upon all
consumers who work in iron, we said
that one of our water-pipe makers in
formed us that he has had to pay from
30 to 35 cents more per hundred pounds
for iron since the passage of the bill
than before. When we see that the
duty on iron has been raised by the
new tariff all the way from 10 to $50 per
cent, we may feel assured that the ad-
vance in the cost OF the metal to work.
ers in iron has not yet reached its high
est limit.
Thus it is. Between the Republican
tariff and the trust combines it encour-
ages and enrichcs, the people who work
for their living, the farmers, mechanics
and laborers and all consumers who are
not in the trusts or benefited by them,
are being bled to death. They are be-
ing ground beneath the upper milestone
of the tariff, and the neither milestone
of the trusts. How long they will stand
this kind OF immolation to the Republi-
can juggernaut depends solely upon how
long they are going to permit party so
recreant to its duty to control the Amer
ican government.
The press of San Diego is Justly in
dignant at decision just made by the