The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-10-14
pors THE CONSUMER PAY THE DuIYs
a Convincing Answer to tho Question by
4, ~ m E.cOgnited Authority.

A Convincing Answer to tho Question by
/" N Recognized Authority.
BoSiOn Commercial Advertiser
The free traders are loud In their conten.
ton that on those descriptions OF goods
on which the duties are raised under the
new tariff bill, tho American consumer
will have the full amount Of this addi.
ticnal duty added to their cost. ltthis
reasoning 10 correct why, for instance,
was there such n rush TO get Canadian
eggs and barley over the line before the
new law took effect, and II the American
consumer must pay the equivalent oil
the 20 cents on barley, why were yessels
bringing the grain 10 Our lake ports
ordered 10 return homo with their car.
goes, II they could not &c. them entered
at the custom house before II closed on
Saturday, It will strike ordinary intel.
ligence that the rcason for such action
by the Canadian shipper was because he
could not net 80 much on exports Of
grain TO the United States-in other
words, the American consumer.wi not
pay the whole OF tho added duty.
There arc several factors which enter
into the case, Of which the free traders
neglect 10 take account. In tho frat
place the country Is full Of goods which
have been brough. in under thu former
tariff. a rise In these goods is deter.
mined by the conditions Of demand and
supply, and il anything will DO allow. In
certain quarters the foreign luannlactur.
er Is apparently considered tho ideal
gentlemen and cavalier Of this day and
generation. lie may form trusts and
combinations, no may undervalle his
goods to deiraud our revenue and he
may exact the las. iarthipg from his de.
pendent customers without cavil or pro.
test, while tho American manufacturer,
who asks protection to compensate Tor
tho higher wages he pays, is monument.
ly denounced as n robber baron.
Any duty below the protective limit
operates OF course to raise the cost 10 the
consumer by just that amount aud more
than that where the tariff is not sutli.
cient for protection. The market Is in
possession Of the foreign manufacturer
He has no competition here and can
exact an exorbltant price. Should the
extravagan. profits induce the manu-.
facture OF these goods to be begun in
this country, the price is Immediately
dropped below the cost OF production
here and the business crushed out
when prices are Immediately advanced
again. Having been treated to a dose
Of this medicine, no one is courageous
enough to tempt ruin second time,
and the foreigner rcigns supreme.
But when the duties are raised to the
protective limi. another principal enters.
The manufacture Of the goods, can be
established and maintained here, be.
cause the foreign producer can not, with
out destruction to himself, 60 lower bis
price as to render the new enterprise
Improbable. Moreover, prices to the
domestic consumer are likely 10 be
lowered. Foreign goods have sold at ex.
IRENE prices, and the competition spring.
ing up Mt home under equal conditions
| will coon reduce values to the lowest
basis. This has been proved the case 20
repeatedly, especially in the textile and
metal trades, as TO be almost m axiom.
Not that but under free trade or reve-
nue. tariff, foreign manufacturers, with
their lower cost Of labor, can often sell
their goods cheaper than they can be
made here under protection, butthey do
not do it.
For this reason except on those articles
which wealth and luxury would import
whatever the duty and on goods not
made here, it is sale to cay that in few
cases, il any, will the American con-
sumer pay any considerable proportion
Of the added duties. And in cases where,
as Il result OF the increased protection,
American enterprise will be diverted to
new lines, the cost OF these goods to the
consumers may DO less than under the
old conditions. Il must be remembered
that duties arc frequently placed above
the point OF necessary protection, and
when this is done the competition Of the
home market eau be relied on to reduce
the cost 10 the consumer to the lowest
point. AS 5proddction is enlarged and
our industries extended and diversified,
AZ result OF the protection afforded,
this cost also is steadily decreased, so that
the foreign manufacturer or farmer il he
sells in this market at all, Can only do SO
by further reducing his cost OF produc-
ton or scaling down his profits; thus
throwing on him portion at least Of the
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