The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-11-01
NOW ON THE FREE LIST.
Acorns, Roucon, Bauxite. Bladders,
Dried Blood, Catgut and
Divi-Divi Not Taxed.
Plumbago, Lumbago, Sausage
Skins and Turtles Free
for Workingmen.
whalebonc, Fossils. jose Sticks, Nux Som-
lea and UnmanufacturedL ava-CheaP
Skeletons for Every Closet

After all Mr.. Mckinley did not forget the
workingman. When he got down to the
free list, after he had provided for all OF his
manufacturing friends, he started in to
make living cheaper for the poor man.
Acorns are good for the poor to grow fat
on. and they went on the free list. Then
followed roucon, balm of gilead, bauxite,
bladders, dried blood, and bologna sausage,
all come in on the free list. There is no
duty on catgut, chicory root. 'divi-divi, or
dragons blood. There is none on fashion
plates snails, or shotgun barrels. Plum
bago and lurnbago. skeletons and sausage
skins. suuer kraut and turtles all come in
free. Whalebone and fossils and sailed
CUTS, joss sticks and manufactured lava
are on the free list. Mamma, citrate OF
lime, nux vomica and sweepings OF gold and
silver are all free. They may hereafter be
had at prices to suit the poorest; they should
be in every household. But VS. have for
gotten sugar. Henry Loomis Nelson. who
to say about the result of putting sugar on
the tree list:
..'rhe new tariff law will be of very little
benefit to tho consumer of sugar. The
abolition of all duties on sugars below IL
Dutch standard apparently permits the i'm
portation Of some light yellow grocery
sugars that do not need refining. As q
matter Of fact, it does nothing OF the kind.
Under the law superseded by the new act
these grocery sugars were excluded from
the country by duty OF nearly 1oo per
cent.
sIn 1886 there was imported only 5000.
OCO mounds OF tho yellow sugars in total
importation of nearly 3.0Oo,O00OoO pounds.
The cost of these sugars was very nearly
the same as that of the raw sugars bought
-. mfr Suh0
ust, and who have absolute control OF the
market. After paying the duty on the
sugars below ID Dutch standard, which are
the raw sugars, the refiners had
MARGIN of between two and three
cents pound. The groceryman had about
the Same margin in the yellow sugars, 80
that the refined sugars could be sold to the
consumers for very little more than he was
necessarily charged for the yellow sugars,
and yet that little meant an enormous
profit.
The new law makes all these sugars free.
90 that the refiner pays no duty on his raw
material. As yellow sugars are also free the
sugar trust may be compelled to lower Its
prices little. but as the relations between
the grocery and refined products has not
materially changed the refner can still 80
fix his price that the yellow sugars will be
excluded, At tho utmost the saving to the
consumer will not be more than one cent a
pound. This would make difference OF
sugar ana the trusts refined sugar, and the
average consumer is willing to pay two
cents more for the article to which he has
been accustomed.
"The yellow sugars being still excluded,
the profit of the trust will be enormous.
It is that great monopoly which is bene.
fitted by the new tariff law. The consumer
is affected in an important way only lndi-
rectly. Even the little money that ne VAL
save is to be taken from him again IN the
1 1NnN in orc
''But there was a demand on the part OF
the people that the surplus in the treasury
be reduced and the McKinleyites saw III
sugar a chance to cut them down $5OOO.-
600 and at the sam time carry Out their
bargain with the manufacturers who had
delivered their votes and were waiting for
their pay. With a wink to the sugar trust
the republicans tossed the sugar taxes over
board and then went on to load the con
sumers with taxes on all other necessaries
of life. Some OF these duties are 80 nien 1
that importation may be cut OH ana
the revenues decreased. But because the
American consumer refuses to pay the tax
imposed ON foreign goods he does not there
by escape tax ton. II he declines to pay I,
double price for an English coat he must
pay nearly double price for the American
coat which he buys instead. He must have
the coat, and that is where he IL at dis
advantage in dealing with the manufacturer
for whose Injuries the government taxes
the OeCe6SltleB Oh poorer ueA.
..If the tariff should be revised with re.
gard to the interests of the taxpayers, the
sugar schedule would not be touched until
farmers were relieved of the tax that they
must NOW pay to the bagging trust for theil
bags and their binding Irvine; the cot
ton grower the duty on cotton ties
the workingmnn the tax, on his tools
on his tinware, his food. his clothes
the lumber and lron which enter in
to the construction of his house. If tn
burdens had been taken from the ma
and woman who will now pay more thai
double TO, some of the clothes which the
must buy, an extra tax on the canned fruit
and vegetables which they eat, on the line
under which they sleep. on the medicine
slider the sugar tax. Under such circun
stances the good-natured American COL
sumer, who has borne his impositions ia
amiably, might not object to a tax redu,
ton that would benefit the sugar trust. A
it is, if he is sensible of the true meanin
Of the action of congress he will indicate b
his vote at the coming election that he pr.
fers some relief himself before adding
the profits of q monopoly.