Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-09-13
HOW THEY WORK IT.

1
GUS terms which. may mean something or
nothing, according To the readers fancy.
Here is the matter of tin plate. 1t is
proposed to increase the duty from cent
to 2.2 cents pound. That is an increase
of 1870 per cent. Now what is that in-
crease for? The stock argument of the
republicans is that the duty is placed up
on imported articles to build up the in
dustries of this country as we'll as to pay
the working man higher wages. But tin is
| not produced in this country. 1t Is a fact
that quite recently there has been in Da
kota some. tin discovered, but it is not
| thought to be found in sufficient quanti-
ties TO pay for working the mines, even
If the foreign article were excluded Alto
gether. We import annually some sew
enty million pounds of tin. in fact. we
import all of the article we use. Is this
increase of 1870 per cent for the purpose
OF helping along the tin industries of this
coun'ry2 Certainly not. Neither can it
be to pay the workmen in that industry
higher wages, because there are no work.
men of that character employed IN this
country. And even should there ever
arise any development of the tin
industry, American workmen would
not be employed at it. Men and women
and children from Wales would most as
suredly do everything required in that in-
dustrY. But it is useless to speak of the
possibilities of the future in this connec>
ton. The wants of the present demand
attention. On the seventy odd millions
of pounds of tin we import at cost of
$50. 900, 900 per annum, we pay duty of
81. 900. 600, That is, the people who use
tin in this country pay yearly S27 ,000. 900
for the article. The Mckinley bill con
siders that such tax is not enough. and
asks that 10000 a year be added,
making $50, 600. 600 for the people to pay
for an article of such daily and indispen-
sable use This is one of the blessings of
the Mckinley bill The extra money is
not needed in the treasury, there is no in.
dustry OF that nature to encourage and
there are of course no workmen en-
ployed whose wages must be kept up.
Yet tin. on the other hand, is so extern
sively used that one would think it should
at all hazards be admitted free. BY in-
creasing the duty the price of canned
goods of all kinds is increased-fruits and
vegetables must be made higher to all
Every utensil used in the kitchen and
made of this material must be increased
in price. Every house that has tin roof
must cost a great deal more, and even
the dinner pail which the workman cars
ries to his labor must be taxed 900 per
cent, and all for what? Even if these
workmen who carry these pals were
working in tin mines they might think
there was some show of excuse for this
high rate of taxation. but what can they
think when there is not tin niue in the
countryP
Here is the secret. There is syndicate
in Pittsburg which manufactures sheet
iron plate. 1t IS an imitation of the tin
plate but is not nearly so valuable |
nor is it so durable nor useful in any
way. This syndicate wants tin plate ex
Guided so that its members can make |
enormous fortunes by selling their infer
ior material to the people at three times
its cost, and six times its value. Would |
one not think they were making enough |
by the duty already imposed without ask
ing for 1870 per cent additional2 No, |
their cry is more. They have obliging
friends in Washington who will willingly |
grant them an extra $9.000.000 year
to be wrung from the people, and when |
election time comes around these MEM
bers of the grand old party will draw their
checks upon the Pittsburg gentlemen for
the required amount OF ''soap' to be used
where it will do the most good. And
their demands will be honored.
This is but one item of the loudly boosted
bill. but it shows the way in
which these "fat frying" lovers of the
country proceed to bleed the people. And
yet the Union says the republicans take
off the duty levied upon things that we
produce for the sake of cheap i
ness"
The Union is not improving in verac-
ity.