The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1890-09-03
cARNEelE ANo sIEgL RAlLs.
How the rariR Is EnrlehInE our scotch
Nabob

How the rariR Is EnrlehfnE Our scotch
Nabob.
andrew Carnegie is preparinS for an.
otaer coaching trip in otland. ana one
e llc li1olIliliant pa 4l4ls Of his lafty has
been pointing TO an unpleasant fact IN
Mr.. Carnegie's recent business expert
s.ice. Il is The Chicago Tribune. which
has grown 50 restive and nnmanageable
under what it terms '.McKinleyism. {"
1t says: Andrew Carnegie, one of the
king bees of the Republican party. who
is a strong believer in protection, be-
cause he is one of the favored few who
derive benefit therefrom, has locked out
his employees at Beaver Falls. Pa. be-
c;,nse thcy wanted increased wages
An Interesting commentary on this
fact Is found in recent number of that
high rrotectionist paper, The Philadel-
pilia Press. In an article on the steel
and iron production in the Pittsburg dis
trict during the first six months of the
year it says: The Carnegie firm made
alone nearly 325, 900 tons. which includes
the output Of their plant at Beaver Falls;
but from their four plants here it was
Just about 300,O00 tons, being little
mole than 1000 tons n day, or altogether
cnc-third OF all that. was made, and out
side of their steel rail output they manu-
fnctuIed in this year about IL, 900 tons
of railway car supplies and nearly 40, 900
tons OF structural material
And in regard 10 the production of
pig iro. in Allegheny comfy, Pa, The
Press says: The production of pig iron
III the first ninety days of this year was
about 3.4Oo tons n day, making BOG, 900
tons The average output from the Car
neSie furnaces was 800 tons day."
According TO this report Carnegic's
various establishments haze produced
325,OO0 tens of steel rails in six months.
The protective duty on steel rails is SIT
per ton, which on 325, 900 tons amounts
to $5,02J.O90. OF course it cannot be
claimed that Carnegie's steel rails were
Increased in prise the full amount of the
Si7 duty, for just at this time steel rails
are higher than usual in England. But
what Is true is that Carnegie has a
S1,525,OOO wall behind which he is al
lowed by law to keep up high prices
with exemption from foreign competi-
tion. Just how much of the S17 n ton
protection the steel rail makers are able
to put into their pockets nobody knows
or eau know, but it is an interestine
Fact 10 note that David A. Wells. the
greatest statistician of the United States.
estimates that the additional cost to this
country of steel during the ten years
from 1873 to 1897 in consequence of the
tariff WIS $40. 600, 600
As stated in Ne above quotation from
The Philadelphia Press, the daily output
OF Carne9ie's steel mills, not including
the one ut Beaver Falls, was 1000 tons a
day, which means daily protection of
$4,000. If even one-tenth geta into
Carne.gie's pockets, the sum of S3, 400 r
day lis not to be sneezed at" A little
sum like that dropping into ones pock-
cts every day is not bad thing 10 help
even a Carnegie to give bridal presents
that kings and queens cannot rival.
Music halls and public libraries, too, can
be built ont of this pin money as IL ac-
cumulates. and the fortunate possessor
OF these tariff made gains can get him.
self advertised as a public spirited citi-
zen and benefactor of unrivaled gem
erosity.
Is Carnegie satisfied with his high pro-
lection! No one appeared before Nc
hlnley's committee to ask for higher
duties ON rails, or even to ask that pres
ent duties be retained Possibly IL was
thought safest to avoid being questioned
and trust to the generosity of the com
mittee TO continue existing duties.
When, however, the news came out
that Mckinley had cut steel rails 10
$l3.4I per ton some of the rail men be-
gan TO Vince. At that time a representa-
tive Of one of Carnegieis mills protested
energetically against reduction. He
stated that the present duty of S17 ton
is not high enough to give him ample
protection; that the tariff must be raised
if he is to have complete protection; and
yet that the American rail is superior TO
the English rail. ALI that in one breadthf
He further stated that If the tariff ON
steel rails were reduced to SIS a ton he
might possibly be able TO go on.
When the senate cut the steel rail duty
still further, making it S11.2O per tom.
some of the rail men began TO have
a2onies. Meetings were held aud dele
cations sent of to Washington to pro-
test against further reduction. what
win be the outcome of it all is not vet
apparent, though Senator Plumb is re-
ported to have been indulging in some
vigorous talk, saying that the duty ON
rails should be reduced to six or seven
dollars. Why nOt2 Our rail makers en-
ported 259, 40 tons of rails last year, and
recently a single shipment of .. 900 was
made from Pittsburg 10 Mexico.