Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-29
A MILLION MUZZLES
Pointed at Major Mckinley by Retail
Dealers in Firearms.
THE PROPOSED TARIFF ON GUNS
They Claim Would Leave Them No Gus
toners Worth Their Powder.
A BIG FIGHT FOR THE PRESENT DUTY


million muzzles point at the head of Majo
Mckinley. That statesman realizes tina
the trials of the author of tariff bill are a
great as the criticisms thrown at the head o
the writer of French novel.
A fight was inaugurated recently BY
Schoverling, Daley 6 Gales, of New York
one of the largest jobbers in firearms in tht
country. They sent out circulars to all the
jobbers in the country, asking assistance tc
defeat the part of the Republican tariff bill
which increases the duty Oh firearms and
cutlery. This circular was signed by all
the leading jobbers in the country, and now
protests OF a similar nature are being sent in
from the general trade.
All the dealers in Pittsburg have given
their hearty support to the move.
THE CASE STATED.
The facts as set forth in the circular are
about the following: At present there is no
duty at all on gun barrels, and on finished
guns the duty is 35 per cent ad valorem.
The Mckinley bill, if passed, would make
the duty range from so to 100 per cent. ad
valorem. This would have the result of
cutting out all the cheaper grades of guns,
and it would be impossible tc buv a gun for
less than S25. In the grade OF guns rang
ing from IS to S25 is where nearly all the
sales are made, and as most people will not
be able to pay more than that amount it
would reduce the sales to half with a
similar reduction in the sale of ammu-
milton.
As to the origin of the bill, the circular
gives the following reason: 1.-The demand
for the proposed increase, making the new
duty nearly three times what it has been,
comes from few American makers of
double guns (they do not all ask it) who de-
sire to do what they can to force the i'm
ported guns out of the market, and from the
makers of single guns, who think if they
can get the double guns high enough, the
men of moderate means will be obliged to
buy single guns instead. They have labored
necessarily with the Congressional commit
tees, and thus far have accomplished their
purpose. You know very well that the
American makers have no guns to offer to
take the place of the cheap imported. They
cannot produce them, and do not propose to.
WHAT GUNS COST.
1.-THE cheapest American-made gun
listed at $50, and only one gun at that price;
all others are higher. The great bulk OF the
imported guns are under S12 custom house
value, and retail from SS to $40. Why,
then, should the duty be trebled? The
Government don't need the money, the
buyer does; and unless it can be shown
(Which it cannot) that the industry of the
country is going to be greatly benefited,
there certainly can be no valid reason for
the imposition OF so enormous a duty
nearly three times as great as that under
which the American manufacturers have
been enabled to establish during the past %
years a score of successful factories and to
practically drive out of the market all
foreign goods of similar values.
''The American makers urged upon the
committee that the cheap imported guns
were trash, that they were dangerous, and
that duty should be placed on them high
enough to prevent their Importation. We
desire TO call your attention to the fact that
every imported gun is doubly proved by the
Government of the country where made;
the barrels are each tested, then the gun as
sembled, and all faulty material is de-
stroyed. On the other hand, the barrels of
all American guns are made in Belgium
(the bill admits these free of duty); the
larger part of these are never proven, the
American makers refusing to pay the cost
of the proving and the loss of faulty ma
terial."
ALL OF THEM PROTESTING.
The dealers in Pittsburg were all visited
yesterday, and though they are all tariff
men, they are against the proposed change
When J. A. Johnston was asked about the
matter, he said: at is a well-known fact
there are but few shotgun manufacturers in
the United States that pretend to make any,
thing but high priced guns, and nearly all
guns sold to farmers and country people are
of the cheaper grade, such as have been i'm
ported, and which have not been and cannot
be manufactured in this country to be sold
h. i
article Nearly every farmer and farmers
boy needs a gun, they need them to protect
their premises from trampsand house-thieves
as we'll as wild animals, such as foxes, bears
wolves, hawks, crows, owls, etc. A farmer
must be protected from these feroeious
animals and wild birds.
''The present prices of guns are high
now for great majority of farmers, and it
is considerable tax on them to buy a
reasonably good article at the present rates,
but should the prices be advanced from 80
&c 100 per cent as is proposed by the new
schedule OF duty to be imposed, what shall |
the farmer do? There is only one way, that
is to do without guns, knives, razors, scissors,
etc.. and suffer enormous loss and incon- |
venienee thereby.
This is not matter of politics with any |
of u.s. it is a matter of business. The gun
makers of America are amply protected |
now by the import duty of 25 per cent on |
muzzle-loading guns, and 35 per cent on |
breech-loading guns, and il is a matter of !
vast Importance to every farmer, their sons,
wives and daughters. Let your readers |
know tnat there are not over 20 shotgun
manufacturers in the United States; these |
few want a monopoly, and to the disad- |
vantage of 100000 of farmers. Is this |
justice? Is it right or proper?
No nrFFn EoP AN AnraNCr
"There is no need for an advance. The
American gunmakers are rapidly becoming |
milIionaIres by making high-priced guns,
The people who use the cheap guns will be
unable to buy them and therefore the |
greater part of our trade will be gone and
we will have to quit business or make only
a scanty living. There are no guns manu-
factured in Pittsburg except few of the
old muzzle leaders. We can import guns
and make more money than we could if we
manufactured them at home"
w. S. Brown told similar story. He
said: "Ten per cent of all the guns sold are
cheap ones. Men do not want to put much
money in a gun, and if the price goes over
the SIS limit they will do without them.
They want big tax on finished goods, and
yet want to get gun barrels in tree of duty.
1t will not only ruin our business, but will
seriously affect many other trades, such as
the powder and lead men, brass manufact-
urers, paper makers and many others.
FEARS IT WILL PASS.
fear that the bill will pass, and there
fore all the jobbers are carrying just as big
stocks as they can. Besides this the cut
lery trade will also suffer, On table cutlery
it is all right at present, as the American
manu- iacturers are the leaders in that branch.
but they are not so good in pocket cutlery,
and on this they want to increase the duty
almost 100 per cent In short, it will put
prices out of the reach Of the many and let
q few manufacturers add several cvnhers tn |