Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-05-28
What Mr.. ButterWorth Omitted.


republican Mr. Butterworth is getting
scored by the republican journals because
he chooses to dislike prohibitory duties, he
gave as glaring instance of his party's
substitution Of prohibitory for protective
duties, the case of copper ores. On capi-
tai CT million and a quarter, he said, our
American copper lords have taken sixty
million profits out of the pockets of the
American people.
Mark you, not penny of this was put into
the United States Treasury, nor any fraction
of this duty necessary to protect these mine
owners in the field of competition. 1t was and
is, aud every farthing levied by this bill for
this purpose Is. mere bonus extorted from
the people.
The case of copper is one of a number on
more at length. He gives only one side of
this abuse. Here is the other:-
Prior to 1861 we had larger trade with
Chile, one of the chief copper producing
countries of the world, than any other
nation. Chilean copper ores were brought
to this country in American-we mean
United States-ships, which took back to
Chile, in payment for these ores, return
cargoes of American furniture, cotton and
woollen goods and various other manufac-
lures Of the United States.
The ships in which this prosperous COM
merce was carried were our own, built,
owned, officered and manned by Ameri-
cans. The return cargoes they took to
Chile to pay for her copper ores were the
products of our own labor, made in United
States factories and shops. Moreover, the
Chilean copper ores were reduced, near
Baltimore and Boston, in American smelt-
ing works, again giving employment to
home capital and labor.
Take notice that the American ships in
this trade asked for no subsidies; the
American producers of goods sent to Chile
to pay for the copper ores were prosperous
and c0ntented under low democratic
tariff for revenue.
When the war broke out the protection
lists made haste to enact a general grab
Tariff bill. 1t was a great opportunity for
the American copper lords, who got duty
put into the tariff which, by only a line or
two, absolutely destroyed our whole trade
with Chile. That duty on. copper ore was
made, as Mr. Butterworth says, prohib
tive. Under is no Chilean or other foreign
copper ores could thereafter be brought IN.
1t is still prohibitive, and is kept SO by the
Mckinley bill.
What happened By act of Congress this
whole useful and important commerce was
destroyed. The ships engaged in it were
sold, the officers and seamen scattered. The
smelling works near Baltimore and Boston,
employing hundreds of Americans, were
stopped and became ruins. The American
producers of the furniture, cotton and
| wooden goods and other home products no
longer sent to Chile to pay for copper ores
we're thrown out of employment. Thus a
various industry, profitable at every
step to our own people, whether as seamep,
| mechanics, smel5ers of ores, factory hands,
loDgshoremen loading and unloading
American ships, was destroyed, and all en-
gagged in it were deprived of employment
al one swoOp.
And in what way did the country gain
Let Mr.. Bntterworth, republican and
protectionist, answer. He said in his speech
against the Mckinley bill:
"Certain it is that in some lines of pro-
ducton we have, by our system of adjust.
ing the tariff, enabled few individuals to
accumulate plore money than the entire
agricultural and working population of
some States have been able to earn during
the same period of time. Thus for great
mapy years American citizens have paid a
higher price for American copper than the
same article--the product of our own
mines sold for in the other nations, while
it cost the producer less than the product of
any othe copper mines On the earth. There
have been few days in the last decade when
we could not produce copper at less cost
tnau any other nation, and while that is
true we have paid a few scores of owners
of copper mines in the United States
millions of dollars each year as mere gra-
tuity--a mere bonus. 1t will never be con-
tinued with my vote. The great producing
mines of the country are at the Calumet
and Hecla, Tamarac and Anaconda, of
Montana. There are no mines in the world
where copper can be SO cheaply produced,
yet as a mere gratuity, a mere bonus, we
have paid these gentlemen millions upon
Millions of dollars"
But there has be5n yet another result of
this ruinons protection policy. Not on
~ did it rob us of the growing trade with
Chile SO completely that last year only one
American ship was reported in Valparaiso;
but the greed of copper lords aud the read
mess Of the republicans to oblge aristocrat-
ic trusts and corporations have given that
trade to England, which has at this tine
semi weekly line of the largest steamships
| ia the world running between London and
| Liverpool and Valparaiso, carrying Chilean
copper ores and other products to England
where they come in free, and carrying
back English goods and products to pay
| for them.
We urge SIr. Butterworth to look deep
er down GA tdess questions. He will see,
and can make Others see, that when a
bigh duty brushes or seriously hampers i'm
ports it is not the foreigner who is hurt;
he will sell elsewhere. 1t is the American
workingmau, who is deprived of employ
ment and added to the great body of un.
employed. whose pressure on the labor
market iGwets wages 10 the point where
the corporation aud trust lords want them
Ito BEN, Y. Herald,