The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-10-03
How the Tariff Protects Lumber

Has the Sentinel found q Mares
nest, or is it another INSTANCE of the
verification of the old Saying that a
drowning man will catch AZ straw?
For twent-nine SUCCESSIVE years Pro-
tective Tariff has been the policy OF
this nation. 1t WAS a. child born OF
Republican parents and reared in
broad American principles. Several
times during the development of this
fair child into noble manhood have
the De nocratic party, at the instiga-
ton of foreign conspiracy, attempted
it's assassination, but every time their
efforts have been met with ignoble de-
feat. 1t is scarcely two years since
the last and greatest effort was made
to drown this American idea. If l
remember Alright Mills cut figure in
the affair that time, but it was not
| Saw-mills, but some little Mills down
in L xas, and no one blamed the mills
in that case any more than they will
in this case. 1t was only the instru
ment that great party made use OF
to thresh out their political crop, and
they succeeded in threshing the tariff
for revenue only, cheap labor, and :or-
eign policy party out of the White
House and out of the State of WASH
ington. In this last trial above refer
red to, Protective Tariff WAS thor
oughly argued by the ablest men of
both parties and before no less Il jury
than the whole American people, and
verdict was rendt red that should be
remembered by every Americ II
that has hope of ever wearing one
little garment of trust in this repub-
lic-that Was verdict which put the
Democratic idea of Tariff to that
sleep from which there is no waken
ing. But here comes Suigeneris
with Mare's-nest. He does not, of
course, attack the broad and noble
American principle of protective tar
| iff, but he has found one solitary in
dustry in this great nation that is UNI
necessarily protected(0, and now like
true Republicans, let us examine this
production and render to C@ser the
things that are C@sers. Although he
does not attack the principles but mar
rows himself down to one little insep-
arabic partof it; yet if he has found
one flaw let US give him the credit and
tsend his name and address to that
man who is still in Texas. To con-
vince you that protective tariff on
lumber is impolitic he gives the follow
ing example: Mcleod builds saw
mill, and\the mills in this state can
not find sale in America for all of
the lumber that they cut and so Mr..
Mcleod would have to sell all of his
lumber abroad, as no nation could af
ford to pay him "cash" for it, he would
have to take his pay in such commo
dities AS they had to exchange, SO
when he returned with these commo-
dities he would have to pay to the
government 40 per cent duty on them
and then sell them in competition
with the Satsop Il. R. Co., who would
have stock OF similar goods which
they had bought of home manufac
turers for about 10 per cent. less mon
ey ;and as natural consequence he
would have to suspend busin SIS. And
here are Il lot of men turned out Of
work on account of this "cursed" pol
ic
The logic in this example reminds
me of the. old lady who sat down by
the side of Il basket of soiled clothes
and after expanding her lungs with
heavy sigh, she said, "Today's Monday,
tomorrow's Tuesday, next days We'd
nesday, good Lord, the week is half
gone and nothing done YETI" There is
Il little too much Imagination in this
example and not enough facts. In
the first place we do not sell our lum-
Der abroad because we cannot sell it
all at home. But among the various
kinds of lumber that our Mills cut,
there are certain qualities that we
sometimes find it more convenient to
sell abroad than at home-for instance,
the State of Washington produces bet
ter ship building material and stronger
bridge timbers than is produced in any
other country and the world looks to
us for that kind of material, and we
are ready and willing to supply them
with it when they are willing to pay
us in cool cash (CAsH) "a fair price for
the commodity. 1t is not true that we
are compelled or even asked to take
barter for our lumber, nor do believe
that such "a system of trade, We're it
adopted, would increase the volume of
our business with foreign nations.
Our lumber that is sold abroad, is sold
to dealers in lumber, Ship builders,
Bridge carpenters, ETC., and we get the
cash for it, and il the people of that
country have any commodity which
they can sell us at better prices, all
things considered, than we can get
anywhere else, it would not take the
average American long to find that
out and he'll not get fooled on the tar
if either. When the Sentinel or any
body else sets up a figure head and
honOrs it with the name of one of our
live American citizens, and then starts
him into business on equal footing
with other men in the same business.
all with the .ame market to select
from for buying and selling, and all
governed by the same laws, tariff not
excepted, and he lets the other fellows
get away with him to the tune of $1,000
on every $4,000 worth of business he
does, he either makes fool of his inn
age or libclously ISLANDERS its name. No,
my friend, this is like shooting blank
cartridges, which make little noise
when they go off, but bring no game.
1t will take stronger argument than
that to convince "the Boys" that pro-
tective tariff has not kept up the price
Of lumber, and Also kept up the price