The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1890-10-22
NEW TARIFF ON TRIAL.
The american People Learn.
iEIG Rapidly About Taxes.

= -~-~~-~ = ~-A[-s
Philadelphia Telegraph, tRep.)
The tariff of 1890 is now before
the country. The speech of Mr..
Carlisle in the Senate yesterday,
one of the abIest that has been de-
livered on this or any other subject
during the session, brought out most
conclusively a number of important
facts. One of these, repeatedly re-
ferred to in these columns, is the
absolute lack of all knowledge as to
just how this new law will operate
as affecting the public revenues.
The kentucky Senator insists, ar
guing, Of course, from his WELL
known standpoint against all pro-
lection legislation, that the direct
and indirect results of the tariff re-
vision ofl89O will be to increase the
I:ofiis The few at tho oxponse Of
the many; that the American peo-
pie will be compelled to bear an adj
ditional and most grievous burden
of taxation, while few favored
classes. chiefly manufacturers, will
add immensely to their already
great wealth, and other industries
will come into existence to operate
in the same one-sided way.
1t is true that this is the ground
always maintained by the extreme
school of revenue reformers of which
Mr.. Carlisle is one of the chiefs, yet
it is evident that there is much
ground to fear that in this case the
prediction is we'll founded. Senator
Sherman himself the other day used
some remarkable and most signifi-
cant language upon this point. He
plainly declared that the great thing
imperiIing the success of this law
was the possibility that the benef-
Charles of its generous provisions
would selfshly combine, and thus
deprive the people of the great ben
efits intended to be bestowed upon
them. He said that the manufac-
turers were now to be given reason
able and ample protection, and if
they would resist the temptation,
attaching to great aggregations of
capital to combine and advance
prices, they might hope for season
of great prosperity. But the Sena.
tor warned them that if they disre-
garded this obligation of fairness
and justice and went into pools and
combinations for enriching them
selves at the expense of consumers
they would so offend the people of
this country finally that the protec-
tive tariff would disappear with
great raPidity. He hoped for, and
urged wise course and earnestly
declared that if it was not thus pur-
sued he should be as ready to vote
for the repeal of the law as he then
stood ready to vote for its adoption.
a NeV York contemporary IS un-
kind enohgh just here to remind the
Ohio statesman that he is the author
of an alleged antitrust law, passed
by the present Congress, which it
was confidently declared would pro-
tect the people from the mercenary
operations of conscienceless combi-
nations The inference, from the
Senator'S speech on the tariff, this
pitiful plea for fairness and honest
profits only, is that even he has
no faith in the saving powers of
this so-called antitrust legislation,
and that undoubtedly is the simple
fact. That he has reason for this
lack of faith, too, will be abundantly
demonstrated before many months
shall have passed. AS Mr.. Carlisle
SO explicitly proved, the advance in
this tariff bill over existing law is
we'll nigh fifty per cent. Surely
that ought to be enough to satisfy
the most rapaclous of money-ge getters.
They will have it all in their own
hands, from the reciprocity clause
to the duty on tin plate.
There are several parts of this
tariff law in which the whole people
arc specially interested. One of
these is the sugar schedule. On
every stump during the next six
weeks the Republican candidate for
Congress will shout to his hearers
that a Republican Congress has
given the poor man free sugar and
molasses. Is that true? The broad
smiles now illuminating the faces of
the members of the Sugar Trust, as
well as the so-called "outside" sugar
manufacturers, answer that query
most suggestively. The American
workingman does not use raw sugar
in his coffee-cup, in his tea-cup nor
in the plain cake that his wife
makes. He will never see this Ffree"