Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-10-10

Our esteemed Republican contemporary,
the Harris onburg Spirit of the VALLEY,
which does not seem to have familiarized
itself with the subject, persists that the
original Mckinley bill-that is the McKin-
ley bill which passed the House by Repub-
lican votes over the protest and votes of
the Democratic members-did put sulphur
lie acid on the free list. Its editor evident
ly failed to read attentively the extract
from the Mckinley bill as it passed the
House, which the VINDICAToR submitted
for his information. The Spirit now
says
GAS a matter of fact, sulphuric acid Of cer-
tain sort-that used for the manufacture of
fertilizers and other agricultural purposes
was left free by the original Mckinley bill.
There is another sort OF sulphuric acid, which
is acid refined upon which it was proposed by
the bill to impose a duty of one quarter of
one cent a pound. According to Senator Nc
Pherson, of New Jersey-a Democratic Sena-
tor-the common sulphuric acid used in the
manufacture of fertilizers, only costs one
cent pound, while the imported refined acid
costs about twenty eight cents pound. This
was the sort upon which it was proposed to
levy duty Of one-fourth of one cent pound
and that used in agricultural purposes was
to be free as it always has BEEN
This error of our contemporary is as grave
as it's first, which we took the trouble to
correct for it. There are two forms of
sulphuric acid. One is called sc. P" OF
Chemically Pure, and sells at anywhere
from Is to 80 cents pound. The other
form is sc" OIL Commercial sulphuric acid
which is oil OF vitriol; sells at one cent a
pound: is the only kind used in the manufac-
ture of fertilizers, and on which a tax of /
cent pound amounts to SIS ton. The
original Mckinley bill as it passed the
House taxed both kinds of cent apound
as the following extract from the bill will
show, and which we republsh for the infor-
nation of our esteemed cotemporary:
SCHEDULE A.-CHEMICALs, OILS AND
PAINTS.
ACIDS
1. Acetic or pyroligneous acid, not exceed
ing the specific gravity of one and forty
seven one-thousandths, one and one-half
cents per pound; exceeding the specific
gravity Of one and forty-seven one
thousandths, four cents per pound.
2. Boracic acid, five cents per pound
3. Chronic acid, six cents per pound.
i. Citric acid, ten cents per pound.
s. Muriatic acid, one-fourth of one cent per
pound.
6. Sulptaric acid or oil Of pitr5ol, onejoatrM
Of one cent per pound.
7. Tannic acid OF tannin, one dollar per
pound, &C., &c"
The Spirit says of the Senate amendment
to the Mckinley. bill which the VINDICA-
TOR claimed was the result of the popular
o ltcry against the tax on sulphuric acid
used for manufacturing fertilizers, that !:
The only amendments made in the Senate In
relation to sulphuric acid were verbal ones
in order [to] prevent the possibility of any
mistake in the meaning Of the law.
Our friend is again in error. So far from
this amendment being only verbal one to
prevent mistake as to the meaning Of the
law, it totally changed the meaning of the
law'' and whereas the Mckinley bill taxed
both forms of sulphuric acid ! of a cent a
pound, the Senate amendment put that
form used for manufacturing fertilizers Oh,
the free list. Here is the Senate amend
ment. p. 705:
s'Sulphuric acid, for use in manufacturing
super-phosphate of lime OF artificial manureS
of any kind, or for any agricultural purposes,
erne"
Inc Sps'se in closing asks us two ques-
tons to which it desi-~s CATEGORICAL an
swers as follows:
"Question 1st. Did you not make mistake
when you asserted that sulphuric acid for ag-
ricultural purposes was to have duty of five
dollars ton placed upon it by the Mckinley
bill?''
The full and conclusive answer to this
question our esteemed contemporary will
find in what we have written above.
"Question End. Were YOU not mistaken in
asserting that the total labor cost in the man
ufacture of ton of steel rails was only
IL 59?"
In response to this We will only give the
official statement Of Carroll D. Wright, U.
S. Commissioner Of Labor, a Republican
officer Of a Republican administration made
under this date: department of Labor,
Washington, D. c., Aug. 18th, 1907 and
to be found on the 4th page of Senate Mis-
cellaneous Document No. PIP:
Erpendi
Materials and successive TIRES
stages OF conversion. for dLrec
labor.
For production of 4.137 pounds of iron
So 142
For production of ,497 pounds of lime
stone. .2o5
For production of 4,sOS pounds of btu
mlnous coal. 1913
For conversion Of above coal into 1852
pounds of coke Observation-Disclosures. 59S
For conversion of above ore, limestone
and coke, and 233 pounds of cinder,
into 2,649 pounds of pig-iron. ........... 1576
For conversion of above pig-iron and 70
pounds Of scrap and ferro-manga-
nese into 2,4S8 pounds Of steel