Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-10-17
TIN PLATE AGAIN.
Reasons Given Why IL should No
Have Been Taxed.

Reasons Given why it should No,
Have Been Taxed.
The Union still keeps harping on tin
plate, as if fearful that the people were
giving the tax imposition upon that arti,
Gle too much quiet attention to suit its
purposes. Gest voted for the outrageous
tax on tin plate as he voted for the out
rageous tax upon everything else.
The old rate per pound was OF; the
new rate is .O2 2.1O-two hundred and
twenty per cent.
Burger & Lee, of New York, unques-
toned authority on matter Of this kind,
say:
We are in favor of the free importa-
ton of tin plate. The present duty
yields an unneeded revenue while serving
in no way as a protection to any home
industry
Although tin plate is in one sense mau-
ufactured article. yet for the purpose of
immediate use, and its applicability TO
the necessities of the community, it is
practically raw material, n quiring many
i
cOmmoditity of merchandise for general
use. la this department of manufactures
msny thousand workmen are already en-
ployed and their number would be greatly
augmented BY chespening this material SO
that it could be adv intageously ut lied
in lines of trade which cannot bear the
present high cost which the duty i'm
poses.
Not only would such a reduction orcn
up new AMI vast fields for its utilization,
and as consequence furnish employment
to many skilled workmen, but would also
lift an unnecessary burden by red ucing
the cost of the many utensils used in every
household and the countless varieties of
food products which are sold in packages
made of tin plate
1t is, of course. under TODD that when
prices are higher the consumption is les
sened and labor loses its opportunity TO
earn wages. The effect of il is TO take
away from the lsbOrer on the one hand
and on the other to make him pay more
Tor certain necessities of life. He il, as
1t were, held between two mill-stones
In our opinion the tariff on tin plate is
an iniquity.
The manufacturers 10 this country
could make tin plate to compete with the
foreign article if they were willing to ac-
cept moderate profit. This is proved
by the fact that we have shipped many
tons OF iron TO England. showing that We
can prodGce the basis of tn plate iron
90 a par with England II, therefore we
can produce the iron, and as pig tin is
Tree ~ duty we can, of course, manu- &C
ture Tin plate and compete in the market
with the English manufactured article.
But the American manufacturers are
not satisfied with moderate profits and
expect to get bigger ones by having
congress put on the Ubiquitous tarif on
tin plate.
The effect will be to reduce the OUTPUT
OF manufactured tin goods wherever :, is
possible TO substitute for them articles
MADE OF wood or paper, and, it, 81 course,
lessons the demands for labor in the
branch Of industry thus affected, al at
the same time the laborer must raw
higher prices,
just think of it, The duty on tin plate
is increased 100 per cent in the ia . of
the 'sCt that there is not a single tin-rlste
N II il the United States
How much money will 90 into me
pccsets Of the iron men of Peuns ylvs: ia
through the operation OF this meas ire
1t Is impossible to estimate. but thew will
% well repaid for their contribution to
the Harrison campaign fund