West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1890-09-11

these advantages possessed BY the American peo.
pie and with tair lead among the commercial
mount the obstacles aud break down the barriers
we'Sn vicious system OF legislation in the inter
e.. OF class who sell their products 70 the Amer
they DO in the foreign ~ had piSssd in she
pam Si ,heir onward march cor supremacy.
sud with coast line covering thoOSand3 cf,uiixS
the humtlia,ing admission must be made that our
longer exists Il. like ali OF our Other great i'm.
dustties. has been forced 20 succumb that her
tribute may be levied ON the inteiiiycnce. genius.
inventive skin. aud the labor OF a whole people
that one thirtieth OF tho population may be made
"sner' more arrogant. and more pretentions.
poss rHK rARrF RSpueE ruK eosr on rns An.
ricLR
MI. President, the advocates Of high protection
and prohibitory duties attempt TO convince the
people that the tendency OF such legislation u 10
reduce the cost OF the manufactured articles.
Ihey tell US first that Il Is necessary To impose
'hese duties to protect American labor against the
pauper labor Of Rurore. aud 10 the next breath
they inform M that by imposing these high du'
ties the American consumer will be enabled 10
obtain these eommodtties at n lower price than
they can be furnished by this European pauper
labor.
These arguments being Inconsistent. the one
answers the other. The theory upon which the
proposition rests Is that high protective duties
encourage capitalists To Invest in protected manu-
fse,ures, and that competition between home
producers lowers the price OF the article.
This view of the question fails TO take into con
suggest a remedy that win enable two OF more "a
defeat aud control tho natural and usual course
OF trade. Experience has demonstrated that
,htouph the assistance Of the tariff this difhcuitS
eau DC met and successfully overcome. Trusts,
combines aud combinations are formed bv those
nd
agreements which II u almost impossible TO reach
through the courts. The value OF the plants 4,
esumsted; trustees appointed to manage the In
oStests OF inc several owners; trust certificate,
showing the interest OF each In the aggregate
business are used, aud an executive committed
regulates the production aud controls the price o.
inc commodity; competition II DESTROYED, aud q
monopoly created. The only resttiction that In
nuen.es the price Of the article IN the duty i'm
posed on the competing imported article.
IL Of equal quality with the foreign production
the value can be fixed on the domestic commodity
siter paying all charges costs transportation and
nuy. without the protection TO the home man u
facturer the price could never exceed on the 40 t
quality OF goods the cost In Europe plus the costs
SnatRcs aud transportation TO the port of entry
10 ,his extent the tariff Is potent factor In en-
protecting the guilty conspirators from that ftes
ana equal competition which under the laws 81
trade would otherwise restrain their selfish greed
THIS method OF conducting business In the al
yetshed industries OF the country that come with
IN the influence of our high protective tariff A ths
rule aud not the exception The following table
which shows the trusts that have been formed
aud the protection extended To each class OF com
modities manufactured, will fully illustrate In,
correctness of this statement