The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1890-08-30

- y ~S W. N0 IVA
him, he MT merely offers him sham
protection instead Of any that can
possibly benefit him, but uses his
benevolent pretenses rs q cloak TO
hide him while he pays off the politi-
cal debts Of himself and his high-tarif
associates at the farmers expense
not because he wants to hurt, the
farmer, or, indeed, really stops to
think whether he hurts him or not;
but because the protected interests
and trusts that have bought the cleo
ton Of a high-tarif Congress must be
s 4tisied or they will never contribute
to buy another. And thus we have
the Mckinley bill, one that insults
the INTEL: gence Of rural voters by
offering them tariffs that can do them
no good and drains their pockets by
raising the duty on many necessities
that they have to buy aud for which
this bill proposes to make them pay
more than they do now. There is
no room here to expose the retty
steals that are hidden in the McKip-
ley bill. Some Of the larger ones are,
however, worth noting.
That on all WOODEN goods is probab-
ly the worse. 1t will be remembered
tina: the Mckinley bill does not in.
crease the duty on an wool that a
farmer raises; that its only increase is
upon carpet wool, which a few ranch
men only rais., and of which We have
to import nine.tenths Of all we use; so
that the only result will be to make
every farmer whose family has carpets
pay an enormous honus to profit a few
owners of ranches in regions whereh
carpet is never SEEM The extortion
would be bad enough if it stopped
here, but it does not. Farmers rarely
contribute more than an occasional
IS to campaign expenses. But great
ranchmen, squatting over whole town.
ships OF government land and employ
ing gangs Of herders, can afford (for
such legislation to give checks Of
thousands of dollars each. Hence,
they are protected" though every
farmer in the land is taxed more to
do it. The manufacturers, however,
are men who in return for "pl otect.
ion" can and do raise compaign funds
of hundreds of thousands of dollars,
and not merely decline to be imposed
upon, but insist on their share Of any
plumber that is being divided. So the
carpet manufacturers, as a condition
of not objecting to the ranchmen's
steal. insisted upon and got ''com.
pensating" duty added to the present
one on their goods-this on the plea
that the increase Of the tariff on car
pet wool made their raw material cost
more-as it did. But what they asked
and got was not simply enough to
compensate them for the extra
amount they had to pay for wool, but
about twice as much; SO that the total
compound duties on carpets, as pro.
posed by the Mckinley bill, run from
so per cent. to about 80 per cent, the
higher rate being on the very grade
farmers use, and the lower rate on
v~elyets aud Administers, that are ex.
clusively sold to the wealthy.
As to cloth and clothes the case is
still worse. For no reason whatever
except that they demanded it, and
threatened revenge if they did not
get it., manufacturers of woclens,
worsteds, pushes, fannels, hats,
blankets and knit goods have been
offered by the Mckinley bill more
tariff than they have now, in many
cases the present rate bong doubled,
or worse. On cloths the present
tariff ranges from SO per cent.
to 95 per cent, AMI the Mckinley
bill proposes to raise this to rs pc,
cent. and 115 per cent, the dearest
goods paying the lowest duty. The
present tariff on fannels is 81 per
cent. to SO per cent, the Mckinley
rates 50 per cent. to l43 per cent.
On blanks present rates are SO per
c mt. to 70 per cent; Mckinley rates,
70 per cent. to 116 per cent. Wool
hats are now duliable ut "a per cent.
to u per cent, but under the Nc
Kinley bill will pay 66 per cent. t.
112 per cent. The tariff tax on kni,
goods is new 60 per cent. to 70 pc,
cent: the Mckinley bill makes it 7e
per cent. to 1873 per ceht. Women's
and childrens' dress goods made part
ly Of wool now pay duty at 81 per
cent. to 70 per cent; under the Nc
Kinley bill will pay y per cent. to
1913 per cent. Composed wholly of
wool they would pay 60 per cent. to
SO per cent, and under the Mckinley
bill will pay from 50 per cent. to 1916
per cent. And the best proof that
the manufacturers intended to. take
from the American people the full
amount Of the duty is that they are
rot satisfied with the present high
duties, but insist that they mead sti:l
higher ones.
The Pittsburgh steel men contribute
hugely t., the election of protection"
Cons ressmen, andso have insisted and
got in the Mckinley bill a proposal
to hire them at their own price to
make timed plate.
This is at present wholly imported, and q
duty Of c. per pound. or IS per cent-more
than the total labor cost involved, has not
induced them, our Pittsburgh friends, to try
to CO npete. Tie reason is given below.