Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-09-15
ROBBING THE PEOPLE.
Further Concerning the Tin.Plate
Tax Scheme.
The whole Matter Devised that u
Few NonopoIists May Prosper
UnbIushsn& statements Made by the
Organs.

Inc UHe0H says tndl tue Increased uuty
on tin plate will not ''go into effect until
July /, 1891. by which time this measure
dustry on its feet" This is a remarkable
statement in view of the present and the
past. If tie tin industry of this country,
which consists of single mine in Dako-
ia, can be put on its feet in less than a
year. what can be said of the various in
dustries that have been living oft the peo-
pie for years and years in the past? If
this newly discovered tin mine can &C.
complish such results in ouch q short
space Of time, so as to live and prosper
without government aid, what can be
thought of the monstrous robbery which
the people have borne in the past under
the plea of the eastern manufacturers that
it was and is necessary TO keep up the
taxation, else the factories would have to
be closed.
Suppose this statement to be true. and
that the mine in Dakota would furnish
all the tin required in this country, and
even if il did not, that pig tin would be
brought into this country free and worked
into plates, in what way would that BEN
that Mr.. Mckinley says that this indus
try would furnish steady employment for
"a, 600 men. Admit il for the sake of argu>
ment. How many Americans would be
employed7 The probability is that not
one would ever be found there. This
kind of labor is of the vilest character
10 the first place, it has taken genera
tons to establish the art of dipping sheet
metal in tin in Wales. There a consid
cradle number of people have acquired
the necessary knowledge for such work
by continually living in the mines and
working at it from childhood almost.
The occupation is far from healthy. and
the pay is miserablY small. 1t has been
computed that there are not more than
10000 persons engaged in the making of
all the tin plate that is used throughout
the world. and these 80 600 include men,
women and children. In these mines
girls between ~ and IA are seen at work.
They are sickly frail and emaciated, and
yet they will carry full boxes of tin.
weighing los pounds, resting them on
their hips when their strength otherwise
fails. The cause of i'll health working
at this industry comes from the picking
rooms. The employees even lose their
teeth, and appear like little beasts rather
than human beings. The rank odor of
the oils, of itself. would be sufficient
detriment.
This is the kind of labor the American
is invited to. But he would never be in
vited even. These Welsh people would
be brought to this country and paid star
walton wages-what they had been used
TO gettiDg-and the only persons beue-
fitted by this enterprise would be the
British owners of the mines.
But as a matter of fact did not the
tariff bill. as recently passed in the sen
ate, provide for duty of four cents a
pound on tin ore? And as there is but
one mine in this.country of any impor-
lance what will prevent its owners from
having monopoly with the four cents a
pound tax on the raw materially Inlwhat-
ever way the matter is looked at it pre-
seDts no agreeable feature to the Ameri
can consumer. And. as already stated in
these columns the whole, business is a
scheme to enable the few sheet>iron
dealers in Pennsylvania to amass fortunes,
and who in return prove themselves |
available for any purpose in which money
may be required.