Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1890-10-03

These ire the facts rs to steel rails.
The State Journals statement is taken
from the false reports that are scatterel !
broadcast by the tariff league, which Is
eager to conceal the real facts
In 1880, the home production Of steel
rails was 95I, coo tons The difference in
price was $3.50 a ton The tariff was
$500 per ton Tho Canegirs and the
dozen so of the other steel rail manu-
facturers took out Of the American people
that year for steel rails clear profit over
English prices of over thirty million
dollars
In 1881 the home production was 81 -
1900 tons The American price was
s299O higher than the English mice ON
the average for the year. This gave the
American manufacturers clean gouge
out of the vitals # their countrymen of
over thirty-seven million dollars more
In 1887 the home production was ,, POS, =
600 tons, The tariff duty was Sl7 per ton.
The difference in price was sl645 per ton,
almost the tariff guage. The American
manufacturers dozen plants or 50 took
another thirty-scven millions of dollars out
of their eountrymen.
Now as to the cost of producing these
rails in the two countries. The following
is quoted from tho New York Mining and
Engineering Journal of June. 1888, a rec
orlJy on the subject:
The average annual production of Ressemer
steel per converter" in England, in 1887. was
@,6Sa tons, while in the United States it was
S6,aio tons, or 80 per cent. greater than England
And yet this enormous superiority in output per
given plant is accomplished with fewer men than
are employed in England, SO that in reality our
output per man is greater than Euglsud's by more
than 80 per cent.
The manufacturer could well afford to
pay so per ccut, higher wages, even if
there had been no tariff. But they did not
pay suon difference in wages, but ;Ley took
took sSS,0O0.Oo1 out of the American
people for steel rails and put it into their
pockets
These are "the facts about steel rails -
Who paid all this money? The railroad
companies at first. This increased the
cost of construction of their roads. and
that increases for all time the cost OF
transportation of our crops to the ses
board and the freight on our materials fol
manufacture and merchandise.
Who got this enormous profit?
As the State journal has great faith il
the ways and means committee, ono of it.
present members shalt answer the aues
ton Hon John H. Gear in message
when governor Of Iowa used these words
In view OF the greater strength and dura
btlity, which lessened the cost of replacement
all the great trunk railway ines OF the countr.
are adopting Bessemer steel railsls The msnufsc
turers Of this class Of rails are controlled by
combination of not exceeding, l think ten firm
in number. This combination i protected by
high and specific tariff, which prevents the impol
tation of forei rails TO any extent thereby in
creasing the cost of the railways OF the countr,
These firms-ten in numSer-as NJ,
Gear states i have taken from the Ameri
can people stree 1871. up to 1887, nearl
Two hundred and forty million of dollar
in protection. The price Of steel rails i
this country since the high tar,9 was pu
on rails has been enhauced over th
English price to the amount of s239, ,526
200.
That accounts for the wealth of Carn,
gle, and those are ''the facts rs to ste,
rails