Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-10-30
AN OUTRAGEOUS TARIFF


the Dement, Of the Piutocrucy.
The tariff bill, as finally agreed upon
by the conferrees, was rushed through
the House OF Representatives recently,
no opportunity being given Cor its dis
cussion- The members Of the Hoase
were called upon to vote upon the bill
without having had an opportunity to
even read the conference report The
only information they had as to what
1t contained was obtained from the
newspapers and the current rumors OF
the streets and about the Capitol. The
request of the Democrats for a postpone
ment of final action was contemptuous-
~ ignored by Mr.. Mckinley. tits thus
that the most important legislation
legislation affecting directly the inter
ests of every citizens rushed through
under the system of gag rules which
has been substituted by Reed, Mckinley
& Co. for the methods of deliberation
which have been in vogue in the Ameri-
can Congress from the beginning of the
Government
The various s'compromises,- so
called. made by the conference commit
tee were, with scarcely an exception.
surrenders to the trusts and com bina-
lions in whose interests the tariff bill
was framed. This is notably true as to
the tax on binding Irvine. The McKin-
ley bill, as originally reported, imposed
duty of II cents per pound on bind
ing Irvine, which is used by every
farmer in the United States. In the
Senate some of the Northwestern Sen
ators. under the lead of Mr.. Davis, of
Minnesota, made fight for free bind
Ing Irvine. and with the aid of every
Democratic Senator succeeded in hay-
ing the duty stricken out. Senator
Davis declared during the discussion
of this clause that the tax on binding
twine would cost the farmers of Mime
sofa alone nearly 81, 600, 600 year. He
also showed that the business of manu-
featuring twine was in the hands of q
trust built up by a tariff which con-
| trolled absolutely the raw material in
| the places where Is was grown, and
which limited its product and fixed its
prices to suit itself. Mr.. Davis said OF
| the members of this trust:
They are as far above legislative control as
| the clouds that float above the Capitol They
! are In need OF no protection They are amply
able to protect themselves and to spoliaJe the
world
He showed that their profits were 10
per cent on an aggregate annual out
put of SIC, o0o 900 or 81, 600, 600 year.
Yet this Same trust went before the
ways and means committee and de-
| manded additional protection of ~
cents per pound. saying if this was not
granted, its members would be forced
to close their mills. There is no doubt
that this trust is one of the most op-
pressive upon the farmers that is in ex-
istence. Nor is there any doubt that If
binding Irvine had been kept on the free
list the trust would have been destroyed
and the farmers relieved of an onerous
burden. But the trust was strong
| enough to induce the conference COM
mittee to put its product-binding
twine-back on the dutiable list, the
rate being fixed at TO of a cent a
pound, while on other MANILA cordage
the ratio was advanced from ~ to ~
cents per pound, more than was pro-
vided in either the House or Senate
bill. In the face of this deliberate out
rage upon the farmers of the country,
committed at the instance of a com BIZ
nation which, we may safely assume,
made big contribution to the Quay
Dudley corruption fund in 1883, Re-
publican newspapers and politicians
will no doubt have the unspeakable i'm
pudence to claim that the tariff bill is
country.
The tin-plate job retains its place in
the bill. The existing tax of 1 per
cent per pound is to be kept on tin
plate until July 1 next, after which the
tax upon this article of universal con-
sumption-this raw material of impor-
tant industrieS-w be increased to 2
2-1O cents per pound. This excessive
tax will ruin large interests, employing
great mum Der of men and affording an
extensive market for farmers products.
1t is levied purely in the interest of a
ring of Pittsburgh capitalists who, no
doubt, had the fat fried out of them in
most elegant style in 1883. The tax on
manufactures Of tin-plate is correspond
ly increased The Senate provision for
the free importation of tin-plate after
1896, in case of the failure of domestic
works to produce one-third of the
amount consumed, is retained. This is a
piece of rank humbug. OF course the
tin-plate ring counts upon its ability to
secure repeal of this provision before
1895 upon condition of liberal payments
into the Republican campaign funds in
tho meantime
The only concession we can discover
which the conference committee made
70 - III tu6 sugar ScneQul0
and this is not a very important one.
The sugar trust is to get its raw mate
rails free as provided in the original Nc
Kinley bill Its product above number
10 Dutch standard is to be protected by
a duty of Is cent per pound. The coarse
grades of brown sugar between Nos. Is
and 16 will be admitted free.
The bill as it stands. and as it has be-
come a law by the approval of Benjamin
Harrison. fully merits the denunciation
passed upon it by the late Democratic
State convention 1t lays new burdens
upon the farmers and wage-workers of
the country in the interest of trusts and
monopolieS. 1t increases taxes upon
the necessaries of life and decreases
taxes upon the luxuries- 1t affords no
relief whatever to the agricultural in
terests OF the country; in the words of
Mr.. Blaine 1t does not open a market
for a single bushel of wheat or single
barrel of pork. 1t will add enormously
to the profits of the protected manu-
facturers, but will not increase the
wages Of a single American working