Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1891-09-02

tured goods in general and upon farm
products. and leaves the raw materials
for our manufactures subject to SINH
lar duties under which our export
trade was already throttled.
So far as it concerns the duty on
farm products, it is mere sham to
catch rural voters. But the increase
of the duty upon other goods, es-
pecially in such cases as tin plate,
glassware and woollens, will be en-
tirely effective, as it was intended to
be, to increase the price which every
wage Garner must pay for the bare
necessaries of life, thus reducing in
the same proportion the purchasing
power of the money he receives, and
consequently most effectively reduc-
ing his wages. If this were all it
would be bad enough. but in the light
of experience nothing is more certain
than that, with the increase in the
price of goods, the quantity which
will be consumed ia lessened. The
amount of labor required is, of course,
in proportion, not to the profit which
the employer may or may not make,
but to the amount of the product
which it turned out. Therefore, not
merely are fewer goods consumed at
high prices than they would be were
they sold more cheaply, but the de-
mand for labor is decreased in pre-
else proportion to the decrease in con-
sumption.
The additions to the free list are
few. Books Exclusively in Ian
guages other than English" are made
free-that is, our people are given a
chance to get more cheaply the books
that most of them don't want and
cannot read. "Fresh or frozen fish,
except salmon, caught in fresh water
by American vessels" or with tackle
owned by American citizens, are also
made free; but the limitations named
leave our people along the great lakes
and Canada border still shut out
from what should be their main sup
ply of cheap food, for the catch thus
made free is SO far short of the neces-
sary supply that the market price
will be kept higher than it otherwise
would be by the full amount of the
tariff on fish not admitted free. Istle,
jute, jute butts, MANILA, Sisal grass,
Sum, ETC., in raw state are made
free, but since they are exclusively
the raw materials of the manufac-
lures controlled by trusts which are
left protected by high duties, con-
sumers will profit little by the reduc-
ton. Tropical plants and flowers are
also made free, for which people who
own Conservatives should be truly
thankful. Wharton's nickel mine
being nearly exhausted, and his
chance for further profit now depend.
ing upon supplying his refinery with
imported nickel ore and matte, he
has permitted them to be put on the
free list. Forged shot gun barrels,
rough bored, are made free but since
the duty has been enormously in
creased on finished shotguns the only
effect is exclusively to help the COM
bine that controls the shotgun trade.
Sugars below Is Dutch standard
and molasses, the raw materials of
the Sugar Trust, are made free, while
duty equal to the total cost of re-
fining, labor and all, still protects the
trust. though refining costs less here
than anywhere else in the world, and
our whole people are taxed in addi-
ton to pay bounty to the manufac-
turers of home grown sugar at the
same rate as the duty heretofore i'm
posed. Currants, clay for crucibles,
potash, sulphates, nitrates and car
Donates, and needles for hand sewing
and darning-knitting needles are
still left dutiable-are really COM
mendable additions to the free list,
but are of too little value to be very
grateful for.
On the other hand, many articles
have been made dutiable that have
heretofore been on the free list, and
the duties largely increased on those
manufactures which supply the neces-
stiles of our people. Eggs, macca-
roni, vermicelli, mica, straw, sugar of
milk and metallic tin, after 1892, are
made dutiable-the first three to in
crease the cost of their food to our
laboring population mica to increase
the profits of New England miners /;
straw, heaven knows why; sugar of
milk, to increase the profits of a man.