St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-10-24
ARE DEMOCRATS CRIMINALS /?


ARE DEMOCRATS CRIMINALS
Mr.. CRoNEMEYER, of Pittsburg, sent
the president box Of tin plate made
at his company's works. Experts, the
special stated, pronounced it equal to the
best Welsh plate. Mr.. CRoNESIEYER,
by the way. is the same man who as
sured the public two years ago that tin
plate could be successfully made in this
country at the then prevailing prices.
To this present, the president sent a
reply from which the GLOBE extracts
the following:
ut will be a great step in the direction of
commercial independence when we produce
our own tin plate. 1t seems TO me that moth
ing, unless it be q lack of faith in the main
tenance OF the present law, can thwart this
desirable achievement. l can understand
how our success should be doubted and our
failure accepted with satisfaction in Wales,
but L cannot understand how any American
can take that view of the question, or why
he should always approach every evidence of
the successful establishment of this industry
in the United States with a disposition to
discredit and reject it. If the great expert
ment is to fail, our own people should not
add to the modification OF failure the crime
of rejoicing at it,
The accusation contained in these
words would be sufficiently grave if
they came from some Small-fry SpOuter
on the hustingS; but, coming from the
president of the United States, they at
once give us accurate measure of the
nd u e 10. sfrl
he senses the dignity of his great Office.
What do they mean? What is this in
duStry, doubt of the establishment of
which makes a citizen of this country
diSloyal, and rejoicing in the failure of
which makes citizen a criminal?
What has given to this greater than
BURKE the opportunity to draw an in
dlctlnent against majority of this ma
ton? The case is very simple one.
The people of this country use an
nually an enormous quantity OF tin
plate. made into all the different uses of
the house, the dairy, the orchard, the
canneries of vegetables, fish. meats and
oils. Not pound of all the millions
used was made in this country. Why?
make the basic steel plate could make
more money at something else, and be-
cause we could bay it cheaper than it
could be made here. The supply of tin
plate for the world was made in Wales,
and for years we had been buying it at
a price ranging between s. and 81 a
box for the standard size and weight
The government levied on ali imported
plate tax of one cent pound, which
was purely a revenue tax; that is, all
increase in the cost of the plate,
because the tax went into the
treasury. This amounted to sew
eral million dollars year. Mr..
McKINLEY's- bill proposed to raise
this tax to 30 cents pound, not for
revenue, for his bill was designed to
reduce revenue. but that the cost of the
plate might be so enhanced by the tax
that more money could be made in MAX
ing it by the mills that could make it
here, and they would go to making it,
and thus create another industry in this
country. This was the naked PROPOSE
ton made to the voters and people of
this country: "We will add 120 per cent
to the tax on foreign tin and obiige you
to pay more for the utensils made of
that metal which you use, in order that
the making of tin plate in this country
may be made profitable to those who
will engage in it. In other words, we,
the government for the time being, will
oblige you to contribute to the creation
and maintenance of a business which
some of your fellows wish to engage ill.,"
Not Are you willing to contribute?'
but "You must"
If citizen of this supposedly free
country says: "No. | object to being
forced to give of my earnings for any
ones benefit; | can make use of all [
earn; let these men do as [ do, and go
into OF keep out of business because I
think it will or Will not pay; l deny
your right to force me to give for such a
purpose" in the opinion of this
man who sits in the chair of JEFFER-
son and LINCOLN and CLEVELAND,
that man is not an American. If, COM
PEELED to assist, he watches with in
creduaiIty the attempted manufacture
of the article for political badges, and
doubts the making of tin plate for COM
merce, he is not, in the eye of the same
worthy, loyal citizen. If he uses his
best efforts to secure the repeal of the
oppressive and tyIannical mandate of
all imperious majority; if he should re-
joice at the failure of the attempt to
fitch his earnings from him, then this
man, the president of these United
States, publicly denounces him as a
criminal. Modification? Yes; but it is
the humiliation of having in the presi-
Dental chair man who deliberately
arraigns as criminals large majority
Of the voters of the land.