Sharp County record., 1891-03-12
49,
-NJOYlNG M'KlNLEYlSM,

Leather Men Under the Tariff Wheel.
The people of this country have no
idea how far trusts and trust methods
have been developed in this tariff land.
They do not know all the hooks and
crannies of industry into which the
trust usually the tariff trust, has crept
and built for itself home in which to
thrive and grow fat. Nor do they know
all that is going on in these same indus
tries in the way of appropriating the
spoils which the Mckinley tariff law
puts in their reach
One of these industries is that of
making what is called menhaden oil.
The men engaged in this industry
have an association which they call the
Menhaden Oil and Guano Association.
The annual convention of this body was
recently held in New York, and one re-
suit of this meeting was thus stated by
the New York Oil, Paint and Drug Re-
porter:
The menhaden oil manufacturers are de-.
termined to get better price for their prod.
uct and since their meeting in this city last
week, they have concluded that they might
as well extent their plans for regulating the
market so as to include tn, stock now on
hind. Accordingly they have fixed prices
thas are about two cents per gallon above
thoSe quoted a week ago.
There is a tariff story behind this
menhaden oil trust which deserves to
De told, as it will illustrate the charac-
ter and working of the Mckinley tariff.
1t is fair sample of the "ways that are
dark and tricks that are vain" in every
page of the tariff law; and it shows how
Mckinley's new brood Of protected in
fants are plotting behind their cradles
and deyising means to squeeze the pro-
tective pop bottle and satisfy their
greed
The menhaden is fish similar to a
herring which is very abundant in sum
mer on our coast from Maine to New
Jersey. Menhaden are taken in nets
In great numbers, it being reported at
this New York meeting that the num-
bers taken during the past season was
"553, 100000 These fish are used for
making oil, and the refuse from the oil
press is used in making fertilizers. The
nenhaden are also used in their natural
state as fertilizers.
The menhaden oil trust, as was re-
ported by the secretary at the New
York meeting, embraces 2S factories
employing 4,36S men, and having a
capital of 2,5O0,00O. The industry pro-
duces annually about 100000 gallons
OF oil, of which nearly one third is ex-
ported
The principal use of menhaden oil is
for illuminating purposes in mines, and
1t Is used to some extent in finishing
sole leather. The better classes of
leather however, are treated with a
product called degras, which is collect
ed from the water in which greasy
wool has been washed This degras. or
brown grease, as the leather dressers
call it, has in the past fifteen years come
to be recognized as necessity in dress
ing upper leather. 1t gives a softer fin
ash than Menhaden oil, which is no
longer used for finishing upper leather.
The gum in this oil frequently comes
out of the leather in few months and
collects on the surface and then the
leather is worth less than the raw hide
of which it was made, The superiority
of the degras in currying leather is so
great that it has taken the place of
menhaden oil, and the result has been
better leather and better shoes for mill
ions of people.
But this result has not pleased the
Menhaden Oil Association, or trust;
and hence they invoke the help of our
protectionist lawmakers, asking them
toput prohibitory duty on degras and
thus compel the leather curriers' to use
mcnhaden oil and produce an inferior
quality of leather for the people. Three
years ago they asked for such duty
from the Senate committee and it was
given them; but as that bill did not be-
come law they were still without the
protection" for which they were clam
oring,
Degras was admitted under the old
law as waste at 10 per cent. ad valorem,
and the Mills bill placed it on the free
list When the present Congress assem-
bIed Mckinley had barely got his tariff
mill running when the manhaden trust
again put in an appearance in the per-
son of its president, who said he felt
"that we are entitled to protection
against the importation of foreign
Brcascs which are produced by the en-
ploymcnt of cheap labor in foreign
countries" He objected to the impor-
tation of degras as follows: "rhe result
upon the tish-oil market, which is large
ly attributable to the free importation
of this special grease, has been to re-
ducc the price of fsh-ol so materially
that many have abandoned the business,
and all are suffering from the effects Of
this foreign competitor" He asked for
duty of ~ cent per pound on degras,
the same as in the Senate bill two years
ago, Asthe old 10 per cent, duty was
equal to only about onc.ffth of cent
per pound, the duty asked for would
bave been clear increase of $50 per
cont The unblushing character of this
request will be seen at once when IL is
stated that nearly all the dcgras used in
our leather industry is imported, only
about 5 per cent being produced in this
country, A
The Injustice OF this nronnscd duty