Los Angeles herald., 1891-06-07
had black sheep amongst them; but
black sheep that were kept very remote
from the general flock.
vAGARIEs OF A CoNTEMPoRARY-FAcTs
FOR THE MASSES.

Nl'j Ahap VIZ PtCeSuc6 OI pTOueCIluS
American manufactures was very
gauzy, in many cases ridiculous. In
this connection we instanced the ex-
portation OF agricultural implements to
Europe, Canada and other foreign coun-
tries, and their sale at from TO 10 per
cent. less than the prices which the
same articles commanded in the United
States. This fact was substantiated by
the letter of a leading manufacturer of
these implements, which was published
in the New York World. We think
that we should disprize the intelligence
of the conductors of the Express if we
were to assume that they could not un-
derstand the significance of fact like
this. Surely high duties are not needed
to protect an industry which can under
sell the English and other foreign man
ufacturers on their own soil. In other
words, the American consumer is
robbed, while bonus is given by Amer
ican manufacturers to the foreign con-
sumner. If any answer can be given to
this plain proposition we should be
pleased to see it. These manufacturers
are pocketing the tariff and discounting
their home prices abroad, because they
can undersell their foreign competitor.
The whole story of indefens;bie spoiia-
ton is told in these words.
(2.) With regard to the duty ON tin
plate, which is raised from one to two
and two-tenths cents per pound, the
HERALD pointed out the fact that the
manufacture of that article was an in
dustry that did not exist in the United
States, and it quoted calculation. made
by those convefsant with the facts, to
the effect that, before the modification
provided for in the Mckinley bill could
be made, the Republican tin plate ring
which dictated this feature OF that
measure would have made $20,000,0 900.
If our contemporary had taken the
trouble to read the wisdom transferred
from the columns of the New York Press
to the Times of this city it would have
seen that, in anticipation of the passage
of the Mckinley bill, nearly three mill
ion dollars worth of tin plate was import
ed into the United States in the first two
months OF 1891. We presume that our
contemporary will scarcely say that an
enhanced duty of $25 ton on these
immense importations will not put a
large COB of money into somebody's
pocket. We are compelled to reiterate
that it is the old, old Republican
device of robbing the consumer
for the benefit of cliques,
rings, combines ! and trusts. The
strangest part of this tin plate legisla-
ton is that, while pretending to favor
growing American industries, the new
interest of mining for tin is left utterly
without any protection whatsoever. The
man who delves for tin in Montana or
California is left to whistle for anything
like recognition, while the Pennsylvania
iron barons, who contribute the steel
constituent for the tin plates, are pro-
tected up to the handle. We see that
we have used the word "strangest" in
this connection, but inadvertently.
There is nothing strange about it. The
iron and coal barons own the United
States when the Republican party is in
power, and they have not time to cast
even an oblique glance at any such in
fant and struggling industries as the tin
mines of Temescal and Montana.
So much for matters as to which our
contemporary betrays a remarkably
purblind vision. BY one of those absurd
errors OF the types we were made to re-
fer to its observations on wire nails as
wise, when we in fact wrote that it had
reduced the proposition to "wire"
point--and finely spun out, at that, we
think. l
The Express ascribes our expectation
of $6,OOO,000 worth of our products, to
the east last year as due to the McKin-
ley bill. As that measure was not en-
acted till 1891 we fail to see how it
could have had retroactive effect.
With the same tangled vein of logic, our
contemporary will ascribe the large
shipments of our products to the same
quarter during the current year to the
Mckinley bill, taking no account what
soever of the largely extended acreage
of the citrus fruits which will come into
bearing this year. The Mckinley bill
cuts no figure in the shipments last
year, although ridiculous parade
has been made about it in the Republi-
can press. The duties on oranges,
lemons and lines in packages are the
same in the old tariff as in the McKin-
ley bill. On oranges in bulk per 1000
the Mckinley bill reduces the old duty
from $1.60 to $1.50. On lemons and
lines in bulk the duty is reduced from
So per 1000 to $1.50. 1t is true that the
duty on raisins is raised from 2 cents to
~ cents per pound, and that ON plums
and prunes from to 2 cents per pound,
but on the fruits in which California is
the old tariff and the new are
stand-offs.
Republican newspapers encounter one
great difficulty in discussing the tariff |
rom any tenable standpoint. They
overlook the fact that the consti
ution of the United States only |
the raising OF revenue for
lefraying the expenses of government
administered. The wise
eaders of the Democratic party, from