Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-03-03
WANT A TEA TAX.
TIE MILK IN THE COcOANUT Is
HIGHER PRICES.

importers Al xious for = Duty on Tea from
London-T.ey Do Not Want a Break in
Prices-A Case of Frank Protectionist
Greed-The Consumer Interest Ignored.
A cheeky protectionist trick is the
present attempt to have congress re-
establish the old law, which was abol-
ished in 1888, imposing discriminating
duty OF 10 per cent. on tea shipped from
places west of the Cape of Good Hope
The provision of the old law was as
follows: There shall be levied, collected
and paid on all goods, wares and mer-
chandise of the growth or produce of the
countries east of the Cape of Good Hope,
except wool, raw cotton and raw silk,
as reeled from the cocoon or not further
advanced than tram, thrown or organize,
when imported from places west of the
Cape of Good Hope, a duty of 10 per
cent. al valorem in addition to the duties
imposed on any such article when i'm
ported directly from the place or places
of their growth or production
places west of the Cape of Good
Hope Is only a concealed way of saving
London and Liverpool. This fact is
shown by Bradstreet's as follows:
1.-The imports of tea into the United
States in 1899 amounted to 70. 575. 9S4
pounds, of which 40. 751, 7S9 pounds came
from China and 80. 303, 437 pounds from
Japan, 26O.927 pounds from the British
East Indies and 203,S25 pounds from
Hong Kong. This leaves but 5,O56. OO6
pounds from ports other than the places
of production, and of this quantity Eng
land furnished 4,613,S64 pounds. The
remaining 352,14 pounds is the only
evidence which can be furnished that
the law would have a general meaning
and not specific one"
An attempt to secure the passage of
the law in question was made in con-
gress last year, but it failed. and the
hackers OF the measure are again trving
to get their pet scheme passed
The hackers of the measure are a few
importers of tea. It may seem odd that
importers should besiege congress to de-
mand the imposition of duties; they are
usually represented by Republican pa
pers and stump orators as the men who
want duties removed and as being the
deadly enemies of the protection system.
Why should these men want duties on
tea shipped from England? Thereby
hangs a little tale of the usual tariff
stripe-a tale of private greed.
The following from Bradstreets will
show that the tea importers know what
they want:
The stock of tea in this country is at
present very heavy, and prices are in
consequence lower here than in England.
Hence London merchants are now buy
ing tea in New York. The promoters of
the new Legislative agitation hope by
means OF j. - buoy mp prices and pre-
vent further decline. But many deal
ers have been free TO predict that no
such Legislation will be passed by the
present congress. 1t is claimed by the
advocates of the measure that under free
entry London merchants are able to
place here large quantities Of tea when
ever the market shows tendency to ad-
vance"
In other words, the whole thing is. as
The New York Merchants Review saws
Nothing but asche,ne TO advance prices
when conditions are favorable" The
New England Grocer is equally pro-
nounced in it, opposition to the measure.
1t says:
at IL simply an effort of a few con-
Germs to dictate TO $4,000 900 of neoula
WHERE they shall buy their teas. no ques-
ton of protection being involved. The
whole effect Of such law would be to
advance teas which would be controlled
by few large concerns, while the small
er dealer, who can only purchase small
lots, would have to pay higher prices, be-
cause he would be cut off from purchas-
ing in lots to suit his convenience from
English Market, as he can do now Such
law will he an oppression to every re-
tail grocer and every consumer of tea in
the United States of America"
There is one thing about these men
who ask for a duty on tea coming by
way of London which is altogether
unique. They say frankly that they
want this duty in order to make prices
higher. There is no cant about domestic
competition reducing prices to the Amer
lean consumer and making them
clover than under free trade" They
do not pretend to have the interests of
the dear consumer and of the still dearer
''high priced American labor" at heart.
They want no tea to come here from
London whenever the market shows
tendency to advance"
Let the aforesaid dear consumer keep
an eye on these men. They have plan
in mind which means higher prices for
tea whenever it is possible to get higher
prices. The importers do not go to
Washington to ash for legislation which
will make prices lower, or which will
leave them where they were. They are
no more given to this kind of thing than
our manufacturers are.