Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1891-10-22
Ths rin-Plats Syndicate Uneasy.

The tenacity with which the tariff
fighters continue their appeals for free
foreign trade, or failing that, greatly
reduced duty, is not only desperate
it is even pathetic. One by one have
slipped away those monopolies
through which foreigners have been
able to extort from American pur.
chasers whatever price they chose to
demand, until the list is now so small
as to portend disappearance in the
near future.
Much of the trade in steel rails, cut.
lery, fabrics from silk, cotton and
wool, with long list OF chemical pro-
ducts, once controlled from the busy
manufacturing centers of Great Brit.
ain, is no longer within the grasp oi
her tradesmen. This is mainly the
result of wise foresight and wholesome
legislation on the part of such nations
as have developed their natural re
sources and encouraged the industry
and ingenuity of their people.
Among the most prosperous and
highly priced of British manufactures
is the tin-plate industry. For lone
years this has been spared anxiety
for it's welfare, because supposed to
be beyond reach of the foreign compe
titon that was so steadily trenchins
upon the once unchallenged sweep ol
other manufactures. But at last q
shadow falls athwart the ruddy glow
from the chimney tops of Swansea
and kindred centers, and anxiety
takes hold upon the syndicate that
so long has held the throttle of the tir
business of the world. The Mckinley
tariff has warned them to heed the
admonition that no matter how firmly
one may stand, it is well to have heed
lest he fall.
The United States consumes two
thirds of all the tin plates made in the
world. The manufacture OF this is
confined to a small district of Great
Britain, and is under control OF less
than one hundred men. Is it to bt
wondered that these men, rolling in
wealth extorted from the steadily
augmenting demand from this coun
try, should look with displeasure upor
that feature of our tariff which pro
poses to extend toward tin plate max
ing by our people the same opportu
nifty that was given for rail rolling
the manufacture of cutlery, nails, an6
the long list of equally necessary arti
cles that are now made by home labor
and sold as cheaply here as anywher,
else? Of course, they object to tn,
enforcement of such law, just as We
hemently as their attorneys in con
gress objected to its enactment. And
the vigor of their opposition is now
as then, intensified by the growint
certainty that, once given opportunity
for foothold, and reasonable assur
ance of being allowed to hold the
market without the handicap OF the
acknowledged difference between wage:
here and abroad, American enterprise
will repeat in tin plate manufacture
the history of so many other indus
tries in which the scepter of monopoly
has been wrenched from control o
those who once fondly dreamed thai
Britain was to remain the Workshop
of the world, and that her capitalist,
were to retain the privilege of namins
prices to suit their own notions o
monopolistic profits.
OF course neither the British tin
plate syndicate nor its representatives
in this country are satisfied with thu
outlook. No confidence is violated
when it is admitted that the support
ers of our tariff law never expected
that they would be satisfied.