Iron County register., 1891-04-16
NUMBER Al

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islation, whether they be capitalists ant
spectators. bankers, manufacturers
mine owners. transportation companies
or the owners of patents or other monop
olies.
After the decline of Horace Greeley
) " m. ID. Kelley was recognized as thu
, great ''apostle of protection, " and never
was more perfect truism uttered, than
when he said ''when you undertake to
protect every body. YOU protect nobody y
lou cannot by legiS' alton. increase the
wealth of one or more persons, without
taking from Others to make up that in
crease. And the experiment inaugurated
% years ago, and continued to this day. OF
making everybody rich and prosperous,
by resolving the nation into a mutual
tariff-taXation society. has resulted just
as every sensible, unprejudiced person
could have toreseen, that is, in making a
few thousand milliOnaires, and few hum
dred thousand paupers. while it has made
most of the farmers in this nation poorer
than they were 20 years ago. and that,
Notwithstanding the fact, that by im-
proved machinery and better methods,
the farm laborer has produced more than
twice as much as he did in the 20 preced-
ing years. | do not say that protection
alone has done all this mischief. 1t has
| been ably seconded by the mismanage-
ment OF the finances and currency; the
excessive charges of transportation COM
panies; the monopoly of patents; unequal
| and eXorbitant taxation, and the reckless
| and eNtravagant public expenditures.
But the tariff, by It's unequal taxation, and
| its heavy determinations in favor of
manufacturers and the produce of rice
| and sugar. and against farmers and other
classes, has had a very full share of max
ing millionaires and paupers, and III keep
ing the farmers in poverty.
What is tariff protection, and who is
protected?
Protective tariff, or duties, are placed
on articles for the sole purpose of en-
abllng he producer to sell his products for
more money, (at higher price, than he
could Go, without the tariff. If the ia riff
ia il to do this, it does not protect the
producer.
1t may be stated as an automatic princi-
pie, that when an import tax is placed on
an article which is not produced in suffi-
cient quantity to supply the home de-
mand. that enough OF the article will be
imported to complete the supply and the
price of the article, both that which is in
ported, and that which is produced at
home, will be increased by the full
amount of the tariff tax. In this condi-
| ton, the tariff protects the producer
| that is. increases the price of his products
| BY the full amount of the tariff taX-and
| the consumer pays that tax. To this class
of articles, large proportion of the
manufactured products of our country
| belongs. And whenever as much as )
per cent of the entire consumption OF
any article is imported, it is safe to say
! that the consumer will pay the whole
amount of the tariff tax, unless there be
| combination of the consumers to prevent
| it. Or whenever the price of an article
| in foreign markets, is 10 or Is or even 20
per cent. lower than in this country, and
there is an import duty on the article, it
| is safe to say that the consumer pays
that duty to the extent of the difference
of the price in the foreign and the home
market minus the cost of transportation
and sale. 1t may be stated as another
aXlomatic pTinciple-the converse of the
| other that whenever an import duty is
placed on an article which is produced in
! this country, III excess of the home de-
mand, that excess, Or surplus. will be eX-
ported to find market. and will be sold
| at free trade prices, and all of the same
| product that is sold and consumed at
home, will be sold at the same free trade
prices, as that which is exported; minus
| the cost of transportation and sale; pro-
! vidad always, that there be no combina-
| ton among the producers, to limit pro-
6uction, or to maintain tariff tax prices
| which means the foreign price. with the
| taritf-taX added. | am sorry to say that
many. perhaps most of our manutactur-
ers. do combine to limit production with
| in the home demand, to prevent competi-
| ton, and thus compel consumers to paw
the tariff-tax. And often when they do
proGuce surplus, they still maintain
tariff tax prices on what they can sell at
ho.ne, and export the surplus, and sell it
Tor what they can get; often for much less
than they charge their own countrymen.
Sometimes. when there is a surplus, COM
petition rises, and the American manu-
facturers will sell for while, nearly as
low as the foreign manufacturer. Indeed
there have been instances where he sold
at less than the tariff-tax. But generally.
the manufacturers contrive to obtain all
the benefits of tariff-taXatiOn, and make
the consumer pay tarltf-taX prices.
From 1850 to 1860, our manufactured
products, increased nearly so per cent.
from 1860 20 1876, nearly 50 per cent. in
gold values. and from 1880 to 1890. a little
more than 60 per cent, when they amount
ed to S5.369. .o79, 19l. Ifin the last decade
they increased 40 per cent. they now
amount to 81. 500, 900 200. Ifone-third OF
these be unfinished goods, and only two
thirds be goods ready for final consump-
ton. there will remain $1,000, 100000, Of
these, less than three per cent. or $3.50,
600 600 are exported. and 81 ,S0U ,OUU. 900
are consumed in this country. If these
figures seem large, reduce them one
shird, and there will still remain S3 1885,
1888 3s33 | ). If tenth of these he on
the free list, there will remain S2.9l0,-
900, 900, upon which the import duties
average over 45 per cent, and il the con-
sumers pay tWo-thirdS OF that tariff, tax,
or 80 per cent. land [ believe all these
estimates are very modcra e. and entire Y
within the true figures then the man
ufacturt rs in this nation. collect annually
from the American consumers OF their
products. the snug little bounty of tribute
of S6lI 100 600, OF which, it is entirely
probable that the agricultural population,
Though less than three -sevenths of the
wholel paws one-halt, or about S303,
$50, 900. No wonder that manufacturers
make annual dividends of from 6 to 20
per cent. No wonder they become mill
lionaires. No wonder they build fine
summer residences at the seaside, and
palaiial mansions Oh fine estates or In pop
ulous cities No wonder they can make
annual visits to Europe, and lavish their
millions upon foreigners. and on their
return each one of them can bring home
$500 worth of fine clothes, bought at the
pauper prices of Europe, without paying
enc cent of tariff taxes while the poor
farmer and laborer is taxed from % TO -
per cent, on every article OF clothing he
or his family wears.
Now. while tie manufacturer is pro-
tected to the extent of 80 or 40 per cent.
of the price of his prodccts and which
amounts to Still 900, cooper amman, and
f.r lat