The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1891-10-21
This is what is styled protection e
American labor"
.HE WOOD SCREW MoNopoLY.

This is what is styled protection ts
American labor"
THE WOOD SCREW MONOPOLY.
Perhaps the vilest of all the combi-
nations is the wood screw monopoly.
The average ad valorem rate of duty on
wood screws was 50.55 per cent, up to
the passage of the Mckinley bill, when
the duty on screws two inches in length
was raised from cents to cents per
pound; those one inch in length from
cents to 10 cents per pound, and those
one-half inch or less IL length from IL
to ID cents per pound. This duty was
practically prohibitory, as only s., 71Q
worth of screws were imported during
the year ending June 80, 1887. The
machines for making screws are an
American invention. Mr.. Joseph Cham.
berlain, member of the British par
lament, and manufacturer of screws,
in a speech at Birmingham, England.
on the 18th of November, 1886, gives
this bit of experience with our protect
ed screw makers A few years ago q
representative of the Providence Screw
Co. of the United States waited on his
firm and said: 1--WE are making 100 per
cent on our capital every year and you
send your screws into the United
States; we can underseu you If wa
want to, but that would not be for your
interest or for ours. If you will stop
sending your screws into our market
we will keep the price of our screws
where it is, enabling us to double our
capital yearly, and We will pay you
$4,000 annually for so doing"
seVa,-v wall ra;d NJ. rf1arnho~losv@
1--WE made that bargain, and for several
years they paid us the sum until the
duty on screws imported into the
United States was raised to such fg-
ure that we could not send our screws
there and then they ceased to pay us
this sum.
Now my Republican friends, yoa
Golden club shriekers, you anglo-man-
iacs, who fear the use of British gold
in breaking down American industries,
stop, pause and reflect upon this use oe
American gold to British manufactur-
ers in building up this American monop-
oily. Tell me where that $50, 900 came
from? Who paid the 100 per cent .
year on the capital of the Providence
Screw Co.? Who paid the $50, 900 9
year just to keep competition out of
the American market? Why was du-
ty of nearly 100 per cent laid on for
eign screws imported? What was It II
not this duty that shielded this corpo-
ration? If you really desire to strike .
blow at this gigantic and oppressive
combination join the democrats in ask
ing congress to take away this duty
that is being used as shield and a pro-
tector to this com bination.
THE SALT COMBINATION
The average rate of duty on salt last
year was 49. 90 per cent. How the bene-
iciaries of this duty cheaper salt
through home competition is plainly
seen in the following Associated Press
dispatch:
Warsaw, N. Y, Jan &c. 1s9L-At
the monthly meeting of the Western
New York State association held in
Rochester Thursday, every salt plant in
the field was represented. Eratus
Winan, of New York, wasepresent and
addressed the body. He held that the
unifying of the salt interest of this ter.
ritory could now be accomplished. He
was positive that English money would
Ast tlea--szs..i-si
that would have to be taken.
Another Associated Press dispatch,
dated East Saginaw, Mich, Feb S,
1891, says: "A majority of the salt
manufacturers of this state have agreed
to recognize and become members of
the Michigan Salt association in case
ninety-fve per cent. of those in the
state could be induced to do SO.
Not only do the salt barons combine
to kill domestic competition, while the
tariff cuts off foreign, but they actually
sell their salt in Canada, freight paid,
cheaper than any American wholesale
buyer can buy it for in Syracuse itself.
OF this protected salt monopoly the
Chicago Tribune says:
''The production OF Michigan saline
industry for 1886 sold for about 81, 30O.-
600, of which barely one-quarter was
paid out for wages at the pauper rate
of S. SO per week, while the material
cost practically nothing, and the fuel
was obtained at the same easy rate.
Run in connection with the lumber
mills, the refuse from those establish-
ments furnishes all that is wanted In
the shape of power for the driving Of
machinery and evaperators, while the
same mill supply the material out Of
1
realized on the average barrel of salt is
but a trifie short of twice the sum paid
out for labor employed in Transforming
the raw material into the finished
product.
"And the labor is of the tpauper' or.
der at that. A war of tariff protection
of so per cent. on the product has re-
suited in the payment of the magnif-
cent average of about s.. 80 per week
during the eleven months of the year
that the works are in operation, the
men and the boys who receive this
compensation being mostly foreigners.
Only few natives are wanted, and for
aught that is known to the contrary
they are paid at the same rate OF about
dollar day, at which the commoness
day laborer in this city would turn mp
his nose in disgust Workers in thia
and in all other places in the United
States are obliged to pay royal price
On all the salt they consume in order
that the salt barons may grow rich
while thus discouraging the working
man in his efforts to obtain . fail
DAYS wages for fair days labor"
The only way to kill this salt combi
nation is to take down the tariff bar
rier of so per cent. Down with th,
tariff and pulverize the combinations
JOHN E. MoNNoT.
Canton, Sept. %. @
Mckinley voted for the free coinar.
of silver. He admits it. He voted {.
coin the present silver dollar. tn,