Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1891-09-09

and the wool business in state of
collapse. After the most disastrous
year in its history it chronicled the
opening of the new Mulhauser mill in
Cleveland, the largest shoddy manu-
factory in the world, employing
hundreds of hands, almost exclusively
foreigners, and turning out annually
5000. 900 pounds of shoddy, thus dis
placing 100000 to 100000
pounds of wool in the fleece.
On woollens and worsteds rates are
raised all along the line, avowedly, as
per McKinley's report, from the form
er rate of 81 per cent. to 80 per cent,
but really to much greater per cent,
especially on ordinary woollens, the
duties on these having been fixed al
from 100 per cent. to $50 per cent
and even 200 per cent.-this in face
of the fact that the tariff on clothing
and combing woods, the raw materials
of woollen goods, is not materially in.
creased.
In the silk schedule rates have
been raised on the ready-made
clothing, laces, ETC., but ON the whole
the changes are not important. In
sundries the duty on wood pulp has
been raised from 10 per cent. to specific
duties averaging 20 per cent, and a
balm thus offered the hero who fell
"outside the breastworks." On pearl
and shell buttons the rate has been
raised from % per cent. to series Of
compound rates running from 100
per cent. to 400 per cent. The duty
on felt hats has been raised from 30 10
80 per cent, while on oil paintings,
statuaries, ETC., the rate has been
lowered from 80 per cent. to Is per
cent.
There are, of course, numerous
other changes made by the Mckinley
bill, important in themselves, but not
to be noted in so summary a view as
this.
In the increase of duties on raw
materials the Mckinley bill exempli-
fies the sort of legislation Indignantly
characterized by the Republican
Senator, Kasson, as "a bill to prevent
the diffdsed blessings of Providence
from being enjoyed by the people of
the United States" The tin mines of
Dakota are so rich in ore that, as the
counsel for their owners states before
the Ways and Means Committee, one
seventh of the interest has been sold
for 81 100000, the whole property
therefore, realizing to the fortunate
prospectors-who, at comparatively
small expense, had simply found what
God put there for the whole people
the enormous sum of above $4,000
900, and this on the basis of free tim
plate. For the very same reason that
the duty has been put upon nickel
and coal and iron ore and lumber and
salt, to prevent the American people
from getting the products of their own
country as cheaply as they would be
supplied if their country were unable
to produce them, the Dakota mine
owners, already rich by extraordinary
good luck, procured the insertion in
the Mckinley bill of provision put
ting duty upon tin, thus making the
very richness of our mineral wealth a
curse to all of our population, except
the few who at once own mines and
control Congress.
1t is amusing to hear the suggestions
from our protectionist friends that the
tariff question is now settled" They
are scarcely Bourbons, or they would
remember something even though
they learned nothing. In 1866 the
then tariff question was Settled" by
reducing duties in cases where manu-
facturers could not profit by them,
but increasing them as whole. As
result of this settlement the tariff
agitation steadily increased until, in
1883, it had become the Aaron's rod
which swallowed all the others. In
that year the whole question was
again Settled" by Congress and a
party which had already been defeat
ed in the general election, and settled
in the same way as in 1865, by in
creasing, just as before, those duties
which were really effective to tax con-
sumers for the benefit of manufacture
ers. The result of this settlement
was that ever since then the tariff
issue has grown more aud more en-
crossing until at last not merely our
statesman and politicians, but the rank
and file Of the voters are so deeply in
terested and are fast learning to dis
cuss it intelligently.
And now we have Congress again
settling" the tariff question by again
increasing the burdens of the people.
The result will be similar to that
which similar causes have before pro-
duced. This disregard of popular in
terests, this increase of popular taxa
ton for private gain, cannot but keep
alive an agitation as much more hot
and determined than that which the
last few years have seen as the exac-
fions of the McKin1ev hill ara mora