The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-08-14
STEEL RAIL FACTS
What Protection Does for Us in
This Yaunted Case.
PROTECTION IS ROBBERY
Since steel Rails Once Cost $50, the Proiec-
tion Dupes Relieve the Tariff
is Not a Tax.
rLAr-roorEp rAIsruoons.


observe that the Tribune is badly wor
ried by correspondent signing himself f.
a. Plaisted. He asks why tariff on steel
rails is longer necessary If the organ's
statement is true that Carnegie now
makes ana sells steel rails as cheaply as
the English maker can do"
Here is the organs answer:
il is true that that the Carnegie works arc
selling steel rails as cheaply they are sold
across the sea; IT Is. itsels its rails 10 rail-
road companies IN this country as cueaply as
English rails are sold to English companies.
il was shown in last Sundays HERALD
that the shove stRtemen. is grossly false
English rails arc selling today a. less than
$50 per ton. The quotation 81 English
markets for May, 1892, gives the current
price Of English steel rails at Sig.42 par ton.
From early in 1871 up TO June 1892 not
ton Of American steel rails had been sold
Tor less Than $50.
And with THIS difference Of over SO per
ton staring il IN the face the protection or
gan has the gall 20 say the price is tho
sams'' IN this country as il is in England.
AMUSING Confessions.
But the organ confesses what liar 1t is
In the very next sentence.
TITS quite as true that except for tho tariff
Til. country would be flooded every autumn
Il with ~ ptics iofts' tlGa -ipericaa p,lces, and
those prices would &c quoted as regulBr for
eiga prices
ia ono sentence the organ asserts that
Carnegie sells AZ English prices: and in
the next it admits that English prices are
slower than American prices" All this is
very smart and logical, TOO: and il shows
how bright the protection organs block
head supporters are. Men OF sense and
manhood would demand at least that no
craven paradoxes giving away the whole
case should appear size by SIDE IN the same
issue. If there were any Americans left
among its readers they must have blusned
for its weakness ana duplicily on this sub
ject.
Let us put side by side the quotations
that refute each other:
THE PRErENsE THE ADMISSION.
The statement is ex- AS TO a reduction or
acilv true that the Car abolition Of duty, every
negle works are selling time there has been
steel rails Just as change made il the
cheaiy as they are sold tarin for several wears
lu England w pre- there has been reduc-
sumo that in structuralt ion on exactly the ma
steel r. that is, such terial made in the Car
steel is used innegie works and on
buluing-the price is most OF the material
much cheaper in Bel-lsupplied bv those
GUM now than in Penn works. Tribune 4Rg 3
Eylvania but not in
steel rails, which is one
OF the chief works al
HOMESTEAD. tribune,
dug. :.
II is true that the It is quite as true
Carnegie works are that except for the tar
selling steel rails aslin this country would
chenply as they are soldl5e flooded every au-
across the sea, that is liumn with such steel
i sells its rails 10 rail- rails as Cd England
road companies in this could stock it with at
country as cheaply as'prices lower than
English rails are sold american prices-II7-
70 English companies lbURs -8ltg. g.
-1ri0Une. lug. q
When we bear in mind that the Carne-
gle works are selling steel rails to foreign
cfs at English prices, about $50 per ton,
and to Americans at protection prices, $50
per ton, we can readily understand why
the Democratic national platform called
the republican practice OF protection a
robbery" OF the American people.
40 TAX AT ALL Is NEEDED.
There are two more points in the weak
balderdash Of the Tribune that might be
noticed. The first is this:
The reference 10 the free market in which to
buy his material does not count in the Carnegie
case, because he has a free market now. The
company own their own coal mines; they are in
Just as good position as they would be if the
Iarin was taken from all raw materials
Accepting this last statement ss true
land II will follow as the night the day.
Carnegie needs no protection whatever on
steer falis. 4LiS report Oh the commits
sioner Of labor for 1890 gives the direct
labor cost Of one ton of steel rails in the
United States at Sl1.597 and in Great Brit
ain st 81 ST, the difference of So. IS repre-
senting the highest cost Of labor in ton
OF rails from mining the raw materials to
finishing the produce This report is
written 10 glorify protection. 1t says
tpage 100 that the competition of Great
Britain with this country has practically
ceased" Freight. commission, insurance.
etc, on 2,240 pounds {the steel rail ''ton'')
can hardly be less than S3.7S On this
basis there is no need for any protection
on steel rails.
The protection is Sl3.44 per ton. enough
TO pay the alleged difference in wages
three times over; but inasmuch as there is
a special tax on iron ore, limestone. coal
and the other raw materials, in addition 10
the protection on the finished product, it is
toierable clear once more that protection
IL robbery.
ENGLISH AND AMERICAN PRICES.
Omittng fractions, following are the
average yearly prices Of English steel
r-ils free on board at British ports and
also the average yearly prices Of steel rails
at the works in Pennsylvania