Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1892-04-20
THE FIELD OF POLITICS.
TARIFF TREATED IN ALL ITS
VARIOUS PHASES.
A Short Tariff Talk Which Means Some
thing-The Pearl Button Industry Under
the New Tariff-Tin Plate, Past and Pres
ent-Poor Grover.
100 Tariff Questions Anawered.

made from American steel were dem
onstrated to be the best in the world
after thorough tests side by side with
English and other European plates.
Question No. 81. Why is it that American
shipping interests have declined during the
period of protective tariff?
Of course the question refers to ship
ping in the foreign trade. It has de-
clined because it has been the single
one among al! our varied industries
which has received no protection. The
branch of our shipping which has been
protected, that employed in the coast
ing trade, has flOurished and fourishes
to-day equally with our other protected
Industries.
Question No. %. Ifthe duty is not added to
the cost wherein does the tariff benefit the
farmer in the sale of his productions?
By creating market for him 10 sell
his products in, and by restricting do
nestle production and foreign imports,
while continually increasing the demand
for what he has to sell.
Question No. 30 Why the abandonment of
Eastern farms with protected labor in the neigh
boring factories?
Because there is so much better and
cheaper land out West. Eastern farm
ers prOspered before Western farms
were discovered. After that event the
Eastern farmers found it to their advan-
tage to 'go West" where they could get
any quantity of the best land for the
asking. But, as a matter of fact. the de-
serted New England farms are few.
For let it not be forgotten that many of
the rocky hills of New England are
more profitable to the CultivatOr than
the fertile fields of the West. Why?
Because of those same factories with
thpIr nTDt1ptnH of pnn mo h
In easy reach.
Question No So fit is the object of the tariff
to protect labor, could the tarsff be greatly re-
duced and still afford protection?
In some instances, yes. But what
benefit would be derived through such
reduction Take wire nails, for in
stance. The duty on them is 2 cents a
pound. 1t is obviously higher than
need be at present, because the nails are
actually selling for Il cents q pound.
What harm does the duty do? If abol-
ished probably not nail would be i'm
ported. Why not abolish it? Probably
because no one ever thought it worth
while to ask for Its abolition. Congress
did not act without reason in framing
the present tariff. Every change of any
Importance was made at the suggestion
of some person or persons, after argu-
ments pro and con had been heard. No
one asked for the removal of the duty
on wire nails, for the same reason, per-
haps, that no one asked for a lew
against spots on the sun. No good
could possibly result in either case.
Question NO. 81 Does not the rebate clause
In the Mckinley law allow our manufacturers
TO sell cheaper to foreign customers than
American, when the raw material is imported?
Yes; and thereby enables them some
times to find a market in foreign coun-
tru bIoh or or
inst is to say, it is the means of bring
ing additional employment to American
labor IN making the goods to 60 abroad,
and brings back to the country the
money paid for them by the foreigner,
while not hair Of anyOne'S head in
this country is harmed by the transac-
ton. 1t gives our manufacturers prac-
tically all the benefits of free raw ma
terials, and bids them capture the
worlds markets if they can, while it
keeps the bars good and high around
our own markets in order to hold them
surely for our own people anyhow.
Question No. 50 With bounty of cents a
pound on sugar, which must be paid out of the
United States Treasury, where does the saving
to the consumer come in through free sugar?
1t comes in this way: The revenue
from the duty on sugar and molasses
amounted to about 500, 100000 a year,
which was all paid by the consumer.
The bounty paid on sugar amounts to
81 900, 900 year. The difference, $48,-
100000, is the saving to the consumer.
Question no SO. Has the Mckinley tariff
caused the price Of cotton to be low?
No. No more than it has caused the
price of shakespeare autographs to be
high. There are very few of the auto
graphs of Shakespeare in existence;
hence they cost a great deal. There is
more cotton in the United States than
there is demand for throughout the
whole world; consequently the price of
cotton is low. The Mckinley law had
no more to do with that than it had
with the color of the moon.
Question No. So. What has been the direct
benefit to the American farmer by the placing
of the duty on eggs? What would be the re-
suit if the duty were abolished?
In 1890 we imported IL 1862, 752 dozen
eggs, valued at 81, 584 ,0S9; in 1891 we
imported 1868, 1915 dozen eggs, valued
at $685., 497. The difference between the
amounts imported in these two years
7,699,377 dozen-measures the larger
market for eggs which has been fur
nished to the American farmer; and
the diffe renee between the values of the
eggs imported in these two years
81 $50, 592-measures roughly the value
of that market to him. The direct re-
suit of the Mckinley duty on eggs has
thus been to put 81 ,050,5 92 more into
the pockets of the farmer than he re-
ceived the preceding year. If the duty
were abolished, by that sum at least
would he be the loser.
Pearl Button Industry Under the New
Tariff.
The Dry Goods Economist, which has
always been free trade paper and
largely representing the interests of
importers, tries hard to be honest in
quoting prices and giving the true situa-
ton of affairs, and it succeeds very
well. Recently, in discussing the pearl
button industry it said:
Whatever difference of opinion there