The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-04-30
FOR HONEST GOODS.

Under the old tariff law tine average
cent; under the Mckinley law it is some
10 per cent higher: the bill which has
just passed the house places wool on the
free list.
Under the old law the dutics:on manu-
features of wool averaged about 60 per
cent; under the Mckinley law they aver
age about 80 per cent: under the house
bill they would average less than 40 per
cent.
The duties on Jaw wool do not give
the American grower any better prices
for his wool than he would get il wool
were free. The figures obtained by Mr.
Springer from prOtectiOnist sources
prove that conclusively.
Blu the manufacturers must import
wool to mix with American wool in or.
der to produce thu kinds of goods re-
quircd. They have to pay the duties.
which they pass on. together with the
duties on the manufactured goods, to the
The consumer pays the
whole tax on the raw wool and the goods
when he buys the latter.
or the whole amount paid by our peo-
pie for wooden goods every year prObab-
~ S~lJO.OOO,OU is tribute to the pet man
ufacturing industry. The house bill
proposes to save considerably more than
half Of this to the or say $780,
WO.ODO "a year.
The amount paid the government on i'm
ported goods would be proportionately
less but, since it would be necessary to
raise about the same amount from other
sources. We may leave this part of the
saving to tax payers out Of the account.
This statement of the effects of the
house bill in case it should become a
law is true in substance if not entirely
true in form. 1t will be asserted that
the American people do not pay so large
a sum for the protection Of the wooden in
dustry: that neither the Mckinley rates
Of over 81 per cent nor the former rates
Of some G per cent were added to the
prices OF the American products. And
this is true in form but untrue in
substance.
The people do not pay the enormous
prices for clothing that the duties are
intended to extract from them. They
cannot afford it. But they are supplied
with Inferior goods at monopoly prices.
Instead OF getting comfortable and
durable all wool goods they pay the
prices of such goods for shoddy and
cotton mixtures made in imitation of
genuine goods. If the money is not
taken directly from their pockets in the
price of the goods. it is taken
indirectly from their backs in bogus
wooden goods.
They are cheated and dcfrauded as
much as though every cent of the tariff
taxes wcr- added to the price of the do
nestle goods. but they do not see it 50
plainly. They find the price of the
goods offered them but little higher than
they were before the passage Of the
Mckinley act, and without stopping to
consider the quality of the goods. they
conclude that the Mckinley act is not
so bad Ms it has been painted, and sti k
to the old party.
Some Of them do. But thousands are
not deceived. These thousands will
watch the course OF the republican sen.
ate in dealing with the bill with much
II the republican party which
forces them to pay the prices of pure
WOODEN goods for fraudulent mixtures of
sboddy and cotton will not vote them
any relief they will turn for relief to the
party which has done all IN its power to
give them a measure Of substantial
tariff reform. worth to them not less
$4,000, COO year Chicago Her