The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1892-09-14
DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL TICKET

THE Ravenna Republican is doing mighty
work for Protection and Grandpa's nat py tne
copying process. But in moment OF uncoh-
scious mental cerebration'' 1t opened its cot
umns for the reception of "Tarln Lesson oH
Soda Ash" which. unfortunately Tor Inc cause
of the tariff barons in this vicinity. was plckeo
mn and warmly endorsed by our creonIous
neighbor, The article had no DOUBT peen oi
some service to the high tax party In oSneF
parts of the country before reaching TINS Vlcln'
ity. and even here has, we suppose, been s"ai-
lowed bodily by hundreds OF unquestlonlns ne
pubhcans whose capacity for being stuneo
seems to be measured only by the lnhnlte ooses
nrepared for them by the Mckinley quacks, 1t
is NO lpart of the Mckinley plan 10 tell the
truth The entire Republican press reiterates
with fierce emphasis the polemical .sophistries
of their party leaders and endeavors to bols ter
.har, nm hV the false figures and incomplete
statistics furnished them from "tarln mead
oror,ars ;, of course such things catch the un
wary and unthinking. and it is exactly TINS
hind of a warfare the uppripcipled tarln pene-
Aciaries are CARRYING on. The article IN snpJte CT
ia sin,ulv a suecimen of the misstatements lnat
ore sent ont by the hundreds and thousands
from Repub lean headquarters for dlssemlna'
tiou through their party organs. The only sem
h,nnce OF excuse for such a wholesale perVer-
sion of truth is. as low tariff Republican once
express ed it, "a false proposition must be sup.
ported by falsehood." 1t is matter OF seli-
preservation to the 6. o. p. to lie ana 10 nave
people believe It's lies.
The " Soda Ash lesson" is no worse tnan tne
other tariff lessonS'' with which the war tarln
organs abound. The article referred to Is as
follows:
"a TARIFF LESSON ON SODA ASH"
..Itis well known that soda ash is used largely
in making glass. Up to 1884 all the sooa az
used in this country was imported we paio
to Great Britain $4s ton for it. and many a ton
of il WAS used in Ravenna at that price. Oon-
oress decided. as it has done in the tin matter
70 nut duty OF S. ton on 1t and see "na'
uould happen. At once company with SlooO
ON was organized at Syracuse New YORK
sto make the article, Works giving en-
nlovment to 1900 men were erected ana pu'
in operation This factory used yearly over
m 0uO ions of coal-American coal; luO ooo tons
of limestone, quarried out from American roo'
by American labor; 10 coo tons OF ceKe useo
and 100 600 tons of salt. This makes big Dusi
ness. and still we have not constdereo the lten
of railroad expenditures in frelgnts anu othei
wavs. Did soda ash jump to $6S? says the TOY
Times. 1t kept pretty well up to the oio ny
ures till the Syracuse works were estaoilsnee
but three months after they we're estaollsneo
fell to $45 ton. Another three months anu 'ns
nrice was down to $50. Two years more went
by and $9s became the ruling price, at !" "hien i
stands today. And in proof that this price
more than 40 per cent off from British fgures.i'
satisfactory to American capital. project Is OF
foot for starting another factory at Leroy, Gen
esee county, where rock salt. lime. and gooo
,cili ties are abundant :"
The facts are that for at least ten years prlol
to 1884 soda ash had not commanoeo $50 PEI
ton. There was a gradual decline in the COM
modify from the close of the war up 70 apou
1894 The lowest point struck was about $22 81
in 1857 or 1883. The New York quotations OF
The date when the article appeared in the Re
nnbiican. were $Sa per ton, although that paper
saws the price was Sss. Sss is So higher thar
the price at the time the S. duty was put on
"a tariff lesson on soda ash.'' Soda Ash mas
not commanded $53 since 1878. The mammotf
organization, SO called, at Syracuse. is made III
of En- elish capitalists who openly boast OF a lo'
ner cent profit in one year. and last Christmas
dav made their manager present OF Soo'Uoo
This then we infer is the result OF the 80 out,
n,acel on the article by the Mckinley law tina
the commodity Is So per ton higher since I'M
law went into effect. and that foreign capltal
lists took adyant age of such legislation Dy com
ing over here and making 100 per cent. on tnell
investment in one year, ana maklDs sn"i
present of $4,000 to favorite.
The quantity of soda ash used in glass is ONLY
a bagatelle compared with the amount eonsum
cd in the manufacture of soap. Not only do th'
"window owners'' have TO pay an extra prle'
for the ecstatic privilege of looking through
protected" glass. but every washwoman mus
also contribute to pay the tax that goes, every
penny of 1t, iuto the pockets of few private
citizens. the industrial saviors' of the country
who are patriotically Offering themselves sac
rifce on the altar of infant industries" Ins
people are at least entitled to the truth IN tnes'
matters. and the party that misleads them VIII
very soon in this enlightened age come to gre
The Democratic party says that war tariff IL
time of peace is wrong in prin ciple and 1t Is no
obliged to ny from pillar to post IN demonstrae r..
ing the correctness of its proposltlon' I'm
soda Ash Lesson was conceived either In mex
cnssble ignorance or lamentabie dishonesty.