Rock Island daily Argus., 1892-09-13
AN ABSURD POSITION.
THE HIGH. TARIFF STAND UNTENA-
BILE IN ANY CASE.

What the Mckinley Bill Is Alleged to
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Two Fires
The speech of Senator Aldrich, 1.-The
Tariff Act of 1890 Defended" merits the
comment conveyed by the saying of
Shakespeare, THE lady doth protest too
much" Senator Aldrich endeavored in
it to show that the tariff act of 1890 was
not only successful embodiment of
Republican principles, but also Won
derful illustration of practical states
! manship. As he said in his speech, its
purpose was Ito provide for the better
security and the greater development of
American industries" and he insisted
that it had ''quickened the pulsation of
trade, given a new impetus to agricul-
ture as well as to manufacture and COM
merce-
y part of his address was taken up by
an effort to demonstrate that the prices
of commodities are lower in this year,
1892. than they were in 1899 or 1890; and
to furthermore show that the popular
opinion concerning the formation of
combines and trusts was delusive, and
that the manufacturers themselves We're
believers in low prices, he had sent
large number of letters to the represen-
tatives of different classes of industry,
asking whether the business in question
was controlled by trust, and what the
effect of such a combination had upon
competition and the prices of produce.
Now it seems to be sufficiently evident
that if the effect of the Mckinley law
has been to reduce the prices of COM
modities to the American consumers, it
has failed of the project that its pro-
moters intended
To give few illustrations: OF castor
oil it is said, THE margins of profit in
the manufacture of the article are at
present not only about nil, but in many
cases the article is sold at an absolute
loss Buttons" one of the manufac-
turers does not hesitate to say, ''were
never lower in our market than at the
present time"
OF edge tools it is said ''they are lower
than ever in price The manufacturers
of glass admit that they have com bined,
but this action was forced upon them to
save themselves from bankruptcy. The
manufacturers of galvanized iron assert
''We are worse off now under the Nc
Kinley bill than before its passage" The
representative of the Strap and Hinge
association asserts that they ''are selling
goods at the cost of manufacture"
Lime" we are told by a representative
of the Rockland makers, ''has sold 10
per ceut. lower ever since the duty was
increased OF linseed oil the statement
is made that 1.-The prices are so low that
for some years past little if any money
has been made by its manufacturers.
OF locomotive ties. another of Senator
IL Il
have been TuinoUs for a good many
months" Sanitary pottery ware lis
lower than it was in 1891" OF starch
we are told 1.-The present prices are too
low to afford any profit to the manufac-
turer." The prices of steel and iron
tubes are "lower to-day than ever before
in the history of our country" while
window glass ''has been sold at less
prices than before the Mckinley bill was
passed.
If this is the way the pulsations of
trade are to be quickened, a new impe-
tus given to manufacture and commerce
and the claims and expectations of the
trainers of the measure are more than
it might well be asked what
results would a protectionist
expect to ensue from the adoption of a
system of free trade? These various
great and prominent industries are hav-
ing under the Mckinley regime. We are
informed, a struggling and on
the whole disastrous experience.
The conclusion is forced that either
the Mckinley law has proved, in the
case of a large number of domestic in
dustries, a highly Objectionable measure
Al. nv
various manufacturers and printed as a
part of Senator Aldrich's speech, are
Notwithstanding Ones confidence in
the ingeniousness of these gentlemen is
a little shaken by the statements made
by a number of them concerning their
participation in trusts or combinations.
The representatives of nearly hundred
alleged trusts were written to. There
were some omissions-such,f for exam
ple. as sugar-but only one of the repG
ers had the frankness to state that
combination had been formed by his
trade for the purpose of putting up
prices and making money.
With the others there was either de-
nial of any combination whatsoever or
it was said that theirs was an association
formed for the purpose of obtaining sta
tistics, acquiring information, regulating
the standard of goods, discharging
superfluous agents and clerks. and all
this with the main object of lowering
prices In fact. the lowering of prices
seems to have been the chief object of
solicitude on the part of Senator Aid
richs correspondents This is SO COM
pletely in accord with the dictates of
human nature and the experiences that
one has in everyday business life that
we congratulate the senator from Rhode
Island on the highly satisfactory and
representative character of the gentle
men from whom he has obtained such