The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1892-10-01
THE COLD FACT.
Country Storekeepern Gives Some
lncontrovertible
Arguments on the Tariff Question
An Array Of Truths that Cant be Gain.
said.

said.
To the editor of the NEW DOMINION
Capt. Dovener admitted in his Glass;
vile speech that s'the consumer paid the
tariff Yves. Atkinson in his Morgan
town speech said s'the foreigner paid it."
The Wheeling Intelligencer says "As
long as the tariff is for revenue the con-
sumner pays it, but when it is increased,
so as to be protective, then the foreigner
pays it," The Toledo Blade says THAT
all articles imported, and there is duty
on the same il there are no such articles
made here, then the consumer pays the
duty. But if the same kind OF articles
are made here then the foreigner pays
the duty" Benny Harrison ought TO
have taught school last winter and in
structed his speakers and editors so that
they might all tell the same tale. Here
we have four men all republicans giving
evidence but each contradicting the other
Ii these men gave this before court
as evidence, the Judge would decide
without hesitation that three OF the four
had stated falsehoods. The evidence
given by the Democrats is so plain, SIM
pie and straightforward, that the consum-
er pays the duty that no intelligent jury
could decide otherwise. Here we have
it. When the duty was taken OF OF sug-
ar it was Immediately reduced two cents,
the amount OF the former duty Every
one seems to understand that. We buy
sugar for two cents less per pound be-
cause the duty was taken off Well, il
the consumer paid the tax on sugar, is
not this sufficient proof that he pays the
taS upon everything else that has duty
on it.
have the Secretary of the Treasury's
report. In it l find a list OF over twelve
thousand suits brought against the Gov
eminent by American importers claim
ing that the custom house officers charg-
ed them greater amount for duty than
the law required. Then il these 1900
Americans did not pay the duty would
they be foolish enough to go TO the ex-
treme Of sueing the Government when
they had no claims? The importers tell
us they pay the duty; that they charge
the retail dealer with this duty and the
retailer again charges the same to the
consumer.
What better evidence can be produced
| sent to the Toledo Blade copy Of
letter received from an importer in re-
gard to the cloth bought in France. He
answered in this way: Certainly the
consumer paid it. But what we mean
by the foreigner paying the duty is, sup
posing the American manufacturer re-
duces the cloth he now sells ut $l.50 to
81 then the French manufacturer must
reduce his cloth to so cents per yard in
order to compete with the American so
| il he does this it reduces the cloth here
including the 80 cents duty TO 81 what it
now costs In France hence we say the
foreigner pays the tariff.
Yes you republicans presume great
many falsehoods that are utterly unTea-
sonable. The consumer pays the duty,
no difference how much the article is re-
duced. And in the next place is it not
perfectly absurd that the American man
ufacturer will reduce his cloth from 81 so
to 81 per yard when the Government has
| placed a tax upon foreign goods in order
that he may continue TO sell his cloth at
81 80 per yard? Is IL not an inherent
principe I'll man to get all he can for
what he has 10 seli2 And the American
manufacturer is too much OF a Yankee to
sell his cloth at 81 per yard when the
Government has passed law to enable
| him to sell the same for from 81 40 to
$3.50 per yard. Major Mckinley says
THE democrats are in favor Of taxing
products made by themselves, but the
republicans are in favor of taxing the
products Of foreigners.
Well Major what difference does 1t
make to us so long as we are compelled
to pay it? We the consumers have to
foot the bill in either case. But there is
this difference; under the democratic
rule we havn't nearly so much to pay.
Another argument OF the republicans
and one which is just as false and mis-
leading is "If we reduce the tariff on
manufactured articles the American
manufacturer would be unable then to
compete with goods made by the foreign
err and consequently the American man
ufacturer would have to shut down, then
the foreigner would raise the price OF his
products to double what they are now :"
| Well you fellows claim that COMPETE
ton reduces the price and there is more
competition in Europe than in America,
therefore by your own argument prices
must continue to go down.
Besides this Europe is to-day supply
ing the world with her manufactured ar
ticles and as the United States is only
one twenty part of the world Eng
land and France would not risk losing
the trade Of the balance Of the world by
raising the price OF her commodities sim
ply because the one twenty-fifth part Of
the world had quit manufacturing. II
the duties were reduced one-half it would
break up the American trusts, besides
saving to the consumer one-half Of the
taxes he has to pay.
Why has sugar gone up one and one
fifth cents during the last three weeks :?
The republicans reply, ooh the cholera. :"
1t is not SO. While | admit that the
cholera scare has given the sugar trust
the pretense, the trust could sell sugar
just as cheap as they did month ago.
They boughtall the sugar they needed
for three or four months to come at the
old price, but the cholera scare has Civ
en- them an excuse to make an enormous
profit.
| suppose the cholera is the excuse for
putting up calicos from one-half to one
cent per yard for they are that much
higher than they were in June. sup
pose the republican speakers will tell us
it is on account of the quarantine we
cannot get the raw material from the for
eign countries. This would be as plaus-
ible as all their other arguments.
COUNTRY SToREKEEPER.