Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-05-02

roof over their heaQS 10 the StOChluSS
on their feet and the tin cup in the
kitchen, are not felt as tdIeS merely be-
cause no government tax collector
comes around 10 receive them. Not
one instant would the Republican poll
cy of protection stand If the people
realized fully, as they are coming to
very rapidly. chow the tariff tax is i'm
posed. The direct taxes Of the gov
eminent. great as they are, are as
mere drop in the bucket compared to
these never ending drains upon the
pockets of the people. Since the West
Virginian has put the question we will
leave Mr.. WILSON himself to answer it.
On this very point in a recent speech
be said:
''Blr. Speaker, the books Of the govern
msnt disclose only the revenue II receives
under our tariff laws. They do not tell us
how much IS paid by the taxpayer IN
bounty 70 the protected industries. This,
although an extremely interesting queS-
ton, is at best a matter Of more or less
skiIlful guesswOrk. No man can give an
accurate answer to it, But think l can
Illustrate this morning the two extremes,
somewhere between which all these taxes
fall
Under the former law we imposed a tax
upon sugar That tax produced a public
revenue of about $50, OOO, 900, and gave an
Incidental protection to the producers OF
sugar in this country. The last Congress
put raw sugar on the free list, and under
took 10 commute the bounty hitherto car
ried In the tariff 10 the producers OF raw
sugar. When that bounty thus committed
materialzes and appears as SO many dol
sars, we find that under the former sugar
tariff 10 cost the people SlO,OOO,OOO add
tonal to get the $55,OOOOOO INTO the
treasury.
In other words, the consumers of sugar
were made by the tariff on sugar to pay
500, OOO, 600, OF which $l00O0,OOO went 10
the domestic producers and 500, 900
went into the treasury. This was an ap-
proach 10 a revenue tax. The people paid
il and the peoples government received
the largest part Of it. And for this very
reason when the last Congress came TO
deal with a surplus revenue, 1t abolished
the sugar tax in order that 1t might keep
away from and even increase taxes that
went TO the protected interests. Tue
treasury was relieved Of a surplus, but the
people were not relieved Of any taxes.
THE release Of the tariff on sugar was
! merely a change OF a revenue tax paid TO
the government into protective taxes or
bOuntes paid TO sugar producers, 70 max
ers of iron and steel, of wooden, cotton and
/ linen goods, of tin plates, cOtton-ties, pot
! terry and glassware and other things.
Taking the steel rail tariff as another
/ Illustration OF how the people paid a
little to the government and a great
deal to the tariff barons, the protected
manufacturers, Mr.. WILSON continued:
81 hold in my hand the last report of the
| department Of labor, which contains care
| ful and exhaustive inquiry into the Co.'S or
producing steel rails here and in Europe.
| The conclusion reached is that il costs
about So per ton in this country and about
/ SIS per ton In England, and the report AYERS
that IS will more than cover the difference
| in the cost of production here and abroad
"I let US see now what are the present
quotations for steel rails here and in Eng
I land According 10 BrddStrCot's for March
I -, 1892, from which | read, the American
I price on that date was $50 per ton. Turn
I ing now 10 the Iron and steel Trades JOiLt-
MAJ OF London for March IL, 1892 from
I WnlcM 1 Also EtdQt Tue EuHASu pElCb at
| that date was "a Is Cd, Just about $50,
difference Of SlO per ton, while the report
/ proves that the difference in cost ofproduc-
/ ton is less than s. per ton.
Now, the committee that reported the
/ Mckinley bill TO this House said: we
/ have recommended no duty above the
point OF difference between the normal
/ cost of production here, including labor,
and the cost of like production in the cOun-
I tries which seek our markets, and yet the
/ bill puts duty Of Sl3,H per ton on steel
rails, which is in addition TO the protection
/ Of at least s. per ton in freight, commits
sions, and like charges. Under the bene-
/ hcent shelter of that BILL the steel-rail
/ DOOl-for it is an undisputed fact that the
few mills in this country are in pool
I have been able to maintain the price TO
/ American purchasers at SO above the
! English price
Last year the government collected
$4,000 in duty on imported rails, while our
/ own mills produced and sold at least !, 500,
I 600 tons. M, therefore, the tariff enabled
/ the steel-rail pool to exact only a. a ton on
/ this output over aud above the difference
I 10 the cost of production, there was pure
] bounty over and above normal costs and
} profits of e. SOC, 900, and out Of the entire
/ tax and bounty only $4,000, as l have
I shown, went into the treasury.
/ "In the case of sugar, under a revenue
\ tariff with the sO-called incidental prOtec-
Z tiOn, the consumers paid SIS, OO0, 700 and the
| treasury received S55,0OO, 900 OF it. In the
/ case Of steel rails, a typical protective and
| monopoly tariff, the consumer, in addition
\ 10 normal costs and profits paid over 81,
/ $4,000 and the treasury received SlS, 900 of
J it, Applause on the Democratic side.
IN Ow, DerweeR these two extremes, Mr..
/ Speaker. fan all the schedules Of the pres
ent tariff, and every revision Of these
I schedules I'm recent ycars-aud by special
I aNd tad pre-eminence the revision OF 1890
/ has been an effort 10 increase the number
and amount Of these taxes paid TO the pri-
/ vate interests, and 20 diminish the number
and amount paid into the public treasury
we are pressing i'm the opposite direction,
/ striving TO increase the pc bio share and 70
. lessen the private share Of taxes taken
I from the people
And how this private share Of taxa
tion has been and is felt by the people,
how the farmer and the labor of West
Virginia have proSpered under this un-
seen but deeply felt load OF private tax
alton imposed by the Republican party
for the benefit Of those who ill its cam
paign Golfers to overlooking, we leave
Col. A. W. WoODFoRD to tell in his
address to the +. NJ. +. A. at Spencer,
Roane county.
/ We have been controlled and leglslated
I for by both national and State legislation,
the finances are in such shane that we are
/ verging on 10 bankruptcy, depending on
\ our leaders of the two great national
/ parties that the agricultural system has
/ been greatly neglected and farming has
7 become 50 oppressed that our rising young
! men are leaving the farms aud seeking
! other employment in the cities and manu-