Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-09-06


of a tin-plate mill of an increase Of our
foreign trade by reciprocity are as surprising
! a. they are discreditabe.
There is not tAoughtful business man in
| the country who does not know that the en-
actment into law of the declaration of the Chi
| cago convention upon the subject Of the tariff
| would ut once plunge the country into bust
| ness COW ulsion such as II has never seen; and
there is not a thoughtful workman who does
not know that it would at once enormously re-
duce the amount of work to be done in this
country by the increase OF importations that
would follow and necessitate a reduction of his
wages to the European standard If any one
suggests that this radical policy will not be ex-
ecuted If the democratic party attafns power
what shall be thought of party that is cap
able of thus trifiing with great interests? The
threat of such legislation would be ouly less
| hartful than the fact. A distinguished demo-
crat rightly described this moveni ent as chat
| lenge to the protected industries to a fight of
| determination and another such rightly ex-
pressed the logic Of the situation when he inter
preted the Chicago platform 70 be an invitation
| to all democrats holding even the most moder-
! cite protection views to go into the republican
party.
| INFLUENCE OF THE EXISTING TARIFF LAW.
And now a few words in regard to the exist
ing tariff law. We are. fortunately. able to
| judge of its influence upon production ard
prices by the marke. reports. The day OF the
! prophet of calamity has been succeCde b. that
| OF the trade reporter. An examination into the
! effect of the law unon the ,.Yices of protected
/ products and The cost OF such articles enter
into the living of people Of small means has
| been made b. Senate committee. composed OF
leading Senators OF both parties. with the aid OF
the best statisticians .iid The repor:, signed by
ali tine members OF the collaIl tee. lIS been
| given TO the pull lie. No sGch w:ds ana care. u
/ inquiry has ever before been made. These
| facts appear from he report:
First. The cost of articles entering into the
! use of those earning les than - 900 per an
mum ha; decreased up 10 May. 1892. 3.i per
cent. while i'll fam products the:o has been an
increase i'll prices, owing IN part 10 an i'll
creased foreign demand and tine OF nj * of new
markets. In England during the same period
the cost of living lEcrea ci ID per cent. Tested
b. heir power 20 purchase articles OF necessity
the earnings of oar working people have ne er
been 70 great as they nov.
SGcCld. Ihre has Oesn IA average advance
in the rate of wagos o. Is o? poE eent.
Third. there las been an ad,ance in the
price of ali farm products o. % or cent and
of al cereals % 80 rer cent
The ninth annual report OF the chief of The
bureau OF labor statistic of he stute of New
York. democratic Officer. yers recently issued.
strongly corrobo:a:cs. rs 20 Lh. si.se tho facts
| found BY ,ho Senate committee. LIS extended
Inquiry shows ihat i'll the year .mu.ediaf q ),
, following The passage Of tho jsrih acl of 1890
the aggregate sum paid IL wages III that state
was SG,G1i,9 25 al eXcess AID the aga;, ega:c
production 93I ,3l5, 80 in excess of the pre-
ctding year.
| In view OF this showing of an increase in
wages. of a reduction III The cost OF avticlca Of
common necessity AID % a marked auyanae of
the II ices OF agricuitnr3l prodCcts, it is plain
that TINS tariff law Las not IL ed burdens bat
has conferred benefits upon the farmer AID the
nottingham.
THE TIS-PLArE INDUSTRY.
Some special effects Of the act should be no
tlced. L! was a courageous attempt TO I'D orr
people Of a long aimed foreign monopoly
in the production of tim plate. pearl buttons.
silk plush. linens. lace. &c. Once or twice in
our history the production of till Plate had been
attempted anu the prices obtained by the Welsh
makers would have enabled our makers to pro-
duce it at n prort but the Welsh makers at
once cut prices TO a point that drove the Ameri-
can beginners out Of the business. and when
this accomplished again made their own
prices. A correspondent of the Industrial
| World. the official organ of the Welsh tir-plate
workers. published at Swansea. in the issue of
June 10, 1892, advises a new trial of these
! methods. He SAYS:
DO not be deceived. The victory Of the re-
| publicsns at the polls means the retention of
| the Mckinley bill and means the rapidly accru-
ing loss of the 80 per cent of the EXPORT Aneri-
can trade. Had there been no democratic vic
| tory in 1880 the spread of the tin-plate
manufacture in the United States would have
been both rapid and bona tide. 1t is not yet
| too late to do something to reduce the price of
plates. Put them down to lis. per box OF 100,
| IA by 90, full weight basis. Let the workmen
take half pay for few months and turn out
more. Then let the masters forego profits for
| the same time
| And, again. that paper SAYS: 1T is clearly the
interest Of both employer and workmen to pro-
duce tin plates tariff or no tariff at price that
/ tt1ya all ella
| But, in spite of the doubts raised by the cleo
| tions Of 1890 and of the Vaccinations of foreign
| producers to maintain their monopoly. the tin
| plate industry has been established in the
| United States. and the alliance between the
| Welsh producers and the democratic party for
its destruction will not succeed.
The official returns to the Treasury Depart
ment Of the production Of tin and terne plates
| in the United States during the Last fiscal wear
| show total production Of Il, 240, $50 pounds,
and a comparison of the first quarter 1926, 922
pounds) with the last %. 900, coo pounds show
| the rapid development of the industry. Over
| 5000. 900 pounds during the last quarter were
made from American black plates: the re-
mainder from foreign plates. Mr.. Aver, the
! treasury agent Ill charge. estimates. the re-
suit of careful inquiry. that the production of
the current year will be 100 000, 900 pounds, and
| that by the end of the wear our production
will be at the rate of zoo 900 600 pounds per an
| mum.
| OTHER INDUSTRIES FosrERED.
Another industry thst has been practically
created by the Mckinley bill is the making of
! pearl buttons. Few articles coming to lis
| from abroad were so distinctly the product Of
| starvation wages. Eut, without unduly ex-
tending this letter cannot fellow in detail the
influences of the tariff law OF 1880. 1t has
trsnsplanted several important industries and
established them here, and has revived or en-
lur0 Hall o-l rhaa eyix- 60, Ia
! protection against foreig'l silver bearing lead
Ores the free introduction of which threatened
| the great mining industries of the Rocky noun
tain states; and to the woolgrowers protection
| for the f1eeceS and hoJks. which has saved them
| from further disastrous decline. The Mouse
of Representatives. al its last session, passed
| bills placing these ores and wool upon the free
| list. The people Of the west will know how de-
| struc.ive 10 their prosperity these measures
would be. The tariff law has giyen employ
ment to many Thousands of American men and
women. and will each year give employment
| TO increasing thousands. Its repeal would
/ throw thousands OFT Of employ mcnt and give
work TO others only at reduced wages.
/ The appeals OF the free trader 20 the work
ingrnar are largely addressed to his prejudices
or to hin passions. and not infreouently are
| prOnouncedly comm 1nistic. The new demo-
cratic leadership RACES at the employer, and
/ seeks to communicate his rage to the employee.
l greatly regret that all employers Of labor are
| not Just and considerable, and that capital
sometimes takes too large a share Of the profits.
But l do not see that these evils will be
! ameliorated by tariff policy the first necessary