The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1892-04-23
100 Tariff Questions Arswe-et


100 Tariff Questions Answered
| Question No. 2G Cannot Americans n,ot,a q,
| good steel as English?
| Better. For example, the American
guns used IN the recent armor tests
proved far superior TO the best guns oi
! foreign make, while the armor plates
| made from American steel were dem
onstrated 10 be the best in the world
after thorough tests side by side with
English and other European plates.
| Question No. 81 Why is it that American
| shipping Interests have declined during the
| period of protective tariff
! OF course the question refers to ship
| ping II the foreign trade 1t has de
| cllned because it has been the single
| one among all our varied industries
| which has received no protection. The
! branch OF our shipping which has been
| protected, that employed in the coast,
ing trade, has tlourlshed and flourishes
| to-day equally with our other protected
| industries.
| Question No, 2S. Ifthe duty is not added to
| the cost. wherein does the tariff benefit The
| farmer In the sale OF his productions
By creating a market for him 10 sell
! his products in, and by restricting do
| mestlc production and foreign imports,
while continually increasing the demand
| for what he has to sell.
| Question No 24 Why the abandonment OF
Eastern farms with protec ed la Dor in he
| boring factories,
Because there is so much better and
| cheaper land out West. Eastern farm
! crs prospered before Western farms
| were discovered. After that event the
| Eastern farmers found it to their advan-
tage 10 go West, where they could get
any quantity of the best land for the
asking. But, as a matter of fact. the de-
serted New England farms are few.
| For let it not be forgotten that many OF
| the rocky hills of New England are
! more profitable to the cultivator than
| the fertile fields of the West. Why?
! Because Of those same factories witt
! their protected army OF consumers with
| III easy reach.
| Question No So Ifit is the object Of tho tariff
2 protect labor, could the tarsh be greatly re
| duccd and still afford protection
In some instances, yes. But what
| benefit would he derived through such
reduction Take wire nails. for in
| stance. The duty on them is , cents a
| pound. 1t is obviously higher than
| need be at present, because the nails are
| actually selling for cents a pound.
~ ltttI nal III NbtS t.ic ti!tN 10. II dI)D!-
| ished probably not a nail would be i'm
| ported. Why not abolish il? Probably
| because no one ever thought il worth
while to ask for Its abolition. Congress
| did not act without q reason in framing
| the present tariff. Every change of any
| importance was made at the suggestion
| Or some person or persons, after argu-
| ments pro and con had been heard. No
! one asked for the removal Of the duty
| on wire nails, for the same reason. per
| hapS, that no one asked for a Jaw
against spots on the sun. No good
! could possibly result in either case.
question No. 81. Does not the rebate clause
! III the Mckinney law allow our manufacturers
| 10 sell cheaper 10 foreign customers than
! American, when tho material IS imported
Yes; and thereby enables them some
| times 10 find a market in a foreign coun.
| try which they otherwise could not find.
| That is To say, II is the means of bring
| ing additional employment To American
! labor III making the goods 10 60 abroad
and brings back TO the country the
money paid for them by the foreigner,
/ while not 4 hair OF anyOne's head in
! this country is harmed by the transac-
| ton 1t gives our manufacturers prac-
| tically all the benefits of free raw ma
| terials, and bids them capture the
/ worlds markets if they can, while ii
! keeps the bars good and high around
! our own markets in order to hold them
| surely for our own people anyhow.
| question No. 81 With bounty Of cents a
| Tound ON sugar, which must be paid out OF the
inIted states treasury, where does the saving
! to the consumer come i'll through free sugar
| 1t comes in this way: The revenue
| rom the duty on sugar and molasses
amounted 10 about SO, ,00G, 600 year,
which was all paid by the consumer.
| The bounty paid on sugar amounts 10
! = .0G0. 600 wear The difference, SIS
| uuU, 600, is the saving TO the consumer.
! question 20. ST. Has the Mckinley tariff
| caused the price OF cotton 10 be low
! No. No more than ii has caused the
! price of shakespeare 5 autographs to be
/ high. There are very few of the auto
graphs Of Shakespeare III existence
| hence they cost great deal. There IS
more cotton in the nlted States than
| there is demand for throughout the
| whole world: consequently the price OF
| cotton is low The Mckinley law had
no more II do with that than 1t had
| with the color Of the moon.
! Question No s.. What has been the direct
| benefit TO the American farmer by the placing
| uf the duty on eggs What would be the re-
| suit il the duty were abollshed
IN $50 we imported II $50, 152 dozen
eggs, valued At II ,oN4,t ,tN9; IN 1871 We
imported ! .265, 80 dozen eggs, valued
at S55S. ~ The difference between the
amounts imported in these two years
.U99,311 doZen-measures the larger
| arket for eggs which has heen fur--
nished to the American farmer; ana
| the difference between the values OF the
| eggs imported in these two years
/ 81 u5a. a,l2-meaSure roughly the value
| ot thai market To him. The direct re-
| suit Of the Mckinley duty on eggs has
thus been 10 put l.050,592 more into
! the pockets of the farmer than he re-
ceived the preceding year. II the duty
| were abolished. by that sum 1T least
] 4 I., Ia t,.a ltSar