West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1892-10-27

On Sept. % The Tobacco Journal re-
newed its onslaught and devoted two
more columns to explaining the effects
OF the duty which has reduced the price
Of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania tobaccos
10 an average of live or SIX cents a
pound, and Of New York and Ohio to-
bacccs TO perhaps the lowest prices ever
known. The following arc extracts
from this journal:
at (McKinley duty did not improve
the tobacco. Ii did not charge the at
mospheric conditions nor the soil, so that
better grade Of tobacco could be raised
in competition with the foreign leaf. IL
did not prevent the frost from striking
the tobacco before it was ready TO DO
cut. 1t did not prevent the growth of
the white vein. 1t did not prevent the
tobacco from rotting. IL did not create
wider market, nor even the longel for
home market, for tho trash will all have
10 be exported or used for manure. And
it did not raise prices.
"The manufacturer being robbed OF
Sl.50 pound on his wrapper leaf blythe
folly Of the tobacco growers illusion,
gets square with the tobacco grower by
cutting down the price for his fancy
filters TO bare cost"
Sumatra has become an absolutely es-
sential factor for the cigar industry.
Otherwise no manufacturer would DO
fool enough 10 pay 81 for Sumatra
If he could get an equally good wrapper
produced at home fer fifty cents n
pound. But we cannot produce any
thing like Sumatra, for neither Con-
necticut, Massachusetts,, New York,
Pennsylvania nor Wisconsin has got tho
soil or climate of the tropical isle of SUI
matra. Neither would our importers DO
such fools ms toagain import from %, 900
to 10000 bales of Sumatra year, rs they
did when Sumatra came in under a low
tariff. But somebody has got to pay the
raise in the Sumatra duty. The inn
porter does not pay it. The manu-
facturer pays it, but he wants to I'M
load the expense on others, and natu-
rally.
AT first he thought of the jobber and
dealer, but both kicked and refused to
share the higher expense of the McKin-
ley tariff. The consumcr-that is, the
smoker-licked likewise, AMI refused to
pay six cents for his nickel or eleven
cents for his dime cigar. There were
but two other classes left to share the
expense of the Mckinley tariff, the cigar
maker and the tobacco grower. AMI
both arc being made to pay tho penalty
of the Mckinley tariff-the cigar maker
by reduction of his wages ana the to-
baccO grower by squeeze in the price
of his product. Wrapper leaf we cannot
grow to replace the Sumatra. But we
can grow exceedingly fine binders and
filler leaf
Under an low :. ri If the importer was
willing ia ~ good price for binders
aud Yer, gDoa and even high price for
fine tille' 'eaf All our domestic fancy
filters commanded under the low tariff
a much higher figure than most of the
cigar leaf wrappers ever can. Now,
however, the manufacturer has either
dispensed with the use of this type Of
leaf, or if he utilizes it he wants it at
very low figure-at the low figure that
common filters and binders formerly
sold. For the cut he makes on this
class of goods now has to compensate
him for the (by the Mckinley tariff
raised expense of his wrapper leaf.
The fine filler and binder leaf that
commanded the high prices had been
A"i'C' ~ ~ iSSOiiSilfs NeW 1CTR, Ienn-
sylvania and Ohio. Consequently the
tobacco growers of these states have to
pay the penalty for the outrageous
Mckinley tariff rate Of 81. And Con-
necticut profits by it-and profits by
it alone-because she raises some wrap
per leaf which has always been in de-
mand even under the lowest rate OF
duty, and because we cannot import all
the wrapper leaf our extensive cigar in
dustry stands in need of.