St. Paul daily globe., 1892-09-21
TRUTHS ABOUT TIN.
Chairman Springer Answers
McKinley's Elwood
Speech. e
UnansWerable Figures Show
ing the Burden on the ai
American People.
Millions of Dollars Put Into
the Pockets Of the I'M u
porters.
The Fallacies Of Projections,
The Fallacies of Projections,
High Priest Torn to qs
ShpedS. ab

the farmers began to arrive in their
wagons. and excursion trains from the
aJacent towns were numerous. Mr..
Springer devoted his attention chiefly
to the speech delivered last week at
Elwood, Ind, by Gov. Mckinley. He
discussed the sayings of the Republican
leader at considerable length. and his
drives at the practical workings of the
high protective tariff were met with
much applause. He said:
Prior to the passage of the Mckinley
act, Oct. l, 1890. the tariff on tin plates
was one cent pound. BY the prOvis-
ions of that act the tariff was increased
to 2.2 cents a sp0und, but the increase
was not to take effect until the first day
of July, 1891. During this interval Of
nine months between the passage of the
act and the taking effect of the in
creased rate, there was
An Enormous Increase
in the Importation of tin plates in order
to get them into this country under the
old rate, and sell them as if they had
paid tine increased rate. The price Of
tin plate was Immediately increased on
| sumerS were compelled to pay
largely increased prices, while the
government received only the older
rate. The importations for the year
ended June 80, 1891, amounted to 1,036,
4S7,074 pounds, while for the succeed
ing year, ending June 50, 1892, they
were only AIS, 176,202 pounds. The av-
erage for each year was 12222. 3332 202
pounds, which is substantially the
amount required every year for con-
sumption.
If the Mckinley bill had taken effect
as to tin plates Immediately on its pas
age, as it should have done. the govern
ment would have received in duties on
tin plates for the nine months of that
fiscal year and for the next fiscal year,
twenty-one months in all. the sum
of S2S, ,S05. But the amount
actually received being at the
rate of one cent pound on the importa-
tions for the remaining nine months of
that fiscal year. and % cents pound
or the importation5 of the year ended
June 50, 1892, was only S17,753, 934. or
Sl0,270,87I less than the government n
Should Have Received. 9-a
In the meantime the people were re-
Quired to pay wholesale prices for the
tin plates purchased for consumption
the same as if they had actually paid
duties at the rate of 20 cents a pound.
or $4,000, 600 in excess of the amount
the government actually received. This
amount of Sl0,000,0 600 was the net profits
of the tin plate importers and jopbefS.
without taking any risks whatever,
which they were enabled to realize by
reason of the postponement for nine
months of the time for the taking effect
of the increased tax on tin plates.
In order to get into this country the
billion pounds of tin plate which were
imported during the fiscal year ended
June 80, 1891, the mills in Wales were
worked to their utmost capacity-and
after the close of that fiscal year in
July, 1891, the mills which had been
overworked in order to meet the i'm
mense demand from the United States
were Obliged to shut down for time in
order that the consumption should
catch up with the production. But Re-
publican newspapers and politicians
immediately set up the claim that the
Mckinley bill had caused the tin plate
mills in Wales to be SMUT down, and
that the industry was being transferred
to this country. Thus history and
Facts Are Perverted
in order to deceive our people and to
commend to popular favor the political
party which is responsible for this
wicked legislation.
The preteXt set up by the author of
the Mckinley bill was that thes tin
plates consumed in this country, for
which we paid England 10000, 900 a
year, could just as we'll be made in this
country. and that by so doing employ
ment would be given to many thousand
citizens of the United States and the
amount we paid England would be
saved to the people of this country.
nOnfPntInn
fact that our people export to
other countries every year articles
which are vauled at $500, ,OOO, 900
to S1,000,000, Last year our
exports exceeded our imports $500, ,OO0,-
600. We must get something for these
enormous exports, rs per cent of which
are the products of our farms. We can
not get gold and silver. for it seems the
exports of coin and bullion for last year
exceeded our imports. Agricultural
products are dearer in Europe than in
this country, hence we must to great
extent exchange the products of our
farms for the manufactured articles of
other countries. And
In Making This Exchange
what poss ble objection is there to tax
ing from Wales $50, 100000 worth of tin
plates year?
we could pay for the years demands
with 20,000,000 bushels of wheat, if
wheat were worth 81 a buShel-but if
we make our tin plates in this country,
under protection of 2.2 cents a pound,
it will require 100000 bushels more of
wheat to pay the bill, or So, ,00O,OO bush
els instead of 20,000,000 if we buy our.
tin plate abroad.
The manufacture of tin plates in this
country is conceded by all to be an uil-
profitable Industry: an industry which
cannot exist without government bounty
or high protection tariff of 22 cents a
pound upon foreign tin plates.
That either the government or
the consumers of tin plates
must pay $16,O0O,00O every wear
more than would otherwise be required
in order to have our annual supply of;
tin plates manufactured in this cOun-5
tay. Sixteen million dollars bounty on
S20,000,0 900 of product is paying pretty
dearly for this so-called protection to
American industry. se1
A Founding. -,
But let us see how our tariff monopo-
lists have succeeded in getting and
fostering this new industry. A govern
ment agent has been appointed by the
secretary OF the treasury to look after
and to report all facts relating to this
infant--this poor fouDdling whichsGov.
Mckinley has placed on the doorsteps
of the treasury department. AS
the government must support this
infant, 1t was necessary to ap-
point guardian for it, and one Ira
Aver got the job. He has submitted his
report for the fiscal year ending June
so, 1892, and it shows an output of tin
and terne plates for that year in the
United States of IS, 242, $3.50. This is less
than 2 per cent of the amount consumed
during the same period of time.
We were told, when the Mckinley bill
was pending in congress, that within
one year after its passage we would
make in the United states all the tin
plates we could consume How far
have these predictions fallen below the
facts which time has developede Less
than per cent produced in this coun-
try at the end Of tWenty-one mouths