The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1893-12-21

: 1e a release OF taxes on materials nj in
5 oustry. There Can be no substantia
ana beneficial reduction upon necessa
ry clothing aud other comforts of tb.
american people nor any substantial
ana beneficial enlargement of the field
Vi american labor so long as we tax
materials and processes of pro
9ucGon. Every tax upon the pr5.
Queer falls with increased force
on the consumer. Every tax on fbe
producer in this country is protec.
ZION TO his competitors in ali other
countries and SO narrows his market
as to limit the number and lessen tbe
wages of those to whom he can Owe i've
employment, Every cheapening in
.,S or enlargement of supply of raw
material, while primarily 1nuring to
Vne benefit OF the manufacturer him.
sen, passes under competition immedi
ately.
Upon the larger sizes OF plate glass,
where duties were even higher we
nave made a reduction of about one
tnlrd. The iron and steel schedule,
beginning with free ore and duty OF
~ 1-2 per cent on pig iron, we have
reported scale of duties considerably
below those existing, graduated ac-
cordlng to the degree of manufacture,
which should bring the benefit to the
consumer without calling for any halt
in the progress of that indus.
try in our cuntry. The duty on steel
rails has been put at 25 per cent, which,
according to reports of our depart
ment of labor, quite compensates for
all difference in cost of production in
this country and abroad. Th-re seems
to be an authentic report that a pool
of American railmakers, which under
shelter of the present duty of $13 A
per ton has kept up prices to the
American consumer, is far beyond the
cost of production and legitimate
profits, has been recognized to con-
tinue the regulation of prices above
proper market rates. AS all shippers,
especially American shippers, are
vitality interested in cheapening the
cost of transportation rates the duty
upon steel rails should be adjusted So
as to protect them from monopoly
prices and monopoly combinations.
Upon tin plate the duty has been
gagged with reference TO the revenue
it will bring into the treasury and the
difference between this duty and that
upon block plate has been lessened
with view to discourage what may
not unjustly be called the industry of
making American tin plate by the
mere dipping in this country of impor
ted black plate. In sugar product we
have preferred to VIII pc out single
legislative stroke the existing bounty
system. We believe it to be contrary
TO the spirit of our institutions and can
conceive of no circumstances under
which we should have advocated or
approved its introduction into our
laws. We have found it existing there
as we find it existing in every other
schedule of the tariff and dealing with
it in this more open aud offensive form
as we have dealt with other schedules
where large property interests are at
stake we have reported a provision for
its appeal by such stages as shall grad
ually obllterate it from our laws while
permitting those who have invested
large means under the expectation of
its continuance reasonable time in
which they may prepare to take a
stand with other industries of the
country.
Duties on tobacco leaf suitable for
cigar wrappers, which were enormous
ly advanced by act of 1890, have been
placed at such figures as after careful
investigation were deemed likely to
promote the most revenues to the
treasury. But this object has not
alone decided rates. The amount is
so high that no domestic producer
need claim that there is not aboundaut
protection and to spare for his pro
duct in them.
OF the staple agricultural products,
including meats and provisions, we are
such large exporters and must con.
tinue to be such large exporters that
any duties upon them are useless for
protection and fruitless for revenue
and generally can only be imposed for
the purpose of deluding farmers into
the belief that they are reviewing some
consideration and benefit un-
der the tariff although the
prices of their products are
fixed in the worlds market in ,compe-
tition with like products produced by
the cheapest labor ia the world. Pro
ducers of our great export staples.
having fully supplied the home mar
ket, must overflow and seek larger
purchasers elsewhere The only eff
feet of a protective tariff is to take
away fourth to half of the pro-
ducts for which we could exchange
their surplus in open market should
they buy in a market where they are
obliged to sell, or to compel them to
give like portion of the avails of
their labor when turned iuto money
by increasing the cost of wheat they
buy in the home market. Recogniz-
ing that the American farmer has
been through many years a patient
victim of the protective system, that
he has been induced to support it I'M
der the delusive promise that by i'm.
mense sacrifices he was buying for
himself home market, and this
promised home market is farther from
him today than ever before, we have
aimed to secure for him such relaxa-
ton of his burdens as will permit him
to enjoy more of the fruits Of his own
hard and faithful labor.
To the farmers OF the country we
have given untaxed agricultural i'm
elements and binding Irvine and un.
faxed cotton ties for the additional
reasons that in the latter case that
cotton is the largest export crop OF the
country sold abroad in competition
With Tho oboan labor of India and