Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-12-15
swANK.s orRcULAR.


The New York Times "gives away" a
circular letter addressed to manuiac-
turers by JAMES NJ. SwANK, general
manager OF the American Iron and
Steel Association. Mr.. SwANK asks the
manufacturers to sign 1t, and he urges
shem to procure the signatures Of
wOrkingmen. It is a protest against
the Wilson bill, aud ascrlbes the indus
trial depression to ''the mere apprehen-
sion that tariff legislation Of S charac-
ter uniriendly to the policy o. protec-
tion would be attempted, and asserts
that the Wilson bill definitely aban-
dons the protective policy" Mr..
SwANK expresses his belief that the
bill will be defeated II he can lombard
members OF congress with a sufficient
number Of signed protests and earnest
personal letters"
The combinations which Mr.. SwANK
represents could hardly have gotten up
a more palpable fake.
The Wilson bill does not abandon
the policy of protection, but it does
abandon the policy of extOrtion. 1t
cuts down the extraordinary duties i'm
posed on the people by the Repub-
lican party as compensation for
huge contributions to the blocks
of-6ve campaign in 1883, but Mr.,
SwANK knows that the policy of pro-
lection is not abandoned in a bill
that gives manufacturers Of iron and
steel free ore and coal and retains upon
the finished products duties Of from
25 to IS per cent
The Wilson bill does not abandon
the policy Of protection, " for the good
reason that no revising committee COM
posed OF sensible men would undertake
to wipe out at one stroke the protective
duties that have been in force for so
many years.
Mr.. SwANK should bear in mind that
the last Republican tariff commission,
after full Investigation, made report
recommending a much greater cut than
toe Wilson bill proposes TO make. A
comparison Of the Wilson bilrs rates
with those OF the bill reported by this
com mission appointed by President
ARTHUR will show very little difference
in the duties on the prominent classes
OF manufactured goods except in cases
where the transfer Of raw materials
from the dutiable list to the free list in
the Wilson bill calls for the reduction
of duties which were imposed as COM
pensation for the tax on those raw
materials. And where in other in
stances the Wilson bill shows decrease
the difference is offset by the largely
decreased cost Of production in this
country since the commission bill was
made eleven years ago.
There is, in fact, as mucn complaint
that the Wilson bill does not reduce
duties enough as there is that it re-
duced them too much. The New York
Times says:
We desire to remind the manufacturers
Of petitions and protests that the columns
Of the Western press disclose q disposition
on the part of great many people west OF
the Alleghenies 10 complain because there
is fruu1 UuUir pUirtU or riO,v~y --iss---essL va
much protection in the Wilson bill. Inese
peOple are disappointed, and If Mr.. Swank
will send dis circulars TO them be Will near
something 70 his disadvantage.
That this is true every iron manufac-
turer knows. As for the workingmen
who will be urged TO sign SwANK's pro-
test let them remember how their wages
have gone down since the passage OF
the Mckinley bill and mills been
shut down and men put on half
time, until now in almost every
city in the land public aid is
solicited for the unemployed, though
we have been living under high tariff
for a life time and now have the high
est tariff in the world.