The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-12-21

IhiS City.
To TIE EDITOR OF THE TIMES: There
arc some people in Roanoke who are
Democrats, others who are Republicans,
and few Of Populist proclivities
There are others who possess tho I'M
usual capacity OF being both Republi-
can and Democrat. They boot in the
Democratic ranks and seek and get
office under Dem oc-atic administra-
ton and whom that party attempts TO
act and carry out the pie dges of its
platform, they turn Republicans. They
are political bats with their brains
bumped out under the bright glare of
Cleveland Democracy and the Wilson
tariff bill.
Thomas W. Miller, one of the leaders
of the Democracy in Roanoke, and his
honor, Mayor Trout, have been inter
viewed by the ROANOKE TIMES, and
have given their views on the proposed
changes in the tariff. Mr.. Miller saws
that he believes that politics and bust.
ness should go together in the revision
of the tariff. The Republican party
has revised the tariff twenty times in
the last thirty years on this line always
in favor Of the m anu facturer and to the
oppression Of the consumer. The Dem
ocratic party is not likely to commit
such folly. He intimates that by
taking the tariff off coal and iron the
Democratic party would jeopardize it's
chances of success in Virginia, West Vir
giDia, Alabama and Tennessee.
Will he kindly toll what States the
Democratic party is likely to carry If it
does not revise tho tariff in the interest
of the whole people as was set forth in
the Chicago platform? / will venture
to say it would not carry Texas. lie
protective tariff is such fine thing for
the iron industry, why has it not pros
pered under the Mckinley tariff? Any
one with reasonable information knows
that the iron business has been in
state of stagnation since 1890, and over
half the furnaces in the South are out of
blast; and why is it that now, when
there is prospect OF removing the
duty on pig iron, the furnaces refuse to
contract for future delivery at the pres
emit market price, Notwithstanding the
fact that iron has advanced a dollar a
ton since 1t became known that pig iron
was to go on the free list? With pre-
sumption worthy of the rankest Repub.
lican protection1st, he says "ircn is now
about as cheap as the user could wish. I"
This is almost as rich as McKinley's
famous utterance, Americans despise
cheap things; cheap coat makes
cheap man"
He fears competition from pig iron
made in England. There is no ground
enough pig iron from her own ores to
supply her own market, and now i'm
ports two hfths of all the ore that goes
into her furnaces from Spain and Africa
IL the furnaces in this country, with all
the essentials of manufacture within a
radius OF 125 miles, cannot make iron
as cheaply as England does, and under
sell her in the markets of the world, it
is time the American iron mas ters are
hanging up their harps.
And what have we from Hon. II. S.
Trout, the Democratic mayor of Roa.
noke? He states that if coal and iron
are placed on the FREQ list furnaces will
be started up on tho coast and Cuban
and African ores will be brought in at
reduced rate as ballast to the detriment
OF our own mines. This is the rankest
Mckinleyism possible, but Mckinley
was too smart man to utter such an
absurdity. Who ever heard of iron ore
being used as ballast? Pig iron is
commonly used on the return OF ves-
sell from some important port, but it is
an entirely new idea to suggest that
vessel or fleet of vessels would go all
the way to Africa or Cuba for the pur-
pose of hauling back load of ballast.
1t would be now departure to open
a trade with Cuba and Africa to such
proportions as the shipment from this
country would justify the Ward lines of
steamers with South America, and the
Conrad line with the ports Of Mediter-
ranean to put afloat such additional
vessels as would haul back iron ore
as ballast sufficient to run furnaces on
the coast Of the United States. There
has never been trade between Cuba or
Africa and this country sufficient to
maintain feet of vessels which
would carry back enough OF iron
ore from those countries to keep
the smallest furnace in Virginia
in operation. 1t might be we'll for
some Roanoke Democrats to take
lesson in navigation, read the Chicago
platform once over for information and
acquire the rudiments OF Democracy be.
fore they attempt to speak for the
MASSES of the people and talk of haul
ing iron ore for ballast on the high
seas.
The honorable mayor does not see bow
that the placing of coal on the free list
would reduce the price of that article 10
the consumer situated as far inland as
Roanoke. The long haul by railroad
would preventit. Just here an explana-
ton would be necessary to show WIN. II
long hauls are brought into question,
that Pocahontas coal is sold for $3.50
per ton in Norfolk and $3.50 in Roam
oke. The people of Roanoke certainly
need prote ction, not from foreign i'm
portation, but from the Pocahontas Coal