The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-12-28
The WILSON Bill Il New Fncand M
Editor Times:


Editor Times:
Dear sir-As SO much is being said
about the Wilson New England tariff
oiii would like TO give you some OBJ
serNationS, facts, and figures. from a
purely business standpoint. as it affects
the south and West. That il is almost
entirely In favor Of New England (and
Old England too no fair-minded. we!I-in-
formed man Will deny. And If we start
out with The proposition that the WAYS
and Means Committee are all honest and
iair-mirded, then II is still manifest
iuct that they are not Informed cf the
true condition of trade, and conditions
as they exist. and 10 say that the Wilson
bill is in accordance with the Democratic
platform Is an utter perVersou OF the
truth and Webster's Dictionary. which
latter at least. we thought Professor
wilson was familiar with The platform
said tariff reform; Professor Wilson'S
dictionary says reform" means TO form
again. shape anew. it does not say ami
mlatc, wipe out OF existence, and this is
\ Just what Professor Wilson does with
the duty on everything that the South
produces to any extent. Suppose the
Democratic platform had said wipe out
the duty on iron. coal, wool. and lumber
how many southern or western States
would have voted TO seat old man Grover?
Let us look at d few Of the unjust dis
ordinations against the South and West
Take first. manufactured cotton goods
the coarser grades OF which are mostly
made in the South. and the adj valorem
duty I'm the proposed Wilson bin Is ten
10 twenty per cent. less than on the FINER
made New England goods. Why not a.
least give us an equal chance? Take
next the item Of coal, a great ma jority
OF which is produced In the South and
West, but which Is nearly all consumed
in the North and East. so far as man
ufacturing. Is concerned. and hence the
cry for free coal. The advantage the
South has heretofore had in cheap fuel
is thus wiped out at a single stroke. Why
should not our mine laborers be protected
as well as the laborers and capitalists OF
the New England factories? but the
mcanest and most absurd feature Of the
infamous bill is that It calls coal raw
material Pray, what IS the finished
product made ont of coal? My idea is. and
has always been. that raw material was
something TO be converted into a finished
product. Perhaps Professor Wilson would
say. smoke out of Il New England smoke
stack. was the finished product Of coal.
and hence must be- favored, though thou
sands Of fSmishcd miners are sacrificed
to 10 1t. 1t may be the Professor has
some secret ebony-iined patent for
making some useful article (huished pro-
dUcD out Of coal, which he will divuge
after he gets his free cOal-thcn IL wifi
b. raw material. Take. LcXt iron ore. the
great majority of which is produced in
the South and West, but which is pu,
into finished products almost entirely in
the North and East. and hence the c.y
for free iron ore. And il the Wilson bill
passes. the next cry will be- whence went
the Democratic party? But this is bust
ness and not politics we are talking about
so cross out whence went the Democratic
party" and take up iron ore | know
IL Is heavy stun. but not near so heavy
as the Wilson crowd viii find 1t In 60
The duty OF seventy-flve cents per ton
on iron ore is very small. and only gives
corn-bread and clear-rib-side living
TO the owners and operators Of the iron
mines, and when converted into pig
ircn az southern furnace the New
England manufacturers buy it ut $725
TO $3.50 per ton. costing, laid down in a
New England machine-shOp. say Sl2 per
ton. Now take any class Of mach! nrry
or finished products made ont OF said
pig iron. and see how much duty IL Is
projected with.
As North Carol.ua. your legitimate lie.d.
has nearly double the number of cotton
factories as there is I'm any other State
in the Union, We will take cotton-min
machinery as an example. and South
Carolina. Georgia. Alabama. and Ten
nessee, South Carolina has more spin
dlesl, is equally Interested. no letter ex-
ample could be had: so take the 81 per
ton pig iron delivered in New Eng
land machine-shop. and convert II. by a
very simple moulding process into
plain cotton loom. and said loom is i'm
mediately protected with duty Of thirty
five per cent aud said looms, which cost
said New England manufacturer Of ma
chinery 81 per ton. are Immediately sold
TO southern cotton mills at $50 10 $3.50
per ten. Ga an average OF Sls5 per ton.
Take, now. the Si2 cost OF the pig iron
from the Sl65. the price the converted
pig q wish they would convert some Of
the hogs) iron il sold at and you have
Sl53 per ton for profit and for cost Of
manufacturing; and as no practical man
viii claim that il cost more than $40 70
SIS per ton 20 manufacture for instance,
the looms alluded 10. take the maximum
$i3 from the $i53 and YOU have SlsS pro-
~ per ton for a New England manu-
lecturer on a ton of So southern pig
iron. and on lighter grades Of machinery
several hundred dollars per ton. And
these are the factories that must have
free coal. while the western farmer sells
his grain at half the cost OF production;
and while the whole South and West
lar euish In poverty and want: and while
financial emaciation is depicted on the
face of our business Industries. for want
Ct money 10 do cur legitimate business
with, and while the northern and eastern
bank vaults are almost bursting with
millions of surplus money. Water every
where and not a drop 10 drink" And
W. might fttingly say a. did the his
toran whcp the English cornered TIE
rice crop In India, and
Did lock with impious hands their
bounteous store
While famished thousands died along
the shore"
This Is no fancy sketch, but the literal
truth to-day. An absolute dearth OF
money In nine-tenths Of our fair country.