Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-12-22

nAl IM0IB anu OnlO, anu even tue BIeE
Pennsylvania road, obtain no inconsid
cradle part of their freight. If the Goa
be made free there will be fierce com
petition with the coal of Nova Scotia
and not only will the mines of Yves
Virginia aud Pennsylvania suffer. bu
the great railroads will suffer severed.
also. To be sure these are corporation
without souls, but the stocks and bond
are owned by people With souls, unless
modern political infdelity should de-
termine otherwise.
What exact effect the proposed
change Of duties would have on the gen
eral rate Of wages Ia the country car
only be determined by actual test, bu
IL is not difficult to see that it will b'
very depressing. Upon persons engaged
ia the Industries directly affected th'
result to be anticipated seems to be very
clear. To those Of US who believe il
protection, il seems beyond dispute thaI
the acknowledged rise in wages in thi:
country has been caused by protection
as the great stimulator of invention anG
progress.
The committee, however, probably
believe the contrary.
If 10 the United States there are
higher wages and higher cost Of cap
ital, there must be such barriers against
such goods from abroad as will equalize
these costs, or the products Of the
United States cannot be sold except at
loss Sales 40 a loss cannot last
long.
There is also 2 constant demand for
lower prices, which demand has 10 be
listened 10 in q country always striving
toward higher plane of civilization.
We have, therefore, before us always
three problems - wages to be main
tanned, hours OF labor to be lesseIed
and prices 70 be lowered. Not one,
but all
IL is ture that invention at once keeps
pace with and regulates the demand for
higher wages and lower prices and few
hours, which are the conditions Of our
higher plane OF civilization, but IL can
not do more. 1t cannot meet in addi-
ton the lower prices Of lower level Of
civilization. Our inveatioRs are too
quickly absorbed by foreign countries
TO permit this.
Hence the result Of a refusal to pro-
tect our labor at its present rates
must result in lower wages. This
seems capable OF a rough demonstra-
ton. Our goods are now met by foreign
goods on our own shores at price
made up OF raw materials, plus labor
and plus the present rate Of tariff, on
very nearly equal terms. II the tariff
element be lowered then something
must be lowered on our side, and in the
last analysis IL will be labor and capital,
and In the long run the loss OF capital
is also a loss OF labor, for capital en-
ploys labor and lost capital sets no
in motion. We must, then,
meet the reduction OF price OF foreign
goods, which are our competitors, by
reduction of the price Of labor.
But while this bill in its principles, IL
10 has any, is not unprotective, It will
BIO absolutely so in practice not only in
los direct reductions but also in its in
lirect reductions sure to come from the
change from specific duties to I'D
7alorem, which is q u,arisaA f0~'--- Of
.he bill.
An ad valorem duty, as the name I'M
niles. is one which varies according 70
the prIUa, RI prices could be exactly
5etermined nothing would seom DO be
fslrer than an ad valorem duty. But,
unfortunately, prices are very much mat
ters OF opinion, on which honest men may
differ much and rogues much more.
Ipasmuch as the duty depends on the
price, a cheat on the price 10 CHEAT on
the duty. If piece OF goods is worth
So A ward, and the duty Is 26 per cent,
Tine correct duty is SI.50. II the price
be invoiced at SIS a yerd, and the fraud
is not detected, the duty colIectad be-
comes SIPS, and the ad ValOrem, which
seems TO be % per cent, becomes about
20 per cent, aud not only is the govern
ment cheated out of It's quarter OF
dollar, but the manufacturer is cheated
out of one-hith Of the protection MS
has promised him. This,
therefore, is not theory.
Another serious general oolectlon 10
the pill is that it decreases the revenue,
according To the calculations usually
made by the Treasury Department, as
compared with 1898, about S74,OOO,OOO'
This large deficit, coming as 1t does
nnon A depleted treasury, is rather APP
ualling in a bill for revenue only How
this great hole in our resources as q
nation is to be filled no one knows. Al
this date not even the committee ITSELF
knows. unless the President, antclpa-
ting in his message to Congress the re-
mort of the Committee on ways ano
Means. shall afford 10 the committee
the wished-ior clue.
Against the consideration OF such
hill creating such deficit aud leaving
il unaccounted for, the minority vainiy
protested when the bill was laid before
me committee. Who would dare, II OF
so,,rd and statesmaD-like mind, TO
create a deficit Of $4,000, 900, and
bllndlv vote II with no plan in sight
whereby the government could meet lts
avnenditures. The same protest we
make 10 the House and to the country.
The bin ought not to be reported with
out the internal revenue bill, which Is tC
make I'D the deficiency. Are we u
mass the bill aud be then coerced int'
the other; who knows il they were pre-
sentsd together that we might not pre-
fer to stay where we sre? The progress
OF this attempt 40 what has been calleC
reform, .as already created such feel
ing that tie country is stirred all over
When the scheme OF raising taxes BY
methods used in the time Of war is pre-
sented, in addition TO those now i'm
posed. there may be such further revui
sion OF feeling as will accomplish int
work or defeating this bill. While a.
marty men we might rejoice at it's pass
age. as citizens of the United states We
think the exigencies OF the present tim'
are superior 20 even the most desired
political advantage, and advise that INT
bin do not pass.
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