The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-11-29

and glass, would seriously impair gen.
eral business, and rs usual iron would
be among the first TO suffer from the
depression. Even tue nail industry
would suffer, although it is well
known fact that the price Of nails is in
no way affected by the tariff The
former duty OH nails was ! cents per
pound, yet nails sold at the factory ms
low rs cent u pound. BY tho McKin-
ley bill the duty was reduced 10 ! cent,
and to-day nails sell about at oven fig
urea with the import duty. They are
higher by large percentage in Eng
land than here, and even in Canada
they sell for more than in the United
States. This furnishes forcible illus
tration OF tho iallaCy OF the theory that
an article costs in this country as much
us the price abroad with the duty add
ed. The only effect, then, that a gen.
eral tariff reduction would have on nails
would be indirect, resulting from the
stagnation OF other branchesof industry.
After explaining this prominent
iron and steel manufacturer added:
Not so with steel billets and slabs.
Ii the duty on these. 80 large n proper
ton OF our output in this district, is
materially reduced, it will be n direct
and distinct disaster to our mills The
steel plants here ship large quantities ot
their product to New England, where
the steel enters largely into all varieties
OF goods. Take, Tor instance, the firm
oil Washburn, Moen & Co. oil worces-
ter, Mass, large manufacturers OF wire.
tt..,,=nTl.s ,,f nj gtnnl
iE this valley in year. Now, suppose
the tariff is taken of or reduced to
low figure. Those New England firms
could bug their steel billcts and slabs
or plates, such, Tor instance, a. the
Riverside rolls and ships there, in Eng
land ut n price with which we could not
compete here without reducing wages
10 the lowest notch, and they could be
laid down in New England BY the cheap
ocean ireights ut price which we could
not touch, considering the high railroad
rates, even i we could produce the
steel as cheap as it is made abroad"
In this connection n manufacturer
quoted the expression OF Mr.. II. W.
Oliver, Of Pittsburgh, as printed III yes
terday's Pittsburgh Dispatch:
tine measure is drastic ono, and its
authors appear almost tanatical in their
work. The change to ad valorem duties
is simply indeicnsib!n Under-vaIua'
tons, false invoice, different appraIse-
ments at different ports o; entry all
combine to breed race OF dishonest
importers and make business unstable.
Making the bill take effect March | is
simply brutal, and calculated to destroy
what little business we have. Tho act
should take effect 4 year hence, and
allow business to accommodate itself to
new conditions.
"a good, all around percentage reduc-
ton on present specific dutie. and a
speedy passage OF bill would have
been welcome relief and resulted in n
quick revival OF business. The Demo
cratic party in this generation is unfit
to govern. Its ignorance OF business
conditions and It's blind testing OF
theories will cause trouble to the
people, but result in their resuming
their proper position in the minority
party"
All the " hecling iron manufacturers
endorsed this expression with added
emphasis.