The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-08-30
MuddIed Tariff Reformers.

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Muddled Tariff Reformers.
The Philadelphia Times, put to great
stress to find something to defend in
the presidents latest letter, congratu-
lates itself that "there are but three
vital defects in the German tariff bill" !"
Ten days ago the bill was apparently
perfect, in the estimation of the Times.
Then, it Settled for all time" the "fu-
tue tariff policy Of this nation" Now
it has "three vital defects and our
contemporary is evidently glad that it
finds so few. The first of these "vital
defects" Is the sugar schedule; the Sec
ond is the continued but reduced
duty on COAL" and the third is the
continued but reduced duty on iron
ore" These particular items of the
bill, Colonel Mcclure informs us, ''do
not affect the general basis of the new
tariff law" although they are "vital
defects" This is pretty nearly as clear
as mud, as solid as vapor and as SUBJ
stantial as the northeast wind. But it
accurately reflects the nebulous state
of the free trade theory under the ac-
cumulated disproof afforded by hard
facts.
Now let us see how our contem-
porary would cure these "vital de-
fects." The sugar schedule it would
amend by "repealing the one-eighth
of a cent ditferential duty on refined
sugar, leaving tariff tax of forty per
cent. on both raw and refined sugar"
That is to say, "raw materials should
be free in the abstract, but raw sugar,
in the concrete, should be protected,
because southern cane growers vote
our ticket" So much for defect num-
ber one. The Times, as a second
amendment, wants iron ore admitted
free because that "would revive our
iron industries, especially in Eastern
Pennsylvania, and increase the de-
mand for domestic ores, which are
mixed with it.n Unless iron ore shall
he made free the Times is convinced
that our "iron mills must be
closed entirely" Perhaps that might
depend upon what was done with the
finished product; the Times seems to
be indifferent on that score. Thirdly,
and most significant of all, the Demo-
cratic law is laid down, utterly without
concealment, that "coal should be
made free. 1t would vastly benefit
our New England manufacturers,
many ofwhom use Nova Scotia coal
even with a duty on it, and they GER
tainly have great need of the advant-
ages free coal would give them, as they
are working on very narrow margin.
While Nova Scotia would enter New
England to some extent, our general
coal industries would certainly en-
large their markets in Canada, and
very soon sell three or five tons of our
coal there for domestic purposes for
every ton of Nova Scotia coal used in
New England"
1t is q new thing to find the free
trade Democracy so solicitous as this to
"benetit our New England manufac-
turers'; but it is explained upon the
hypothesis that where the Times
speaks one word for the sharon manu-
facturer" of former campaigns-now,
indeed, shorn down, under Democratic
depression, to 'very narrow margin"
it speaks "three or fiven for the New
England spectators who own coal
mines in Canada. The Democratic
party is to be congratulated upon
having newspaper in this state which
clears the whole free trade fence at one
graceful bound, indifferent to its pro.
tectionist proclivities in the past, and
apparently equally careless as to the
future. Such journal tends to clarity
matters and to let the workingman of
the commonwealth know precisely
where the Democracy of today stands.
THE LOCAL Democracy begins the
fall campaign with the air of man
who has drawn his months pay in
advance.