Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1894-01-05
SHAM CALAMITY CRY.
NO OCCASION FOR THE HOWLING OF
HIGH PROTECTIoNIsTS.

HUH P1O III IlCN!S y.
Eeduced Tariffs on Manufactured Articles
More Than Offset ny Free Raw Materials.
Duties of tho Tariff of 1883 Compared
With the Rates In the Wilson Bill.
The manufacturers who are bowling
blue ruin at the mere thought of the
tariff reductions proposed in the Will
son bill are showing moro zeal than dis
erection. In their haste to condemn the
new bill they forget or ignore the fact
that they VIII be as we'll protected by
it as they were by the protective tariff
act Of 1883.
Mr.. Jacob Scnoenhof, at the request
Of the Reform club, has prepared ia
BILE comparing the rates of duty under
the tariff of 1883 with those in the pro-
posed bill. The table contains 161
items and includes nearly all articles
imported. On 80 Of these items rates
are the same. On 8 items duties are
higher in the Wilson bill than in the
act Of 1883. On 20 more items duties
differ by per cent or less; 10 or Is
items cannot we'll be compared. leaving
only about 70 items on which duties
have been materially reduced. Twenty
Of these are in the wooden schedule
where the average reductions of 80 or
40 per cent are fully counteracted BY
the removal Of all duties on raw woods.
Thirteen more occur in the iron and
steel schedule, where average reductions
Of about 10 per cent are offset by free
iron ore and coal; 8 more occur in the
glass schedule, where duties are used
mainly to support trusts and combines;
8 more are in the chemical schedule,
where the duties were disproportionate
~ and foolishly high; more in the
fax manufactures schedule, where bag
ging, burlaps, ETC., arc really raw ma
terials in other industries.
Thus there is no reason why manu-
facturers should throw up their hands
and utter such lamentations except that,
like a petted and spoiled child, they
are terribly put OUT when they can't
have their own way, as has been the
custom. Mr.. Schoenhof says as explain
atory and Introductory to his tables:
Wilson bill which is meted out by the
organs of the high protection party
cannot surprise any one who is &C
quainted with the tactics Of protected
interests. Claim everything is an old
wa1cry. The vail of distress has been
raised so often that the public has learn
ed to lend an Indifferent ear to it. The
destruction of prosperity, the ruin Of in
dustry, the pauperization Of labor are
predicted. 1t is but necessary to ex-
anime the bill from the standpoint of
the high protection party up to 1890 to
see how ludicrous is their present posi-
ton. The demand for reduction in
rates from the tariff Of 1888 was uni
versal. The Republicans cast their votes
in 1888 in the firm expectation that the
tariff was to be reformed and reduced
by their party if elected to power. When
the Mckinley bill showed gross abuse
of this confidence, the voters showed
their proper appreciation of this breach
of trust by turning the congress in 1890,
and the whole machinery of the govern
ment in 1892, over to the Democratic
party.
''In the light of this glaring fact it is
we'll to turn to the tariff of 1883 and
compare its rates with those proposed
In the Wilson bill.
81 have prepared comparative tables
giving the rates of duties collected I'M
der the tariff of 1888 and Of the rates
proposed in the Wilson bill.
"The reader can see for himself that
the differences are very slight. They
mainly occur in articles in which raw
materials have been put on the free list.
Considering the advantages thereby
given to manufacturers, the remaining
protective duties, as in woolens, are
higher under the new tariff bill than
under the tariff of 1888. Protectionists
certainly have no reason to complain.
Tariff reformers approve Of the measure
as a step in the right direction. By
raw materials being put on the free list
our manufacturers can start on basis
equal with their foreign competitors.
They can learn by their own expert
ence that the way to improve indus
tries is not by heaping taxes upon them.
With the main prop, taxed raw mate
rails, knocked away from under high
prices, the progress made in our manu-
featuring industries can be depended on
to work more to the advantage Of the
consumer than has been the case hereto