The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-11-03
THE OLD CHESTNUTs.
A WoRklNGMAk's VIEWS ON "ThH
TARIFF 10 A TAx.n

| crease In Wages Not Considered.
You have made up the bill on the
| basis Of the old chestnuts, 1.-THE tariff
is tax" and the tangle legged claim
that everything we buy will be lowered
in cost by the amount taken off from
| the tariff on 1t If 1t should be brought
| from out of the country Though this
| theory ia proving mud for food and
ditch water for drink to large portion
Of the working class, let us for the mo,
ment suppose it to be true and see what
saving In my cost Of living, as used
to live when had steady work, can be
expected to come to me through it. Elk.
cepting tea, coffee, sugar and molasses,
which were already free and could moi
be cheapened In that way, flour, meat,
butter, cheese, milk and vegetables
make up the food use.
By the bill You have reduced the tar.
i'll on -four per cent, about 10 cents
barrel; on meat, butter and cheese, 2
cents pound; on milk. IL cents
quart; on potatoes, 10. and onions, 90
cents bushel, and on other vege.
tables 8 per cent Of the cost, not 10
per cent on the price we pay at the
store, but on the cost at the custom
house, before the duty, the freights In
the country and the wholesalers and
retailers profits are added, not above
10 per cent of the store selling price.
Our present supply of all these is raised
wholly in this country. Flour and wheat
from Minnesota and the northwest;
meat, alive and dead, from Texas and
tho west, and butter and cheese, from
all parts, are now exported, often by the
shipload, to England, where, at higher
price than we pay here, they largely
drive out the same articles sent from
Canada or produced in that country.
Milk cannot DO carried moro than a
few miles or hours without spelling, SC
practically none can come from other
countries, tariff or no tariff, and your
claimed saving in that is clearly fraud.
My vegetables now come from nearby
farmers and cost me about So cents O
week, or $500 a year. AS all these
articles, however, are as low or lower
here than in free trade England, where
labor is one-half and there are no duties
at all, and as they were higher here un.
der the lower tariff five years ago than
under the Mckinley high tariff Just
done away with, it is certain that the
tariff, whether high or low, has no eff.
feet on their cost, and your bill will
give me no real saving from them.
The tariff on salt you have reduced
about cents a year on the quantity
used by my family, but used so little
in value of that and of other groceries
not named that the reduction you make
on them is too small to waste time over,
My fuel is hard coal, but as it was al.
ready free of duty and can only BIO OBJ.
tanned from Pennsylvania no saving
can be made from it, My oil for light
also comes from this country, which
supplies large part of the world, but
even if it can be brought from Russia
the only other country which can fur.
nish it in quantities-inside of the cent
gallon reduction you have made, all
the saving will go to the dealers
My tobacco is all raised in this coun-
try and will not be cheapened. My
whisky, il l used it, would cost me 20
cents more gallon, which means per-
haps more water or poison in my drinks,
certainly no saving and probably more
NpSo. NY kOup 40 SONtluttl WuOlly ny To-
cation, the kind and finish Of the build
ing and the space occupied, and will not
be affected. Many more houses than can
find tenants are already built, and no
man will be fool enough to put up new
ones, with prospect that they will re-
main largely vacant, just to give me
cheaper rent, even IL few dollars saved
by tho lower tariff of 81 Thousand
through free lumber and reduction on
other materials will enable him to do So
My clothing has hitherto been of
American material and make, my outer
garments ''all wool, fast colors and
durable" l now get each year two
suits, or suit and an oyercoat; a hat,
So; two pairs of shoes, SO, and sup
ply of shirts, collars, underclothes,
stockings, etc. some of which are made
at home, 81, | find you have reduced
the tariff 40 cents on my hat, Ia cents
pair on my shoes, an article also largely
exported, and about 80 cents ON my
shirts, underclothes, etc. As to outer
clothing, one Of the largest importers
of English, French and German goods
in New York months ago instructed
tailors over tho country to notify their
customers that the reduction in tariff
on WOODEN cloths and by free wool
made by your law will lower the price
of such suit as you buy not over 50
or So and of one made Of such cloth as
/ use no more than 81.
This is business, not theory, and be-
ing from merchants whose business and
interest it is to sell all the foreign goods
possible must be considered reliable l I
therefore concluded that 81 on suit or
an overcoat-$2 for my years supply
is tho most l can save on them
Putting these together, find that the
tariff duty on all my clothing will be
reduced by 3d.. year-that is, if
your claims were true, l might get it
for SO much less. In the Same manner
l find tho reduction on clothing for my
wife and my boy may possibly mount
to 50. 90 more, making altogether So 63
year for me and my family, and, in
cluding everything, total Of S.. Sc .
year on our necessaries of life.
But while making this reduction Of
So. 81 yearly you have increased the tar
iff on sugar, which was before free of
duty, and thereby force me hereafter to
pay 81. SO more a year on the quantity
of that article | use Taking this in
creased sugar tax from the S.. sc re6uc-
ton on other things leaves me final
claimed saving of Sc. rs year, 81 cents
for each person, on the necessaries of
life for me and my family. -'tPlain
Talks by Workingman. -