The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-08-31
THE NEW TARIFF LAW AND PRICES.

SNN A1A "NS oAA III N0AhA ooAN~
ton began. Now that it has ended in the
passage of the bill of perfdy and dishonor
the same papers that demonstrated so
clearly that the country was not prosper
ready to demonstrate the benefits and
blessings of the new law.
The Democratic State organ claims to
have discovered important evidence on this
point in one Of Mr.. John Wanamaker's
advertisements Mr.. W~anamaker, as every
body knows, is one of the adver-
tisers in the country. He does business to
make money. and, to use a current phrase,
it is a cold day when he cannot turn any
event to his account in the way of adver-
Using. On the morning of the day that the
new tariff became a law he had a large
advertisement in a Philadelphia free-trade
paper, shrewdly worded TO make people
believe that the new law had caused a
large reduction in many lines of goods. yet
without saying so. Tonight at II O'clock
he said. 'sixty-fve million people pass un-
der a new system that affects wages and
values in almost every walk of life. If the
new tariff does not amount to anything
what was the use of eighteen months
wrangling at Washington and Of untold
suffering all over the country by idle
workmen? The fight was against cutting
down the duty on goods, because it was
HD,roA - ~-o,Il I.~ 1000 -:
America. The Senate won against every
body. and now all hands must face the
music,'' etc. Then Mr.. Wanamaker in
formed the public that for several weeks
past he had been piling up foreign goods
in the custom house till he now had piled
up and waiting GIG cases Of goods to begin
taking out tomorrow at lower rates than
they could come out to-day Then fol-
lowed a list of goods and prices ingeniously
catalogued so as to create the impression
that the large reductions which the figures
showed were all due to the new tariff. A
Democratic paper, abiding 20 this, says:
1t would be impossible to state in full
the reductions made. but some idea of
them may be gained from the following
prices: In new all-wool dress goods, chev>
lots imported to sell at $1.50 and 81 per
yard are reduced TO so cents; cashmere and
cheyiot plaids imported to sell at $l5 and
$50 down to 30 cents Atwood Sacking
goes from 90 cents TO 5I12c; sail cloth from
20 cents. TO 90 cents; French and worsted
serges from $1.25 to 81: Bengalines from
S1.O to 81; s~ilk-igured tamises and batistes
from $l.5O 10 20 cents. Broadcloth, in all
colors, is cut from So to $50. Women's
wash dresses, in duck. pique and the like,
that have ranged from IS to $40, are put
1nn~N 70 q nffnr NpinA 90 , .-I Hl..
goes with each suit. All silk satins drop
according TO price as follows: 81 per yard
cut to 20 cents; Sl.S5 cut TO so cents; S.5O
cut TO $LD;. 81 cut to $40; 50 cut to $2.25;
$3.50 cut to $2L65. ON silks the cuts average
higher, ranging from 80 to 80 per cent. off
all along the line.
In trying to make the public believe that
these and other reductions named in the ad-
vertisement are due to the new tariff Mr..
guilty of dislngenuousness amounting al
most to lying. In the first place. the new
tariff schedule as to all kinds of wooden
manufactures does not take effect till Jan.
l, 1895. The advertisement admits this, but
says that free wool had caused such a tum-
bic in prices as to justify a reduction in
wooden goods of from so to rs per cent. Mr..
Wanamaker knows this is not true, and he
knows further that many of his alleged re-
auctions are as arbitrary and fanciful as
that of the dealer in hand-me-down, ready
made clothing who placards a suit with
former value, $15-present price, S."
The new tariff reduces the duty on silk
goods of all kinds 10 per cent. The old
rate was so per cent. ad valorem and the
new rate Is As per cent. Thus. while the
duty on foreign silk costing 81 a yard was
81 under the Mckinley law. it is 80 cents
under the new law. Yet Mr.. Wanamaker
tries to make the public believe that a re-
duction of 10 per cent. ad valorem in the
duty had caused a reduction of from 30 to
so per cent. in the price. He dares not
stultify himself by making this assertion
outside of an advertisement So with
shoes. The duty on boots and shoes
under the Mckinley law was % per
cent. ad valorem, while under the
new law it is - per cent. The reduc-
ton in the duty on a pair OF shoes costing
- would De ~ cents, yet the dnamdher
advertisement seeks to create the impress
sion that the new tariff has caused a re-
duction of from 80 TO so per cent. in the
price OF shoes. As a matter or fact. it has
not caused any reduction whatever in the
price of boots and shoes. and Will not.
Mr.. Wanamaker advertises a reduction of
from 80 10 50 per cent. IN wall papers;
the new law reduces the duty 20 per cenl.
He advertises an average reduction OF 50
per cent. in the price of carpets. yet ne
new duty en- carpets does not take effect
till Jan. /. 1895. and the average reelection
is only 10 per cent. ad valorem. If Mr.
Wanamaker were TO announce a reduction
of 30 per cent. on the price OF sweet corn,
watermelons or peanuts as a result OF the
new tariff it would not be more transpar-