Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1894-01-04
Saint Maru's Beacon
Continued from 1st, page.)

take away all possibility aud dan
ger of foreign competition in almost
every part Of the country. Not less
rapid has been the growth of our
coal production.
THE Coal DUTY.
The coal area OF the United
States, as stated by Dir. Seward in
the Coal Trade for 1898, il estimat-
ed at 49,, 900 square miles, Of which
100000 can be comfortably worked
at present. This coal area is over
three times larger than that Of the
rest Of the world combined. The
existing duty Of rs cents q ton on
iron ore and on bituminous coal
cannot be justified either as pro-
tective or revenue duty.
The importations into this coun-
try are too small to add materially
to our revenue. while no one con-
tends that the cost of mining is
higher in the United States than in
the countries that might seek our
market. Ii could never have been
intended that constitution which
establishes perfect freedom OF in
ternal trade among the states shoald
countenance laws that hold one Sec
ton OF the Union, however remote,
tributary to other sections for the
supplies OF those necessary mater
ials whose location is ordained by
natural Jaw and not by human
choice.
This House in two Congresses in
recent years having, full debate,
passed laws putting wool upon the
free list, it is not deemed necessary
in this report to attempt restate-
ment OF the reasons for doing so.
1t is enough to say that the tariff
upon wool, while bringing no real
benefit to the American wool-grow-
err, least of all to the American farm
er, who, in any balancing of ac-
counts, must see that he yearly pays
out a good dollar for every doubt
full dime he may receive under its
operation, has disastrously hamper
ed our manufacturing industry and
made cruel and relentless war upon
the health, the comfort and the pro-
ductive energy Of the American peo-
pie.
Logs are already on the free list.
We have gone step farther and
put undressed lumber generally on
that list. This may serve to cheap
en- and improve the dwelling houses
OF some Of our people, but it is JUS
titled IL it shall accomplish nothing
more than to delay the rapid des-
truction of American forests. We
have also placed hemp and fax un-
hacked on the free list for the rea.
sons stated above, that we may give
to the American workingman un-
taxed material to work with, and
that we may give the finished pro-
duct, as far as possible, to the con-
sumner with but q single tax, and
that moderate one, instead of a
medley and emulation of taxes
during the process Of production.
In addition to these so-called raw
materials we have released from tar
i'll duties certain important articles
and manufactures which we have
shown our capacity to produce
cheaper than any other country.
such as high copper and the more
important agricultural implements.
Any article or manufacture
which can sustain the competition
of like foreign articles in other mar
kets can defy such competition in
the home market, and is not pro-
tected by the duty, bat by its own
intrinsic superior eheapness and
quality. The only effect of duty
on such articles is to enable those
who make them to charge higher
prices to the citizens of their own
country than they charge to foreign
ers, and this has been notoriously
the case with both copper and many
agricultural implements. In ad-
justing duties upon what may be
called the finished products we have
tried to impose such rates az will
not destroy or destress any Of our
home industries on the one hand
nor on the other to secure to them
an oppressive monopoly of the home
market. For this rule we have the
recognized authority both of we'll
known and leading tariff reformers.
and-of those who in days past were
considered moderate protectionists.