Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-05-31
THE PRICE OF PROTECTION.
Trusts and Monopoissts Fatsened by the
Mckinley Tariff.

Trusts and Monopoiists Fsttened by the
Mckinley Tariff.
How much may be collected by the
protected tariff ring OF manufacturers,
and how much actually is collected,
are two different questions One trust
will collect all its protection. another
trust Will collect only one-haif. or per
haps only one-quarter. The amount
collected depends upon the number of
people in the trust, and how thor
oughly they hang together. Very
often q member, to make fortune at
once, will break all his agreements,
sell under the trust price and the trust
will be broken and have to reorganize-
For example, the sugar trust collects
the whole amount of its protection
The salt trust collected the whole
amount until it broke. Then it re-
formed. and now it is collecting about
60 per cent. The wooden men have
altogether about twenty private sell
ing agreements, or trusts In some OF
these trusts, they collect all their pro-
lection, and in others only 10 per cent
The collection of the protection is
matter of organization.
In all the United States there are
about $1,000 protected mill-owners,
who are organized into $50 to AGO
private trusts. The par value of their
protection before the Mckinley bill
went into effect was 81 ,320, 900, 600 year
". That was the amount that these
trusts were authorized by law to col
lect from the people in taxes annually
if they could. The amount that they
did collect from the people in the year
1890 was very carefully estimated The
inquiry took many months, and the
lowest possible figure that represented
their actual collection of taxes was
$3.50, 600, 600. The Mckinley bill raised
the par value of their protection, in
other words, the amount of taxes that
they were authorized to levy upon the
people and compel them to pay year
~, from 81 1920. 600, coo to 81, 600, 600, 600.
How much they collect, how much
they pocket and how much the people
pay is. as Mr.. Frick says, the business
of nobody but those who collect the
money.
In 1890 the people paid at the custom
house 1929, GOO, 600 in taxes that went
into the federal treasury at Washing
ton, and was returned to them in the
form of services rendered. That same
year they paid to $50 trusts $3.50, ZOO, DOC
taxes, not one cent of which was re-
turned to them in the form of any serv-
ice whatever. The tariff taxes paid by
the people for 1890 exceeded 5000, 00O,-
900, of which one-quarter was for the
public good, and three-quarters of
which was bald and naked robbery.
That the treasury got 1928, 10000 was
fortunate, for the Mckinley bill put
a stop to such a large proportion COM
ing into the treasury. While it in
creased the potential tax on the peo-
pie, it decreased the amount they paid
to the government, and increased the
amount they paid to the trusts.
For the benefit of four men alone,
for example, the Mckinley bill added
Sc to the previous duties on every gun
costing $12. Not cent of this duty
would go into the treasury, for this
made the duty on foreign guns 100 per
cent, and barred them out. A mai
who wanted a S12 shotgun had to buy
from one of the four American makers
and pay S1S-S6 more than it was
worth. Protection gave him more
work He had to work overtime to
earn this extra SO. But he was work
ing for the gun, and he had to pay
nine days wages for it under protec-
ton, against six days wages without.
The four gunmakers took from him
three days labor, or gave him three
days extra labor, as you like.
The object of the Mckinley bill was
to increase the tariff taxes levied upon
the people, but decrease the amount
they paid to the treasury, and Increase
the amount they paid to the trusts.
All this was done by the manner in
which the taxes were levied. 1t was
not done through the amount or the
percentage.
The Mckinley tariff was lower than
that which it succeeded. 1t might have
been the lowest of low tariffs; it might
not have turned any money into the
treasury, and yet it might have been
of even more benefit than it was to the
trusts, imposing harder burdens of
taxation upon the people.
Under the Mckinley bill the public
taxes paid into the treasury fell from
1929, 900. 900 in 1890, to SIT, 600. 900 in
1892, and for 1894 will probably go
lower yet. At the same time, the
amount of taxes paid to the trusts as
risen from $3.50, 900, 900 to $500, 0O0, 900,
as near as can be estima ted.-N. Y.
World