The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1894-07-14
PROTECTION EXPENSES.

PROTECTION EXPENSES.
Trusts and H1onopoltsts Fattened 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
trust will collect only one-half, 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 q 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 $4,000 protected mill-owners,
who are organized into 40 to 400
private trusts. The par value of their
protection before the Mckinley bill
went into effect was 81. 500, DOC, 900 year.
ly. That was the amount that these
trusts were authorized by law to col
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 wns
$3.50, DOC, 900. Tho 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 81 800. 600, 900 to 81 ,6GO, 900. 900.
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 1920, 900. 900 In taxes that went
in to 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 1000, oo0
taxes, not one cent of which was re-
turned to them In the form of any scrv-
| ice whatever. The tariff taxes paid by
| the people for 1890 exceeded 5000, O0O,-
900, OF which one-Quarter was for the
| public good, and three-quarters OF
| which was bald and naked robbery.
That the treasury got 1925, ZOO, OoO was
| fortunate, for the Mckinley bill pu,
a stop to srcl, a large proportion com
! ing into the treasury. While it in
| creased the potential tax on the pco
pie. it decreased the amount they paio
| to the government, and increased the
amount they paid to the trusts.
! For the benefit of four men alone
| for example, the Mckinley bill addct
| SO to the previous duties on every CUR
| costing S1a. Not 4 cent of this duty
| would go into the treasury, for thi:
made the duty on foreign gums 100 pc,
cent, and barred them out. A mar
who wanted a s13 shotgun had to bu,
! from one of the four American makers
and pay $3.50 more than it wa
worth. Protection gave him more
work. He had to work overtime t.
| earn this extra IS. But he was work
ing for the gun, and he had to pa,
| nine days wages for it under protec
ton, against six days wages without
three days labor, or gave him thre'
days extra Ia Dor, as you like.
Tho object of the Mckinley bill wa
to increase the tariff taxes levied upo,
the people, but decrease the amour
they paid to tho treasury. and increas
All this was done by the manner f.
which the taxes were levied. 1t wa
not done through the amount or tn
percentage.
The Mckinley tariff was lower tina
that which it succeeded. 1t might hnv
been the lowest of low tariffs; it nigh
not have turned any money into tn
treasury, and yet it might have bee
of even more benefit than it 1vas to tn
trusts, imposing harder burdens {
taxation upon the people.
Under the Mckinley bill the publ
taxes paid into the treasury fell fro,
1929, ooo,o 900 in 1890. to S177.ooo,ooo 1
1899. and for 1894 will probably g
lover yet. At the same time, tn
amount of taxes paid to the trusts hs
) risen from $3.50, 200, 900 to $500, 600, 90
, as near as can be estimated.-N. !
World.
The Ex-Czar Grows Calm.
Another pull of the protectionis
| all together and Tom Reeds alarm
the "omnivorous west will be calme,
!, | Tho trusts will be able to commar
l L \ !. - T.