The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-10-31


old rate, with certainty that much OF
this reduction will last and force US here
after to give up some comforts, pleasures
and hearty living we have hitherto had.
In doing this you have, also, reduced our
power, through our necessities, to help
$4,000, 600 OF the farming class who sell US
food and other necessaries, together with
$4,000, 900 other citizens who are depen-
dent on general business and prosperity
Tor success, and the ability of these AZ
100000 people TO aid us through their
wants in our struggle for existence.
What For?
In face OF this enormous cost, / ask:
What is 1t all for? What is each one OF US
to gain by it? Surely the prize ought to
be great and Its receipt very sure to war
rant such great payment before 1t was
fully made, much less ready TO be de-
livered. To these questions you reply,
that you will make the necessaries OF life
materially cheaper; and that you have put
your intentions in that respect into the
Cleveland, Wilson, Voorhees,, Senate
Committee, Jones-Vest, Brice- German
Compromise, Sugar Trust or Democratic
Tangle-legged bill, which you have forced
through Congress and allowed to become
law. To this law then we must look
for what you give US in return for all We
have paid and suffered.
This bill have examined with great
deal of care. My rough experience and
your large promises have led me to figure
out the exact amount in dollars and cents
which have reasonable chance OF saw
ing through it, as well as its effect in
other ways. In doing this / have calcu-
lated the utmost saving by it as passed
and the proposals made TO that end dur
ing its formation and progress which are
likely to become law. confess, however,
that the result is great disappointment,
and can best be summed up by saying that
the document might well be named the
Jackass bill-it gave such beautiful bray
ahead and kicks like - behind.
The Saving I'm Co st of Living.
You have made up the bill on the basis
of the old chcstnut-"The tariff is tax"
and the tangle- legged claim that every
thing we buy will be lowered in cost by
the amount taken off from tho tariff on it
II 1t should be brought from out ofths-
country. Though this theory is proving
mud for food and ditchwater for drink TO
large portion of the working class, let
US for the moment suppose 1t to be true
and see what saving in my cost of living
(as l used to live when / had
steady work) can be expected to
come to me through 1t. Except
ing tea, coffee, sugar and molasses, which
were already free and could not be cheap
ened in that way, -four, meat, butter,
cheese, milk and vegetables make up the
food use.. Ry the bill you have reduced
the tariff on flonr 8 per cent. (about Is
cents barely, on meat, butter and cheese,
2 cents pound ION milk, ~ cents quart;
on potatoes. Is, and onions, 20 cents .
bushel, and on other vegetables 10 per cent.
of the cost mot 10 per cent.on the price we
pay at the store, bat on the cost at the
Custom House, before the duty, the freights
in the country and the wholesalers and re-
tailer's profits are added-not above 10per
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 the West,
and butter and cheese, from all parts, are
now exported (often by the shipload) to
England, where at higher prices than
we pay here, they largely drive out
the same articles sent from Canada
or produced in that country. Milk
cannot be carried mora than a few
miles or hours without spelling, so
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 near by
farmers, and cost me about 35 cents
week, or $3.50 year. As Gil these
articles, however, are as low, or lower,
IA
labor is one half and there are no duties
at all; and as they were higher hsre under
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 effect on their cost,
and your bill will give me no real
saving from them. The tariff on salt you
have reduced about three cents year on
the quantity used by my family; but use
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 already free of duty, and can only be
obtained from Pennsylvania, no saving
can be made from it. My oil for light also
comes from this country, which supplies a
large part of the world; but even IL il can
be brought from Russia-the only other
country which can furnish 1t in qusnti-
ties-inside of the cent-a- gallon reduce
ton you have made, all the saving will go
into the hands of the dealers, so may as
we'll strike that out OF the list. NV to-
bacco is all raised in this country and
will not be cheapened. My whiskey,
IL I used 1t, would cost me 20
cents more gallon-which means
perhaps more water or poison i'm
my drinks; certainly no saving and prob
ably moro cost. My rent Is governed
wholly by location, the kind and finish of
the building, 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 remain largely vacant, just to
give me cheaper rent, even II few dollars
saved by the lower tariff OF 81
thousand through free lumber and
reduction on other materials will enable
hin, to do so. NV clot hing has hither-