The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1895-07-13
pRusrERitY uNDER THE NEW
TARIHF

TARIFF
One year ago the owners or man
ayers OF some of the largest industrial |
plants which are now exhibiting great
activity and enjoying a considerable
share Of the profits of the remarkable |
revival asserted that there could be no
such revival SO long as the new tariff.
then soon TO be enacted, should re
main in force They could see moth
ing in the future but stagnation and
possibly ruin. until this tariff should
be revised They were Of the same
opinion after the bill had become a
statute, and some Of them reduced the
wages OF their employees after the new
tariff had become operative. These
same manufacturers have recently in
creased the wages Of their employees,
and the factories OF some Of them are
running night and day to fill orders
which will tax the full capacity Of
their works for months to come. The
New York Times says:
We remember that the chief officers
Of the Illinois Steel company "a con
cern second only 10 the Carnegie
works. were giving TO the public the
most gloomy and pessimistic predic
tious as TO the inevitable effect OF the
new tariff upon their interests so long
as it should be law. But now the
new tariff being only ten months old
and having at least two years OF life
remaining-the wages of that com
pany's 2, 600 workmen have recently
been increased and its great mills, in
several cities, are full of work. Ger
! tain well-lSnown manufacturers of
spool cotton thread in New Jersey gave
TO the publie one year ago statement
that the proposed reduction of the
duty from cents TO l-2 cents per
dozen spools would exert most de
pressing influence upon their business.
/ The minds of employees were prepared
for reduction Of wages, and it was
even suggested that it might be neces-
sary TO take the business back to Eng
land and Scotland One of our con.
temporaries has recently made an in
quiry as TO the condition Of this thread
industry, and it reports that since the
beginning of the present year the mills
have been working to their full ca
pacity.
There was no reduction of wages dur
ing the depression, although the
wording force was cut down for a
time, and 1t is stated that business is
moro lively now than it was in 1898.
! Every body was told last summer that
the copper mining industry would be
ruined by the removal of the duty on
copper, but the mines continued TO pay
their l.. &c dividends and wages were
recently increased in the largest OF
them, and the prices OF copper stocks
, have been rising for some time on tn,
exchange in Boston. The owners OF
iron ore mines in the Lake Superior
district, and many Republican journals
asserted that this mining industry
would bt ruined by the reduction o
the duty on ore from 75 cents to AZ
cents per ton. But there mas been
, noticeable revival OF activity in that
mining district ,?ages have been in
crcas 'd. The latest reports say thar
Ia ore shipm ,nts during May anC
June have broken all records and tina
The ore outpu ior 1896 ''will unques
uonably bo the largest yet made"
Many other examples might be cited
rhe new tariir, rs we said, is only tel
months old, aud it is admitted by Re
y publicans that II must stand for II
least two years more What has be
come OF its depressing influence? Tn
duties in it have not been changed
= they are exactly the same IA
they were when the bill wa
, passed. We do not mean TO say tina
the manufacturers to whom we hav
I, referred deliberately misrepresente,
the facts aud sought To deceive tn
public. We prefer to think that they
p. had been W sled by Repu olican poll
4, ticians-such men as Senator Burrows
Y for eNample-and by Republican news
h papers The same politicians and Ia
.r same journals are now urging them {,
be misled again and to begin an agita
ton for another revision OF the tarii
Is in the direction OF higher duties.