The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1896-06-12
EVILS OF PROTECTION.
gov HIGH TARIFFS ROB AND 0P-
PRESS THE FARMERS.

Henm Hafmer=H0# protection tn-
cronses tho Cost OF Knivos-A One
Sided system.
David Lubin,a Republican farmer OF
Sacramento, Cal, who 70 engaged in
showing that q protective tariff does
not benefit the producers OF agrioul-
tural staples, but on tho contrary
greatly Injuries them, publishes tho
following clean and convincing state
ment Of tho manner ia which duties
on imports increase prices;
@. What would q California farmer
receive for his wheat OF hops If tho
quantity no had on hand was quoted
IN Liyerpoolas being worth $40, 75L10?
| A. He would receive about $40, 500
for it.
Q. II farmers in the West bought
pocket knives at retail, costing in Liv-
orpool ut Wholesale SO, 751.lO, how
much would they have TO pay for
them2
A. Fifty thousand dollars.
q. Is there not some mistake here?
A. No.
.. Whywould wheat and hops bring
go much less hero than ia Liverpool?
A. Because there IS deducted the
cost Of commission, interest, insurance
and transportation on the wheat and
hops from the place Of production to
Liverpool
q. Surprising they aronot exported,
but sold here, how much would these
products bring?
A. Not = penny more, for these pro-
ducts are sold at the worlds free trads
international prices.
Q. Have We not q protective tariff?
A. Yes.
| Q. Does it not protect?
A. Not agricultural staples. These
a tariff on imports cannot protect
directly nor indirectly.
@. Do not politicians ana others
say that it can?
A. Yes; but some do not know, and
others trample on the truth.
Q. Is that example which you gave
of the knives true?
A. Yes, absolutely true. Pocket
knives costing Sl3, 751.1 at Wholesale
in England retail for $4,000 in the
United States.
Q. What causes this enormous in
crease?
A. The protective tariff, as may be
seen from the following: 4167 dozen
pocket knives at SD. 30 per dozen, makes
| SIS, 75l.10, to which add duty of if
ty per cent. and 50 per dozen; then
add fifteen per cent. profit on the
total for the importer, twenty per
cent. for the jobber's profit and twon.
ty-hve per cent. for the retailers pro-
fit, and the total will be $4,000. If
this is too much trouble, you can fg-
ure up one dozen, as follows: Cost in
England, SO. 80; duty fifty per cent. and
81; fifty per cent, is S1.65, and,the so is
$3.50, and SO. 30 makes total cost to
importer $685., on which add impor.
ter's profit, fifteen per cent. ($1.05),
making cost price to jobber S.. Now
add twenty per cent. profit for jobber
(S1.60), iobber's selling price TO re.
taller Is then $500, to which add
twenty-five per cent, retailers profit
(S2. 4O), making the dozen knives So
or 81 each. As knives imported and
of domestic manufacture of the same
quality are sold AZ retail on a par
value, it follows that the domestic
price is artifcially enhanced to the
price of the foreign knife, with duties
and compounded profits ON duties by
middlemen added thereto.
@ Where is the basis of these fig
ures?
a The United States statistics, the
George Wostenholm Il. X. L.), Shelf
field (England) catalogue, and the
usual profits of the middlemen. In
summing up, wish to say that pro-
lection by tariff on imports swells
the price of the English knife from
twenty-seven and half cents 70 ST.
52a cents of which composes the
cost of duty with compound profits on
the duty. But twenty-seven and half
cents of agricultural staples may be
had by the protected manufacturer
for about twenty-five cents or less.
Q, Are you sure there Is no mistake
here?
A. Quite sure.
What benefit does the producer of
agricultural staples receive from this
one sided system2 Absolutely none;
on the contrary, his substance is do
youred by it to enrich ambitious man
ufaoturing corporations. Nor does
the mischief of this one sided and IN
just system end here; it is but the be-
ginning.
The shrinkage in the primary pur-
chasing power takes the life out of all
farming values, diminishes the de-
mand for labor, and cuts the rates of
wages right and left.
---@e-- 1890
An TmporfamA Court Decision