The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-01-04
ELI PERKINS on PROTECTIVE DU-

Tho gentleman VINO writes for the pa
pers over the name Of ELI Perkins had
an interview concerning the tariff "a Few
DAYS back with the reporter for a Chr
cago paper. and Senator Mitchell. OF
oregon. thought highly enough Of 1t TO
read il as part Of a tariff speech made by
him in the Senate on Tuesday last, so
that 1t appears in the Congressional Re
cord. Mr. Perkins. amongst other things,
said:
"Over 1000 600 bales Of cotton at $50
bale are worth SS-0OOO0O, our meat and
grain ia worth 500 900 900. What do we
do with the $4,000 900? Why. we send ii
back TO Europe for Kid gloves. wool,
champagne. silks. laces, pottery, tin, and
glass. when we can. and used to, make
them at home
THAT has an attractive sound. 1--WE
used 10 make them at home" and. Of
course. we kept az home the money we
now send to Europe to pay for them
with. That was before the Wilson bill
was passed. Mr.. Perkins says.
Wei. now. let's look into the thing and
see 81 we are not better Off for sending
thet money abroad and not keeping IT at
home.
When "wo used 10 make them at home"
duties on imports were so high that for
cigners could not send those articles here.
and so we paid the home people who
made them q great deal more for them
than we now pay for them. Now. it Is
easy to see that the fellows who made
those articles are very much disgrunued
at the other fellows who use them send
ing abroad for them. But how do the
fellows who use them feel about the mat
terl They want TO get as much silk
laces, champagne. Kid gloves. &c, for
their money as they can. They think il
much more important 10 get two pairs OF
kid gloves for a dollar, even If the dol
lar does 90 abroad. than TO get only one
pair for dollar and keep the dollar at
home. When they part with the dollar
il does not make much difference 10 them
whether it goes into the pocket Of a
Rhode Island manufacturer or into that
Of Paris manufacturer. In either case
it is gone to ,hsm
But Perkins will say that II the dollar
stays hire ;hey will have d show to get
10 back. whereas If II goes to Paris IL is
gone forever We deny it, if you viii
only allow us TO have free trade with
Paris. When the fellow who bought the
gloves p,rted with his dollar he parted
with all chance to get it back unless he
had something TO swap for IT. If he has
something 10 swap for it he stands just
as good a show to get it back from the
Paris man. with free trade. as he does
from the Rhode Island man. He stands
a much better show. indeed for with
the protective duties in force. he can
swap with home manufacturers only, and
their demands for everything he creates
are soon supplied. after which he must
go on paying their high prices for what
he buys, with no place 10 sell what he
creates But with free trade the Paris
man is always willing TO swap his gloves.
silks. &c, for our wheat, meat, cotton.
&c, and we can always have place
where he can sell those things. our
chance for getting back dollar we once
part with is therefore far better when we
send it to Paris, if we only have no i'm
port duties than when we send il ia the
Rhode Island man under a system of
| duties that shuts Us out from traffic with
Paris
Mr. Perkins mas stated a case that will
command the sympathy and applause Of
many manufacturers, but the great body
of the people. who are merely consumers
| of manufactures. and who want those
manufactures as cheap as possible, find
very little in his sermon that appeals to
them. The great body of the people want
everything they buy to be as cheap as
| possible. and free trade secures that for
| them. while protective duties make what
they buy nigh. In this connection we
see the following in yesterdays Washing
ton Post, which will illustrate the case:
81 keep a store in a small village near
| Ithaca, y. y" said Mr. \. c. Peterson
/ al the Metropolitan. and do a business
/ Of about $4,000 year My trip 10 Wash
4 ineton IS TO Try TO find cut what ConRrt-ss
/ Is going TO do about the tariff bill. and
/ especially the wool clause. II the bill is
/ going TO become a law all retail ner-
/ chants would like 10 know IL as soon as
! possible. for they would hurry TO New
York and Philadelphia and lay i'm heavy
| stocks of wooden goods TAR In excess Of
| ordinary reeds. That is what l would
do Tomorrow if 1 knew for a certainty
that the oil would pass both houses and
| not he vetoed.
II hope il viii not pass. 4 year ago
| last September my customers paid 81 q
| yard for woolens that they now get for
| seVenty-iiVe cents. A woman who then
| paid S. for a dress has now 10 pay but
! So. and this saving of s. is a big thing
| when the vast army OF buyers is con
sidered. IL the new law goes into effect
! mp 20 prices again. and that 81 viii be
| taken from the pockets of every pur-
| chaser The people in my part of the
| country are hoping there will be no
change and If the interests of a majority
of all our people are considered, Con-
! grcss will let the wool schedule alone"
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