Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-06-01
Mckinley AND THE IRON WEN.

MCKINLEY AND THE IRON MEN.
Many iron and steel manufacturers of
Eastern Pennsylvania. according to the
Philadelphia Record. are now making
enthusiastic though belated demonstra-
lions 90 favor OF the nomination of Nc
Kinlcy. As they are all for the gold
standard and as Mckinley has been on
all sides OF the currency question and is
now wabbler and strad-
/ der Of the worst sort,
IL can only be his extreme not to
say fanatical views on the subject of a
high tariff that attracts them to his
standard.
Yet when this subject is looked into
in its practical bearings there hardly
seems a pretext for greed itself to de-
mand an increase of protective duties
in the present iron and steel schedule.
The imports of iron and steel which
amount to little over s2O,OOO,OOO year,
consist for the most part of tin plate
"a diminishing quantity, some Swedish
billets of Steel little fine cutlery and
a quantity Of Cuban ore. Besides these,
there is a little machinery. few fire
arms and some ties for bailing cotton.
These importations we're nearly as
great under the Mckinley act as they
are now. In fact, the calamity organs
have frequently asserted that the iron
and steel schedules have been little dis
turbed by the Wilson tariff, and that
this accounts for their immunity from
foreign competition.
On the other hand as has been re-
peatedly shown in these columns, the
exports of iron and steel products of
nearly every description from the Unit
ed States are enormously increasing I'M
| der the auspices of the existing tariff
During the nine months ending March
81 1896, these exports, including loco
motives. railway carriages and agricul-
tUral implements, amounted in value to
So. 22O, 965, indicating an expectation,
at the present monthly rate of increase
of S40,00O,000 in value for the fiscal year
The two facts taken together-theI
stationary importatiOns of iron and steel
and the enormous increase of the ex-
ports of these cts-demonstrate
| cOnclusively that there is no reasonable
plea for an agitation of the tariff and a
disturbance of the industrial peace for
the sake of the iron and steel interests.
Mr.. Andrew Carnegie. one of the most
liberal and clear-sighted chieftains of
| industry in this or in any other country.
has earnestly counseled his fellow-man-
| ufacturers against warning upon the ex-
listing tariff. While he literally contrib
utes of his wealth to endow library or
some other public institution. he has no
money TO spend in a calamity bowling
and corrupting tariff campaign. He
/ has said that he would rather vote for
a Free Trader who should be in favor of
Sound Money than for Protectionist
who should favor Free Silver Coinage.
But there is here no question of Free
Trade. The only question is to let the
tariff alone, and cease from insensate
calamity bowling.
There are doubtless some iron and
steel manufacturers who wish that the
duties could be raised so high as to pro-
hibit the small volume of imports in
order that they might despoil American
consumers at leisure, and who imagine
that they would have in Mr.. MCKINLEY
an instrument for their purpose. But
while such policy would minister to
Short-sighted greed. the body of intelli-
gent manufacturers recognize that il
would be fraught with evil in the end.
Production would be confined to tbs
home market; and with the artificial
rise in prices under the manipulation
of monopoly the home demand. or ca
pacity for consumption. would decline.
The autlet for our surplus products of
iron and steAt ~oSld be osS>tt-ucted, and
new conflicts of labor and capital, end
ing in strikes and lockouts, would en-
sue.