Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-06-27

quiring Republican wrote 10 President
/ Gates. of the Illinois Steel Company
and asked him about those rails that
we're sold jus. about the amount of the
American tariff cheaper abroad than
at home. Mr.. Gates replied that owing
TO "ssagna,ion in the iron business, -
caused by 1.-The action Of the President
in the Venezuelan message, some Of the
large manufactures in this country
were obliged to sell goods for export at
remarkably low prices in order to keep
their works in operation and their men
employed" He then remarks that I'VE
might see reasons at times why we
would be wiling to sell certain small
quantity Of our surplus goods at an ac-
tual loss rather than stop our works. "
After speaking of the practices Of Ger
man manufacturers, he concludes as
follows:
"The writer has always been Republic
can and a prOtectiOnist, and believes these
principles are correct and would be will
ing 10 justify any manufactures IN seIIlng
goods at the best possible price ne cOulu
obtain TO ke5p his works running, whenever
the decentralization was caused oy the &C
ton of the Democratic Congress in arrest
ing the wheels Of commerce and trying TO
block the march of trade"
MIR. Gates has also always
been" a promoter Of combinations
under the tariff. We recall mis- connec-
ton with the Barbed Wire Pool before
ne became an officer O. the Illinois
company. He does not say anywhere
in his letter that the exported rails
were sold at an actual loss" Inasmuch
as steel binsts had for, some time been
sold for about ST per ton, and we I'M
derstand that the cost of producing
rails in the best mills exceeds by not
more than 81 the cost of producing bill
let's, we shall not assume that the
rails fer Japan were sold at loss I'M
til we see proof of it. AS to other as
poets Of the transaction, the New York
Times asks Mr.. Gates a few very point
ed and interesting questions, as fol-
ldws:
IF you desired to sell your surplus
goods, Mr.. Gates, at a small profit, or
even at a loss, in order that your
works might be kept running, why
did you not offer the goods at those
remarkably low prices" to buyers
IN your own country? Why did you not
give the benefit of the reduction, tenn
porary or exceptional, though il may
have been. TO your fellow-cCuntry-
men? You and your combination have
for a long time compelled them to pay
s2S at Pennsylvania mills and $29 at
your factories. If you had rails which
YOU were willing to sell at s21.26, why
did ycu not permit Americans to buy
them at that price? Why did not the
Carnegie Company, which was allowed
by the combinations Board OF Con-
troll to sell 10000 tons of rails to Jap
an at S21.26. sell the same rails to
Americans at S21.26? Do you not know
that railroad companies in the United
States would have jumped at the
chance to buy at that price or even at
a price higher by 81 or SO? Why should
you give Japan this great discount
and withhold it from your American
customers? Do you not think the mills
would make and sell more rails If your
combination should cut its ring tax?
A letter answering these pertinent
questions might not give knock
out blow" to any argument against
protection" but it would be more to
the point than the one addressed by
MIR. Gates to Mr.. William H. HawoTth,
the essential parts Of which we have
set forth above, which is not a manu-
facturer's explanation, but kind Of
Republican campaign document"