St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-04-03
A Tariff Outrage.

charges distinctly that the mating
duty in the Dingley bill is inserted
in the interest of the carpet manu-
facturers, and il intended to pro-
hibit and prevent those people from
using mating who prefer it. 1t
says:
"And what for, if there is no
straw mating industry in this
country to he developed: The rea-
son il plain. The ingram carpet
manufacturers demand the change in
their interests. They want people
to be compelled to buy their goods
instead. The market for ingram
carpets has been reduced somewhat
by the preference for n,attings.
This must be stopped, and 20 Mr..
Dingley proposes to stop it by
doubling the price of straw mat
tings. Meantime, also, the prices
Of ingram carpets are to be advanced
must be, because of the demands
of the wool growers for a high
duty on carpet woods not produced
in this country, and if people who
prefer straw mattings are taken by
the throat and compelled to prefer
ingram carpets, the ingram manu-
facturers can the more easily over
come the disadvantage Of high
wool duties. There is method in
all tariff madness, and here is the
method of this particularly mad and
uncomfortable proceeding. It il
a case of taxing a popular prefer
ense into submission to the wishes
of a single selfish interest. 1t il
like taxing wheat to compel people
TO eat corn, or meat to compel them
to eat fish, or wool clothing tC
compel them to wear cotton, OF
wooden houses to compel them t.
build brick and SO profit the brick
makers. 1t is an unmitigated out
rage, and will aud ought to cos'
the Republican party thousands Of
votes"
ssT'he mattings, whose importa'
ton is practically prohibited by
this section of the tariff bill, are
it says, ssknown in every house
hold and are coming into larger
and larger use. They are mo-
made in this country, and never
will be made here until invention
has SO far improved and expedited
the process of manufacture IS tc
make it worth attention of Ameri
can laber. Even the Mckinley &C
of 1890 put these mattings on thu
free list, and there they have beer
since; and prior to the McKiifie!
act never more than a small az
valorem duty was put upon them. ,
1t is specially DESTROYS Of know
ing why the Dingley bill is at
tempting to prevent the peopl'
from using this mating, for tn
duty is practically prohibitive
The bulk of the mattings sold il
our market to-day cost at whole
sale at the port of shipment Il
cents or less per yard. A duty Q
8 cents per ward would conse
quently amount to nearly or quit
100 per cent, and more than tina
on the cheapest grades. On mat
tings costing IL cents the duty o
8 cents and 25 per cent amounts t
over 81 per cent; on l2-cent mat
tings to over 80 per cent, etc. i
short, it is proposed practical,
to double the cost of straw mat
tings to the people.
| Why is this, asks the Republican
The duty is not . protective one
since there are no matting'factorie
to be protected; and is not . reve
nue. duty, since it will not produc
revenue, as it will stop the impo'
tation of mattings. these mating
have come to be preferred, the RI
publican notes, by very man
housekeepers to ingram carpetings
They make a cleaner and far LEI
troublesome floor covering. !
good, closely-knit straw mattin
can be left on the floor often unit
it is worn out, without serious nee
Of removal at housekeeping time
| It does not catch and absorb tn
dirt rs does . carpet, and can }
swept without raising clouds Z
dust, which the friction Offer ed b
the wool carpet makes next to i'm
possible. Consequently, on fooI
which need full covering, a stra
mating on which rugs can !
spread about offers q most satil
factory furnishing in many respects
and particularly for people VIII
live in rented houses and n
obliged to move sometimes. Ca
pets fitted to one set or rooms ca
be transferred to another only wit
expense and frequently total loss
while the rugs are good for an
honse, and cheaper mating, Q
moving, can he replaced with ne
at small cost comparativel,