Middletown transcript., 1897-09-04
.sNOT A WORD.1

1892 when by the cry Of a tax upon the
.slittle dinner pail'' of the laboring
man for the benefit of the s.robbel
manufacturers votes were sought and
caught. Leading public men like Am
bassador Bayard and Senator Gray
Joined in the robber tariff cry, declar-
ing that the tax on tin plate would
never enable it to be made In the
United States. The 'Every Evening"
which sneezes when Mr.. Bayard takes
snuff used the plea, false as Republi.
cans then charged and as six years have
abnndantly proven, to prejudice voters,
or giving it the benefit of its assertions
it mislead the people. We asked last
week what it would have to say as to
the facts, predicting it would be-
ssNot word" and we were no false
prophet. But it should have something
to say. Silence is not creditable to it
under the circumstances. Again we
ask, Mr.. "Every Evening"" what do
you think of the American tinplate Of
to-dayP
Last week we mentioned the asser-
tion that tin was cheaper in this
country to-day than before the passage
of the Mckinley tariff which enabled
the manufacturers of this country to
produce 1t. We had the faith but not
the facts; fortunately the estate Senti-
nel'' last week took up the same mat
ter, going more into detail, and we
submit its article as proof of the wis
dom of the protection principles Of the
Republican Party and of the errors of
Free Trade Democracy:
TIN-PRoTEcr1oN.
There is no article used in the mechanic
cal arts, no article of commerce. nothing
that enters into the daily business of the
American people, that furnishes a better
illustration of the benefcient operations
and results, or better illustrates the princi-
Piles Of protection than this one arti-
Gle, tin. Prior to 1860 numerous attempts
were made by men of enterprise and means
to organize and establish tin-plate plants in
the United States
ut was well-known that the industry,
properly managed, yielded profitable reve-
nues. And with this knowledge lit was fire.
quently undertaken. but each attempt
ended in failure, for as soon as the tin
manufacturers on the other side of the At
lantic saw that our American industries
were making progress and fair show of
dividing their trade, down would go the
price of tin to so low figure as to drive
our home manufacturers to the wall; and
this was repeatedly done; done every time.
until the passage of the Mckinley tariff
bill which placed such duty on foreign
tin as to enable our home manufacturers
to compete with the low priced labor of the
Welsh factories. The tariff on foreign tin
was fixed in 1890. Now let US see the re-
suits.
In 1892 our production of American tin
was about thirteen million pounds. In
1898 it had Increased to nearly one hun
dred millions Of pounds. In 1894 the out
put Of our own mills rose to one hundred
and thirty-nine million pounds. And for
the fiscal year ending June 80, 1895, it
reached nearly one hundred and ninety
-four million pounds. There are to-day in
the United States, as result of protection,
172 mills and 16 more building. The ca
pacity of production of this 172 mills is s.
100000 boxes, and the consumption of
the United States is about 100000
boxes, per annum. So it will readily be
seen that our production will very shortly
equal our consumption. And all this has
been accomplished in the face of most
virulent opposition from the entire DEM
ocratic press of the country and of every
Democratic politician in and out of Con-
gress. Leading Democratic papers in Della
ware and everywhere else, declared in pos
tive terms, that tin could not be made in
the United States, and when it was an as
sured feet and American tin plates were
exhibited as evidence of the manufacture,
these same Democratic papers and Demo
cratic statesmen asserted with just as much
positiveness that it was Republican lie.
and there was no tin made in this country.
'tBut the protective duty on tin was q
Republican measure based on Republican
principles and was bound to win and did
win. The great hue and cry of the Demo-
cratic party that the tariff placed tax on
the poor mans dinner bucket has lost its
force The tin bucket of the poor man to-
day costs no more than did the same
bucket before the passage of the Mckinley
tariff. And the triumphant tin industry of
the United States stands to-day as the i'm
perishable monument of Republican pro-
lection. Only within a very short time
two prominent English gentlemen were in
New York, Mr.. Hammond and Sir John
Jenkins. The gentlemen admitted with q
touch Of sadness that in six years the
United States had captured from Wales the
entire trade in tin-plates. Mr.. Hammond
said that until the year 1891, the American
market had been entirely supplied by the
Welsh tin makers, but the passage of the
Mckinley bill had resulted in the success
full establishment Of the tin-plate industry
In this country"