The Monmouth inquirer., 1897-07-01
u. S. Senator Smith on Hides.
HE WANTS THEM ADMITTED FREE OF
nI-T1-

HE WANTS THEM ADMITTED FREE OF
DUTY.
u. S. Senator James Smith, Jr., of
Newark, who has had long experience
in the importation Of hides, made a
speech in the e. S. Senate on Tues
day when the Tariff bill came up,ask-
ing that they be put on the free list. :.
Mr.. Smith was seized with sudden
faintness while speaking and was
obliged to interrupt his speech by a
short rest and he soon recovered.
We give extracts from Mr.. Smiths s
speech, although we cannot agree
with him in his conclusions.
The placing OF duty on hides can
not be considered as a protection to
any industry of the United States
against foreign competition, and can
only be of material benefit to the beef
trusts, who today control almost alb
solutely the price of hides used by
American manufacturers OF leather
and the commodities made therefrom,
and viii remove the only check,
slight as it may be, that prevents
them from advancing at will the
price of hides. the result of which
would be to cut off the placing of the
surplus leather and its products in
the markets of the world How inn
portant the export trade in the pro-
ducts of hides is can best be deterInin-
ed bv study OF the value of exports
in leather and its products and the
relationship of such exports TO the
unit OF business done by leather pro-
ducers.
Hides were placed on the free list
in June, 1872, and have remained un-
distributed throughout every sub
sequent revision Of the tariff The
total amount Of leather and its pro-
ducts exported during the year 1872,
the last year in which a duty was
imposed, was 50. GAS, ,029, while in 1896
the exports amounted to $50, 243, ,756.
The laws of supply and demand have
regulated the price current of hides
during all those years, the American
producer being able at all times to
purchase domestic and other hides as
his foreign competitors, and conse-
quently has been in a position not
only to hold the home market
against all corners, but to meet com
petition at least to the extent of plac-
ing his surplus in the home markets
of his foreign competitors.
In this connection, it is a notice
able fact that the average importa-
tion of hides into the United States
during any five years has steadily de-
creased since they were placed upon
the free list.
1t is contended that the value of
hides enters into the price of the
meat product. The best authorities
are against such contention, and
doubt if anywhere in this or any 9TH
er country you can find a farmer or
stock raiser who raises cattle for the
hides. The beef is and ever has been
the only consideration, and the sup
ply must be regulated TO the demands
for beef. A tariff can not increase or
diminish the domestic product by
one hide The value of the various
products of cattle, such as fat, hides,
blood, bone, etc. is not considered
until long after the beeves are
marketed.
Before leaving this contention |
will frankly admit that there may
have been time in the United States
when q tariff such as is proposed
might be found to be of material
benefit to the farmer and butcher of
our country, But, sir, that time has
long since passed. The farmer and
the butcher of this country are not to-
day independent sellers of their pro-
ducts, and enabled as such to take
into consideration every part of the
cattle in making up of its value. They
have long since given up their every
right in this respect to the aggregated
capital of the great companies of this
country interested in cattle, who are,
beyond question, like all other trusts,
the legal offspring and fostered
child rem of excessive protection.
Before they came into active life
the ranchman, the farmer, and the
butcher of this country were ranked
among the best and most indepen-
dent of our citizens, but since this
overprotected power came into being
the lands of the farmer and ranch
man, together with the stocks upon
them, both vegetable and animal,
have become encountered, in fact, are
bartered away to the controlling
capitalists before any are in market
able condition. The interested com
panies buy the cattle at their own
price, and no legislation that you
can enact in this bill will alter that
condition; and certainly the enact
ment of this bill will not tend to that
end. With this immense power, then,
controlling 90 per cent of the cattle
and hides of the country, is it reason
able to suppose that because YOU inn
pose upon foreign hides a tax of 20
per cent that the controllers of the
interested trusts will give the benefit
of any of that 20 per cent to those
from whom they are buying cattle on
the hoof under the conditions that
now prevail?
On the other hand, is it not more
reasonable to conclude that the
farmer or the roadside butcher will re-
ceiye no material benefit, but on the
other hand that the manufacturer
and the producer of leather and its
products will have to pay above the
current price up to the percentage
Of the discrimination you are plac-
ing against the foreign products To
my mind, sir, there is and can be but
one conclusion deducted from the
proposed duty on hides. and that is
that all is said regarding such i'm