The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1897-05-29

Appeal from West Virginia Against
Canadian Competftfon-Amerf
Forests should supply Ameri-
can Markets.

The movement now being made Ia con-
gress fayoring a reinstatement Of lum-
Der upon the dutiable list first took def
mite shape in and had its first active sup.
port from the Southern Lumber Manu-
facturerB' association, composed of
southern men, at meeting held in the
southern city Of Memphis, a very large
majority of whom are and ever have
been strong and consistent advocates
OF "tariff for revenue" so distributed
as 70 nearly as possible equalize the
burdens and the benefits in such man
ner that unjust discrimination should
be made neither for nor against any
class OF American interests.
Looking at the Wilson bill they saw
iron with an average tariff of As per
cent. while lumber was free; saw aver
age duties and incidental protection 10
the extent of As per cent. upon all COM
modities imported, while our product,
lumber. the leading product of our coun-
try and one of greatest Importance to
the south, was free. Was that consist
emit?
Going back to the Mckinley bill they
found that the spruce of Maine and New
York was protected to the extent of two
dollars per 1000, while white wood (pop
lar). pine and hemlock, the lumber
products of the south. were placed at
one dollar-New England and the north
two dollars. the south one dollar. Is
there any good and sufficient reason in
these facts why lumbermen, southern
lumbermen, should consider the Me-
Kinley bill perfection or hesitate to
point out its Inconsistencies? Average
duties under the Mckinley bill were GA
per cent. On New England spruce they
were less than 20 per cent, and upon
southern lumber products less than ten
per cent. AS between iron getting 60
per cent. and New England lumber only
20 per cent, was the latter unreasonable
or exorbitant? AS between 20 per cent.
for New England and ten per cent. for
the south, was there Justice?
A gentleman of the name of Hill, OF
Saginaw, Mich, operating in CANDIDA, in
his anxiety TO get his foreign product
into free competition with that of our
American grown and American manu-
featured lumber, files memorial with
the finance committee Of the United
States senate, in which he states that
the south is always wrong in it's atti-
tude on the tariff. In reply to a state
mont of the writer that the south de-
manded the righting of some of the
wrongs in existing lumber tariff legis-
lation and that her representatives In
congress and her senator's would see
that it was done, he was informed by a
well-known political leader of Michi-
gan, that "our northern friends inter
ested In Canada ridicule the idea that
we shall witness any such phenomenon
as this promises"
II Is phenomenon" when southern
interests demand what has been ac-
corded New England without asking or
when southern representatives advo-
cate, for their section, a correction of
what is clearly unjust discrimination?
Are the burdens OF taxation or the
benefits incidental TO tariff for revenue
equitably distributed under the exist
roads get 81 per cent; bar iron for our
blacksmith shop, "a per cent; boiler
iron, 80 per cent; saw plates, Al per
cent; saws, 30 per cent; files, go per
cent; hay for our stables, 20 per cent,
and 80 on through the entire list of
everything that enters into the cost OF
our product, while lumber, our only out
put, stands alone among the great ma
tional interests OF this broad land, free.
With new tariff bill, approximating
that of McKinley's, with an average
duty OF, say, 60 per cent, sit reasonable
for lumber TO be placed at less than ten
per cent. at the demand Of Canadian
interests advocated by a few Ameri-
cans? VIII your congressman support
such n scheme?
While not numerous these Canadian
interests are powerful, not only through
the vast wealth of their advocates. but
also through their high position in polit-
ical circles within the dominant party
and the counsels of the nation; but need
this necessarily sway your representa-
tives in congress from advocating the
just equalization OF any new tariff in
such way that our products may get
some measure OF the benefits. when the
most we ask is so far below even that
incidental TO revenue only?
A. III. WINCHESTER.
Buckhannon, Upshur County, w. Va.
10th Interests Alike.
You may close the shops by adverse tar
IFS because you imagine the manufacturer