The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-02-01
ANTI-TARIFF PROTEST.

! So seldom is an anti-tariff protest
from a protected industry heard that
one addressed to the ways and means
committee by the Midvale Steel COM
pany of Philadelphia may be said to
be unique. 1t states the whole case of
the tariff so far as it affects the cost
of things, so effectively and logically,
that we reproduce it entire, believing it
to be one of the strongest Arguments
against tariff tinkering that it is pos
sible to adduce. This protest is dated
Philadelphia, January 8, 1897, and is as
follows:
The Midvale Steel company respect
fully appears before your committee
to request that no change be made in
the present schedules of the tariff re-
lating to the manufacture of metals
and 10 materials, either raw or in a
partly made state, which are used in
the manufacture of metals.
Promising that the object which the
committee had in view is twofold:
First, the obtaining of sufficient reve-
hue to meet the requirements of a gov
eminent wisely and economically adj
ministered; secondly, the alienation
of the burden of the cost of living bear
ing most heavily on those of our fell
low-citiZens who are least able to bear
the load, because of their not being
sufficiently provided with means of
subsistence, and who have to earn
their daily wage by the labor of their
hands:
The Midvale Steel company would
represent to the honorable members of
the committee that any increase in
the rate of duty on articles imported
into this country must necessarily di-
minish its revenue, because it would
shut off or diminish to a certain ex-
tent the importation of such articles.
And, on the other hand, increasing the
cost of the article to the consumer 10
the extent of the increase of the tariff
would diminish the market for such
articles and at the same time increase
the cost of living. The very objects,
therefore, that the committee seeks to
attain would be defeated by any
change of the tariff in the direction
of any increase of rates, but would be
promptly and efficaciously reached by
the diminution of the present existing
duties.
While this additional tax might to a
small extent increase the business of
the manufacturer, any profit coming
to him in this indirect manner must
necessarily inure to his sole benefit,
because the question of wages is one
of supply and demand, and cannot In
any way be affected by tariff legisla-
ton, and no manufacturer would per-
nit any false sentiment to influence
him to pay the laborer one dollar more
for wages than the market supply OF
labor would warrant.
1t is well known to the honorable
members of the committee that the
price at which nearly every article
manufactured in this country is sold
is not based on it's cost as much as il
it fixed by agreement or understand
ings between manufacturers, who reg
ulate the amount of product and the
output to the factories, points of de-
liveries, and the prices and terms at
which the manufactured article is sold.
The Midvale Steel company is engaged
in the manufacture of steel solely, and
as an instance of the effect of the tariff
on its business, it would mention that
the price of tires Zone of it's products)
has not been affected in the slightest
manner by the difference between the
existing tariff (the Wilson bilD and the
tariff formerly enforced Commonly
known as the Mckinley bilL) Whereas
the schedule under the former tariff
law was 21s cents per pound and the
base price, of tires was cents per
pound, today the base price Of tires is
still cents per pound and the schedule
is IA cents per pound.
Nor has the Wilson bill affected the
number of tires manufactured in this
country to any appreciate extent. The
Midvale Steel Company is the largest
maker of this product in the United
States, and one of the largest in the
world, and it's business has steadily
increased from year to year
Another branch of manufacture in
which the Midvale Steel company is
Engaged is steel castings. That the