Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-07-22
country

country.
No man in the country has better
opportunity to judge of the conditions
Of business than Secretary Gage of the
Treasury. This fact lends especial in
terest to statement recently made by
Mr.. Gage, in which he announced that
his information from all parts of the
country, obtained from callers, CORE
spondence, and the press, ALL points in
one direction, an actual improvement
in trade and manufactures.
The stock spectators of the great
cities will now have an opportunity to
contribute directly to the support of the
government to the tune of about twelve
or thirteen million dollars per annum.
The republicans placed in the tariff bill
an amendment proposing to place tax
of cents share on all purchases of
stock of a par value of 500 or less, and
of stamp tax when issued, except on
building associations and other organic
atoms of that character.
With years supply of foreign wool
and several months supply of other
foreign goods in the warehouses, it is
not expected that the new tariff law will
meet the running expenses of the
government in the first few months of
its existence. Chairman Dinglev and
other members Of Congress, however,
express the belief that the bill will
readily produce sufficient revenue to
meet the current expenses after the
been absorbed.
The average farmer who recognizes
the great possibilities of beet-sugar pro-
duction in this country, which sends a
hundred millions Il year abroad for sug
ar, will not relish the action of the
democratic party in the senate..with ref
erence to the proposed bounty Of a
quarter of cent pound on beet sugar.
The republican senators offered an
amendment to the tariff bill proposing
to pay a quarter of cent a pound
bounty on American beet sugar produced
during the five years following the en-
actment of the law, and would have
promptly passed it but for the threat of
Chairman Jones of the Democratic Ma
tional Committee and his colleagues in
the senate that the proposition would
be bitterly fought and action upon the
tariff bill indefinitely delayed on &C
count of this proposition
The new tariff will restore the duties
Oh Canadian and other foreign coal to
practically those of the Mckinley law.
AS soon as the Wilson law was enacted
coal from Nova Scotia invaded the east
ern market, driving out the Virginia
and West Virginia product, which had
to this time supplied eastern cities, and
compelled the mines of that section to
find a market elsewhere. The result
was that their coal went west instead
Of east as it formerly had done and
with reduced railroad rates was laid
down in the markets of Cincinnati
Chicago and other western cities at
such low rates that coal war followed
by railroad rate war precipiated. The
natural result of this and the reductions
IN prices which followed was a reduct-
ION IN the wages Of the coal miners, all
OF which is thus clearly traceable to the
Wilson law and its reduction in duties
on coal. The coal miners strike has
brought to the public attention these
and other interesting and important
facts as to the effect of the Wilson tariff
law upon this indus try and upon the
miners themselves. The Wilson law
reduced the rates of duty on coal from
10 cents per ton TO 10 cents per ton.
This is just about the amount of reduc-
tlonIn miners wages ofwhich complaint
is now being made and empha sized by
the strike announced for July 4th.
President Ratchfrod Of the United Mine
Workers Association, in a communica-
ton to the New York Herald, indicates
that the wages of mil lers have been re-
duced since 1898 an average of 80 cents
per ton, which is jus about the amount
OF the reduction in duties made by the
wilson law. Curio usly this reduction
ID wages is thus &C incident as to time
and amount with th reduction in tariff
That the reduction in wages was d.
rect result of the low tariff is thus &C
curately shown. 1t is believed, how
ever, that with the increase of duty I'M
der the Dingley l aw the previous con-
dltlon will be rest ored and that the coal
miners. as we'll as all other workingmen,
will feel the effect S of a new prosperity.