Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-03-04
AGAINST HIGH TARIFF.
An Effective objection to the BIcExfI
lev Law.

| ley Law.
/ One of the most effective protests
! ever made against the high tariff sys-
| tenn is incorporated in a paper fled
with the ways and means committee
| by j. C. Harrah, president of the Mid
vale Steel company, of Philadelphia.
| This company presented to the COM
| mittee a request that no charge be
made in the present schedules of the
| tariff relating to metals, or the materi-
| ais, either raw or in a partly made
state, that are used in the manufac-
ture OF metals. The request was sus-
tanned by some very cogent arguments.
= Mr.. Harrah began by promising that
the committee had two objects in view;
first, to obtain sufficient revenue for
the requirements of the government
wisely and economically administered;
and, second, to alleviate the burden
of the cost of living to those who are
least able to bear the load, because of
insufficient means of subsistence. The
president of the Midvale company
then pointed out that any increase in
the rate of duty. on articles imported
into this country would necessarily di-
minish the market for such articles and
at the same time increase the cost of
living. An increase of tariff rates
would therefore defeat the very OBJ
jects which the committee were pro-
Tossing to seek, while those objects
would be promptly and efficaciously
realized by the diminution of exist
ing duties. In respect to protection to,
the laborer by higher tariff rates. Mr..
Harrah said:
while this additional tax might to
a small extent increase the business of
to him IN this indirect manner must
necessarily insure to his sole benefit,
because the question of wages Is one of
supply and demand, and cannot in any
way be affected by tariff legislation,
and no manufacturer would permit any
false sentiment to influence him to pay
the laborer one dollar more for wages
than the market supply of labor would
warrant
The Midyale company is engaged in
the manufacture of steel only, and it
does not desire any higher duties on
articles competing with its products
than now exist. Mr.. Harrah gave con-
elusive reasons for this attitude of his
company. The Wilson law reduced the
tariff on tires one-half, and yet the base
price of tires to-day is four cents per
pound, as it was under the Mckinley
law. Nor has the Wilson law affected
the number of tires manufactured in
this country to any appreciable extent,
as is shown by the facts that the Mid
vale company is the largest maker of
this product in the United States. and
that its business has steadily in
creased from year to year.
Moreover, tariff rates are already so
high that domestic manufacturers are
exporting their products to foreign
countries and selling them at higher
prices there than here. The Midvale
company makes steel castings and
sells them abroad, receiving from so
to so per cent. more in England than
it can get in this country. This COM
pany is now earnestly engaged in in
creasing its trade abroad, and its presi-
dent greatly fears that any increase
of duty in the metal schedules by ex-
citing retaliatory measures on the part
Of foreign nations might have disas-
trous effect upon this new trade.
No better tariff reform document
than this letter has appeared. 1t should
receive wide circulation. - Illinois
State Register.