Iron County register., 1899-03-02
THEY WANT FREE TRADE.
PrOtectiOnists Appeal to the Admin
istration for Abolition of
Tariff ON Pulp.

The recent assemblage of the newspa
per publishers at Washington to beg
for the abolition of the tariff On pulp
and paper was not without lis gro
tesque features. The publishers SOL
emnly set forth that The honest inteE-
ticns which originally induced the es-
tablishment of the duty on paper and
pulp have been perverted to further the
purposes of a recently-formed corpora
ton, the International Paper company,
and that every newspaper publication
in the country east of the Rocky noun
tains has been placed at the mercy
of that corporation" The publishers
complain that the tariff has created a
| trust just as the theorizin g free traders
said it would DO. And this trust is do
ing just what might be expected, il is
squeezing the last cent out of American
customers and selling TO foreigners at
very much less. The publishers tell
the story thus:
I'm view of the fact that the Iaterna-
tionaI Paper company is selling its sur
plus paper in England. Australia and
Japan, m successful competition with
Canadian, German and Swedish manu-
facturers, and in view of the important
pany is protected by reason OF its prox-
unity TO its customers to the extent Of
an average of SLIGO per ton, and by rea-
son of its ability to obtain cheaper and
better supplies of coal and chemicals, we
fail to see the occasion for giving sane
ton TO its abuse of governmental protec-
ton
The publishers relate furthermore
that the trust is over capitalized, and
tho mills falya,, in ~ fsu41ya- r,roh Ton
high. The entire property of this large
combination could be duplicated with
modern and better machinery at less
cost per pound upon capitalization of
$4,000. 0On willie the capital of the
trust is So, 100000. Print paper users
in the United States are forced to bear
the burden of an excessive capitaliza-
ton of $40, 10000 and TO pay an added
charge of 100000 per annum. Fur
thermore many mills are inferior IL
equipment and construction.
1t is to be hoped that the petition of
the publishers will be granted. It looks
little peculiar. however, to see that
among those asking for free trade in
pulp and paper, protectionists predomi-
nate largely In their papers they
preach the doctrine of protection and
then they go to Washington and ask
that paper be exempt from the bless
ings of a protective tariff, because for
sooth the purposes of protection have
been perverted. Of course they have
been perverted. So has protection on
everything else in which perversion IS
possible. The paper trust isn't the only
tarif-protectedt trust. Not thing that
people wear, or eat, or use upon which
protection has been placed but what
is made dearer to the people through
the same methods that paper is made
dearer to the publishers. There are
trusts in almost everything that can
be named.
The purposes OF the tariff are pervert-
ed. To be sure. 1t was plain to be seen
that they would be. Tariff benef-
Charles were not supplying the mon
strous campaign funds that have de-
bauched our politics in recent years.
in order to distribute the proceeds OF
the tariff among workingmen- Let
the good protectionist publishers take
the lesson to heart, and abandon the
policy the consequences of which are
SO IOFclDIN oIn1ldIn1u OF IN the case
of paper. Let the publishers join wirk
other consumers for the abolition of
what Thomas T. Bayard described as
somei hing that has done more TO fos-
ter class legislation and create Unequal.
ity of fortune. to corrupt public life. !
to banfsh men of independent mind
and character from the public councils,
to lower tte tone of national repre-
sentation. blunt public conscience, ere.
ate false standards in the popular mind,
to f. miliarize 1t with reliance on state
aid and guardianship in private affairs,
divorce ethics from politics and place
politics upon the low level of mer-
cenary scramble than any other single
cause"
It may be little difficult for protec-
tionists to awaken all at once to the
enormity OF protection iniquity. but the
fact that they realize its iniquity in re-
spect TO paper may gradually open their
eyes TO a full realization of the truth
Utica Observer.