The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-11-06

The recent exposition of the history and
methods of the protectionist patriots to
whom We are Indebted for the establish
ment of the tin trust has teen sad blow
to the contention of the advocates of a
high tariff that the trust evil was in no
sense and to no degree the growth of
the protectioDist policy.
It is easy to recall the wave of protec-
Zionist enthusiasm which swept through
Republican ranks on the establishment Of
a tariff-made tir industry in the United
States a few years ago. The dinner~pail
expression of demagogism was worked to
the limit, and manufactured tin utensils
were handed around promiscuouslv as
object lessons of the blessings of pro-
lection.
The sequel has made its appearance in
the existence Of ons of the most danger
GUS trust creations in the Countrywide
tin trust The trust was organized In
1898, and now controls nearly every mill
in the country, and those few which
maintain nominal independent ex-
istence are understood to be utterly in
It's power for better or worse. In con-
junction with the other trusts, especialIv
the National Steel company, which con-
trolls the production of tn-pIate bars, it
has practical monopoly Of the material
from which tin plate is manufactured.
a
which employed about fifty men each,
While II IS said with much appearance of
truth, that it has such arrengements
with the manufacturers of tin plate ma
chinery as prevent those manufacturers
filling the orders for mills from possibIe
competitors.
1t IS estimated that the cost to Ameri-
can consumers of tin of the establish
ment Of this infant industry aggregates
something like 500, 100000 In return for
this they have to show-a tin trust and
an assortment Of broken promises to re-
duce the cost Of the article to American
consumers. The quoted prices of tin
plate at New York since the establish
mont Of the trust in 1898 show that from
the very beginning there has been q
steady advance. In four months the
prices had been raised to one-ffth Of a
cent per pound over the quoted prices of
English tin in bond. For instance the
quoted average prices of American and
imported tin respectively ir June, 1898.
were, American tin, $2.S5 per hundred
pound box; imported tin, $3.50. Under a
steadily increasing ratio. the prices quot
ed in September, 1890, were, American
tin, $i.S5; imported tin $365-difference.
S1.2O per 100 pounds in favor of the infant
industry
A contribution was recently made to the
literature Of this subject by Mr. Byron G
W. Holt, who evidently has the subject
at his finger ends, and has given much
needed enlightenment to the industrial
commission. Allowing himself to general.
lie from the facts and figures. which he
sets forth with such wealth of detail Mr.
Holt says:
N-'- PieNNS iAiNNSIIy, because 1t came
as an Industrial mendicant, has alwav,
been curse to the country. IT baoan b1
interfering with or running thousands n
well established and independent oo,.
Germs, which asked for no governments
aid, but simply to be left alone. Racous,
of the increased cost of tin cans IN 1901
canning factories were compelled r. 70
duce wages, discharge hands and ma,
lower prices for vegetables and fru,ts
The loss to farmers who have since bee,
unable to sell their surplus products +,
Gamers has been enormous. The loss +,
laborers who are deprived of chea,
canned goods has also been enormous ,,
OF course the effective remedy for FIJI
shameful imposition on our Industrial
energies is the abolition of the tariff q,
tin plates, or at least its reduction +
some point which would bear a close re
lation to the quoted prices of the import
ed commodity. Such a course we hav
no prospect whatever under this or an,
other imperialist-trust administration o