The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-06-22
As TO THE TARIFF

tailed by Dir. Haveneyer Some
False IDEAS Corrected. ~;
Washington Post: The Mother OF
,he Trusts" quotation from Mr.. Have.
meyer, is the name bestowed upon
work OF art presented TO the public In
the columns OF the New York journal.
The work Is figure picture. consisting
nj Notwithstanding "Uncle Sam"
leaning on the top board OF his hog pen
and mournfully looking ut sow and
p,gs and two other swine. The sow is
labeled 1.-THE Tariff" and she Is giving
nutrlment to six pigs, branded respect
lively Coal" Sugar" Standard oll,"
"1ron." Lumber" and Wheat" The
other porcine figures bear no tags, hay-
,ng probably been introduced on the
Pooh Bah theory Of merely corrobora-
tIy. detail" Il,
While 1t is undeniably true that some
OF the trusts are sheltered by protective
tariff schedules, 1t is undeniably false
that the tariff Is "the mother Of the
trusts" In free trade England these
combinations have long existed and have
steadily grown In strength and magni-
,udc. They are. in many Instances,
perfectly natural step In the process OF
cheapenlng cost Of production. In some
other cases they are simply the avenue
Of escape from ruin by the effects OF
cut-throat competition There !. are
trusts. however. that are huge gambling
devices. capitallzlng plants at many
times their value and working of the
Imitation on credulous investors. How
much can be done by legislation and the
courts to protect people against their
own reckless credulity remains to be
seen. Whether capitalization In excess
OF value can be prohibited Is at least
doubtful. But there Is no doubt ut all
that Congress can-and the best friends
of protection to home Industries de-
mand that 1t shall-reduce any portion
OF the tariff wall behind which an op-
pressive combination has taken shelter.
Wherever combination favored by the
tariff has secured Il practical monopoly
and oppressively raised prices. there is
where Congress can, and should. do
remedial work. t4,,.
But It is time to return, not to our
mutton. but to our swlne-the maternal
swine and her alleged offsprlngs. The
first Of the six pigs which the Journal
presents as samples Of the trusts Of
which the tariff is mother Is coal. What
has the tariff to do with the coal COM
blne? There Is no trust or combine In
the bituminous coal business, and the
tariff on that article Is not oppressive.
II is simply protection to labor But
there is monopollstic, masterful COM
bination. which absolutely controls the
output. and. so far as 1t can. dictates
prices Of anthracite coal. on which there
Is no duty. How could the Journal, I'M
Inspired, have Numbered SO egreglously
as to put that name on one Of Its sam
pie pigs?
Sugar is the next one Of the animals,
and We all know that the sugar trust Is
helped by the tariff. We all know, too,
that 1t has been helped by both parties.
II Got what 1t wanted in the Wilson,
German tariff. 1t got less in the Ding
ley tariff. for while the duty on refined
sugarwas eftwhere the Wilson, German
schedule put It. the tax on raw was
raised from 10 per cent and 45.i4 per
cent ad valorem to specific duties which
In 1898 came to 1888 per cent ad valorem.
So much for that pig. the pet OF both
parties when they need funds for cam
paien purposes, but especially favored
under the Cleveland administration.
STANDARD OIL Is the next pig represent
ed by the Journal as being nursed by
the mother of the trusts" the fat SOW
named Tariff" Again we ask how the
Journal.not being an inspired blunderer.
could have made such mistake? This
is the oldest and richest OF all the trusts.
1t has ruthlessly crushed competition
and amassed hundreds OF millions. But
1t has given the domestic consumer good
oil at small cost. and has been u large
factor In our export trade. Yet this
trust, as the journal must have known,
has no relation to the tariff, because
there is no duty on Kerosene
Lumber and iron ore on the dutiable
lists. but 1t Is not apparent that any
hng Il IL.