The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1899-07-13
Trusts IN the Republlcan Party


Republicans are very anxious to have
it appear that the tariff is not RESPONSE
BILE for the trusts, and there is abund-
ant ground for the anxity, for the trusts
bring home to the people the effects of
tariff in such unmistakable ways that
there is likely to be u vigorous kick
against the whole outfit.
The gNmut seems to run thusly: Gu
pidlty with the manufacturer is the
father of the tariff; the tariff is the
mother of trusts; and both are the pa
rents of great deal Of republican fab
rication.
Fabrication No, is that the foreigner
pays the tariff. The truth of the mat
ter is that the foreigner does not send
goods into our market at all, and, there
fore, has no occasion to pay the tariff.
The foreign manufacturer, or jobber
has his price for his goods, and when
he has sold them at hisprice he is done
with them, and don't care whether they
are re-sold in his own country, sent to
China or come TO this country. Our
great importing houses at New York
and other custom ports buy in Europe
through their agents there, and it is
then their business to get the goods
into this country. If they buy suit
of clothes which on free trade principles
they could sell in this market at $40, il
the tariff is So they must charge $50 for
it, and that extra So goes long as part
of the price, till some customer puts
tariff and all on his back and wears il
out. OF course there is no great harm
in this, for this So indirect tax which
the consumer pays the retail merchant
has already been paid the government
at the custom house by the importer.
The trouble for this people is tha
this tariff tax of 50 on the foreign SUI
enables the home manufacturer to sci
similar suits for $15, whereas he would
have to sell them at $40 but for th,
tariff on foreign goods, and the specia
--- of it is this tax goes into tn,
pocket of the manufacturer, and if W,
, judge by strikes even the operatiy,
does not get any part of 1t.
Republicans are very fond of saying
that home manufacturers fix prices il
, this country, and not the foreigner
. But the tariff is powerful help to tn
home manufacturer in fixing the price
, in this country, and the very purpos
of trusts is to hold prices up to tn
level of the tariff wall.
But it is said there are trusts in fire
trade countries, in England say. Well
: all that trusts confined to any on
country can do is to hold up prices t
the level at which foreign goods woul
come in. If American goods unde
English free trade conditions went int
5 England at lower prices than fixed b.
: the English trust the English trus
, must either "bust" or lower prices L
1 In like manner if any foreign good
come into our market at a lower fgur
than that of our trusts, the trust mus
either "bust" or lower prices to NEE
$ the competition. But it can be see
= that our tariff of so per cent on foreig
goods gives our home manufacturers
large field to operate in before reachin
j the level at which foreign goods ca
q compete. The tariff wards off foreig
+ competition below the tariff level; til
: trusts enable the home manufacture
: to hold his goods up to that level. TIL
Q tariff is therefore the mother of all til
s trusts we have between the free trad
= level and the Dingley tariff level {
9 prices. Take away the tariff wall an
It home made goods must come down
a the level at which foreign goods woul
y come in on the free trade basis.
J course we might still have trusts, bl
i trusts deprived of the so per cent az
g vantage which our tariff now give
! them. Free trade trusts are light br
trusts formed behind a50 per cent tart
!. is more than the farmers and 9th,
l. consumers of trust products in an
IS country can long stand up under An
y probably they will not do it withol
n vigorous kick. But we dent kno
> about that, for farmers are amost doci
a set and altogether patient in Ion
h suffering. Possibly he cares more fl
the old party than himself and famil,
n What would life be worth to such
= man without the old style party rally
W The anxiety of republicans to III
i couple tariff from trusts is no pro
" that they have any intention Of int
al fering with trusts. 1t would be vel
is inconsistent in the party to do it, al
is very unthoughted in the people
expect it. The one purpose of the tar
is to hold the manufacturers goods l
to an abnormal level of prices; the pu
/" pose of trusts is the same. The par