The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1900-12-21

Tariff Duties should Not he Reduced
When Manufacturers Heat
Their own Country.

The people would rather see con-
grcss ut work taking away subsidies
than granting them. II the Fifty
sixth congress wishes TO end it's life
creditabiy IL will repeal the subsidies
enjoyed by Mr.. Carnegie and other
steel and iron plutocrats and by the
men engaged in some other industries,
instead of voting subsidies TO steam
ship lines.
Mr. James j. Hill said last Satur-
day:
III we are 10 build the ships here ! see
no reason why We need protective uuty
OF seven dollars a ton on plates as long az
our plat makers are exporting plates 10 the
other countre especially as they are Will
ing 10 furnish them for export al lower
price than they DO to our own people.
The cheapest steel plates imported
have TO pay duty of S6..O ton. SO
high a duty is not necessary for the
protection OF American manufacture
ers. During the ten months ending
with October last they shipped 10 for
eign markets nearly 10000 900 pounds
of steel sheets and plates. The vital
point is that they sold their plates
more chcaply abroad than at home.
They asked the shipbuilders on the
CLYDE. whore some Of these plates
went. less than they DO the American
shipbuilders This is the policy which
the iron and steel combines follow in
regard TO other products. such rs
steel rails. hillets and wire nails.
If the American shipbuilders could
get steel and iron plates from domestic
manufacturers on as good terms as for
eigners 10 there would be no question
about the ability Of American ship
yards to turn out vessels AT lower
cost than foreign compe titors But
the American shipbulder, like all
other consumers Of steel. is at the
mercy of the steel combines. They
have low export price for foreign
crs and high domestic price for
Americans.
An excessive duty which enables a
manufacturer to maintain these two
sets OF prices is a grant 10 him Of a
subsidy. the size Of which depends up
on his own sweet will The manufac-
turers of steel plates can, if they
choose. exact about seven dollars
above a fair market price from Amer
Jean consumers. Ii is largely because
OF these subsidy grants that man
like Mr. Carnegie has an income OF
S200O0.000 year.
If subsidies were as odious to con-
gress as they are 10 the people. IL
would investigate this subject careful
". and wherever il discovered an in
dustry controlled by men who have
an export and domestic price. the
latter the higher of the two. congress
would revise the tariff duties so as TO
take away from the manufacturers in
question their excess of protection
and thus deprive them of the power
10 discriminate in prices against their
own countrymen. AT this moment
the admitted ability of the United
States to make steel and iron more
cheaply than they can be made abroad
rebounds chiefly to the benefit of for
eign consumers OF American iron and
steel.
II there Is any congressman who
says that tariff duties should not be
reduced when a manufacturer has an
export and domestic price. discrim-
mating against his own country. he
may safely he put down as the repre-
sentative of some wealthy corporation
which will he unable 10 collect sub
sides II duties are lowered to a rea-
sonable figure. The Tribune holds II
10 be self-evident truth that any
manufactures who has an export and
a domestic price the former the low
er Of the twois not entitled to tar
if protection. Chicago Tribune