Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-09-24
Special to the Register.

Inc IdrlH QuSSllOu, WITCH udo ~ Az
gitimate place in the present cam
paign, has been preached in West Vir-
ginia in the form of an open letter by
supposed Democrats to the Democratic
candidates for Congress. They are
asked how they would vote in case
questions arose which never can arise,
and so far as have seen the candi-
dates have treated these letters IN 81
lence In this they are undoubtedly
WISE But l feel constrained of my
own motion, without any request or
advice from anyone, to call attention
in West Virginia to the records OF the
two great parties in tariff Legislation
upon the questions which appeal most
directly to the voters of the Mountain
State There is fundamental differ
ence between the Democratic and he
publican parties upon the question OF
the tariff, but this difference is not one
Of whether or not there Should be
tariff. but how the provisions OF that
tariff should be framed The Demo-
cratic position is that the tariff should
be SO placed as to provide revenue,
and that as protection must Incident
ally result from this form of tax that
protection should go to the producers
The Republican position is that the
primary purpose of the tariff should be
a protection which will enable the
manufacturers to control the prices
and the productions of manufactured
goods, while they should receive all
of the benefits to be derived from free
raw materials This policy has brought
about the
Present System of Trusts,
has raised the prices of everything the
workingman buys far beyond the raise
in prices of labor and has enabled the
American manufacturers to accumulate
colossal fortunes. The products OF the
farm, the forestries and the mines
have always given the greatest pro
lection under Democratic tariffs, al
though the Democratic tariffs have not
aimed at protection per sc, but have
only sought to place the tax where
it will be the least onerous and at
the same time of the greatest beneilt
to the real producers. The three ar
ticles in which the people of the State
of West Virginia are most lmme-
diately interested are those OF coal,
timber and wool When the Republl-
can party came into power in 1851 all
three of these articles had an inn
port duty of 80 per cent. ad valorem.
This made duty on coal Of Sl.4O per
ton. When the Republicans came lnlo
power they first reduced the duty ON
coal to $1.25 per ton, and in 1913 re-
duced it to 70 cents per ton, and it is
now 81 cents per ton. Under The Will
son bill it was reduced to 40 cents per
ton. 1t is now less than half what
it was under the former Democratic
tariff.
The Democratic tariff on wool was
80 per cent ad valorem, at about which
point it had BEEN for fifty years. In
the first Republican tariff it was
Made Practically Free
and unwashed woods remained free
until 1891 Several other varieties of
wool remained free under the Republi-,
can tariff The Wilson bill put WOODS
on the free list and they were placed
again about where they previously
were under the Dingley law. But the
Republicans have never given wool
as high a rate of protection as was
given it under the Democratic tariff
prior to the time the Republicans came
into control. IL addition to this, the
Republican tariffs have Invariably
given given so much higher rate to
manufactured wool than to unmanufac-
tured wool that it has destroyed what
ever beneficial effects the tariff might
have had for the raisers of wool.
= Prior to the Republicans coming into
control the tariff on wood was 80 per
cent. ad valorem. The Republicans
placed all cabinet woods, railroad ties,
single planks, fence posts, fire wood,
hoop poles, logs and round timber, ship
planking and ship timber IN the free
list, where they remained until the
Wilson tariff came into play, when
portion of these were again protected.
The Dingley law gives 50 per thous-
and tariff upon boards, as against
tariff of $3.50 under the old Demo-
critic tariff law The Dingley law also
makes an exception in favor Of he
Canadian lumber owned by American
citizens This practically destroys any
beneficial effects which the people of
West Virginia might obtain through
this tariff A comparison of Demo-
cratic and Republican tariffs will show
that the Democratic laws. which held
good for fifty years, gays much greater
protection to the coal, wool and wood
interests than they have ever received
under Republican legislation This his
tory shows eonclusively that SO far as
the tariff is concerned the people of
lest Virginia not only have nothing
to lose, but
A Great Deal to Gnin
by placing their tariff upon the Dem
ocrtic principle of protecting the pro-
ducers and letting the millionaire man.
ufacturers content themselves with
their own legitimate profits.
There are very widespread rumors
concerning a disagreement between
Senator Elkins and Senator Hanna with
relation to the campaign i'll West vir-
ginia. 1t is stated upon seemingly
good authority that Senator Elkins re-
quested Senator Hanna to place some
of his national funds in West Virginia,
and at the same time contributed a
smaller amount to the national CAM
49, = L. f~<s