The Farmington times. [volume] (Farmington, Mo.) 1874-1902, 1900-12-20

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The people would rather see cor
gress at work taking away subsidies
than granting them. II the Fifty
sixth congress wishes to rnd lie Hss
ercdi,ahly Il will repeal the Subsidies
enjoyed by Mr.. Carnegie and other
steel and iron plntocrats and by the
inen engaged In some other industries,
instead OF voting subsidies 20 steam
ship lines.
Mr. James j. Hill said last satur-
day:
"if we are to build the ships here, ] ace
no reason why We need a proteetive auty
OF seven dollars a ton on plates as Ions an
our platemakers are exporting plates 10 tbs
other countriss-tapeclaily ss they are will
ing 10 furnish them for export q; q lower
price than they DO 10 our own people"
The cheapest steel plates imported
have to pay duty OF 1910 ton. No
high q duty Is no, necessary Tor the
protection Of American manuinetur-
era During the ten months ending
with October last they shipped to for.
clgn markets nearly T3,oOo,Ooo pounds
of steel sheets and plates. The vital
polht 10 that they sold their plates
more cheaply abroad than at home.
They asked the shipbuilders on the
Clyde, where some Of these plates
went, less than they do the American
shipbuIlders. This Ia the policy which
the iren and steel combines follow In
regard TO other products, such ~
steel rails, billets and wire nails.
II the American shipbullderS could
get steel and iron plates from domestic
manufacturers on as good terms M for
eigners do there would be no question
about the ability OF American ship
yards to turn out vessels % a lower
cost than foreign competitors. But
the American shipbuilder. like oil
other consumers Of steel. IL ct the
mercy OF the steel combines. They
have low export price for foreign
ers and a high domestic price for
Americans.
An excessive duty which enables a
manufacturer 10 maintain these two
sets Of prices Is a grant TO him Of q
subsidy, the size OF which depends up
on his own sweet will. The manufac-
,urers Of steel plates can, II they
choose, exact about seven dollars
above fair market price from Amer
lean consumers. II il largely because
Of these subsidy grants that q man
like Mr.. Carnegie has an income OF
s20.OOO.0OO a year.
II subAidics were as odious TO con-
gresS ns they are TO the people. u
would investigate this subject careful.
~. and wherever IL discovered nm in.
dustry controlled by men who have
an export and a domestic price. the
latter :hr higher 5t the ;v0, congress
would revise the tariff duties NO as 10
take away from the manufacturer In
question their excess of protection
and thus deprive them Of the power
20 discriminate In prices against their
own countrymen. Al this moment
The admitted ability 81 the United
States to make steel and iron more
cheaply than they can bc made abroad
redoundS enemy To the benefit 81 for
cign consumers Of American iron and
steel
II there Is any congressman who
says Tint tarif duties should not he
reduced when n manufacturer has an
export and a domestic price, discrim-
mating against his own country, he
may safely be put down as the repre-.
sentative Of some wealthy corporation.
which will be unable TO collect sub.
sides n duties are lowered 10 q rra-
sonahle figure. The Tribune holds Il
20 be a Self-evident truth that any
manufacturer who he's an export and
n domestic price-v-thc former the low.
err Of the two--is not entitled to tar
in protection. Chicago Tribune
tRepj