Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1902-10-16

now, and have been for years, protect
ed by tariff duties of from 20 per cent.
to As per cent. or more. Besides this
trust is by far the greatest beneficiary
of our drawback tariff law, and, sim
ply because it is big and can afford to
obtain drawbacks which it will not pay
small manufacturers to obtain, re-
ceives benefits because of the existence
of tariff duties, on tin plate especially.
Under these conditions and circum-
stances, which have existed for many
years under all recent tariff bills, any
man, with even superficial knowledge
of the tariff and of the coal and petro-
leum industries, would hesitate to as
sert that these trusts "are unprotect-
ed and would be entirely unaffected by
any change in the tariff" unless he
were making a stump speech and knew
hishearers would not take him serious
". Certainly our president is supposed
to have more than a superficial knowl-
edge of a law which it is his duty to
enforce and of conditions concerning
which he assumes to instruct the peo-
ple. from the stump or the train.
But the Dingley bill, like its proto-
type, the Mckinley bill, is not what it
appears. on it's face, to be. 1t was Jug
gled in the senate, which is the legis-
latiye rendezvous of the trusts. 1T is
in the finance committee Of the senate,
presided over by that smooth and cum
ming agent of the protected interests,
Senator Aldrich, that the trusts get in
their fine work.
Both the coal and petroleum sched-
ules of the Dingley bill were juggled in
the secret committee room of the SEN
ate and presumably in the interests of
the trusts, whose agents are always
on hand at opportune times.
When the Dingley bill went to the
senate all anthracite coal was clearly
ON the free list, as it had been since
July IA, 1870, and bituminous coal was
dutiable at rs cents per ton. AS the
bill became law it reads paragraph
415) Goal, bituminous, and all Goals
containing less than 90 per centum OF
fixed carbon, and shale 67 cents per
ton Of 2s bushels, 80 pounds to the
bushel," and, in the free list (para.
graph 523), "coal, anthracite, not
specially provided for in this act"
The fact that no cargo of coal is i'm
ported commercially that contains
more than 90 per cent. of fixed carbon
makes it clear that the Dingley act
puts a duty of 81 cents per ton on al
coal. This conclusion was stated by
Senator Vest when the Dingley bill wa
being discussed in the senate and is il
accord with the decision of the boart
of general appraisers January II, 1898
and Of the circuit court of the United
States, both Of which declared that
shipment of anthracite coal from
Wales was dutiable.
Apparently the "Christian men" O.
the anthracite coal trust to "whon
God in His infinite wisdom" consigne.
the hard coal mines of Pennsylvania
became satisfied in 1897 that the.
might, at some future time, need ii
their business, a duty on anthracite
coal. They confabbed with the chair
mar Of the finance committee and he
as usual, said;
Certainly, I am always ready t
oblige the trusts. As you gentlemel
are going to perfect and strengthel
your trust and regulate production an
prices, my sympathies are with you.
perceive that there may come q tim,