The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-10-19
PRODUCTS OF THE STANDARD OIL
COMPANY AND COAL PR0TEC-
TED BY DINGHY BILL.

Whenever a Republican orator, after
declaring there are no trusts" gets
cornered in a trust argument, he always
declares: LAS proof that the tariff has
nothing to do with the trusts, look at
the Standard Oil Company. 1t is a trust
and yet oil is on the free list" And he
sits down as If he had clinched his ar
gument.
During the discussion about the tariff
ed that the tariff could have no effect
whatever on the price of anthracite coal
because it is on the free list. These
statements have been allowed to go un-
challenged so long that most people
suppose they are true. AS a matter of
fact. while both coal and oil are on the
free list in terms, in the case of both
there is a ''proviso" which makes oil
and all it's products and coal of all kinds
dutiable. Many well-informed people
who have given a cursory examination
of the Dingley bill, have seen
that anthracite coal and oil are
put down on the free list and, without
further investigation, accepted the state
ment of the Republican orators that
both are on the free list. A careful
reading of the Dingley act would show
them that the provisos actually take
them bodily off of the free list and put
them on the dutiable list
This paper recently stated that the
Standard Oil trust and anthracite coal
beth were protected by tariff. The
statement was challenged by Republican
speakers. About that time a paragraph
appeared in the New York Independ-
ent. one of the first papers in America,
stating that both oil and coal were pro-
tected by the Dingley bill. Desiring to
furnish testimony that no Republican
orator could deny, the editor of this pa
per addressed a letter to the New York
Independent, asking if oil and coal were
protected by tariff duties. The follow
ing is the reply received yesterday: v.s
Josephus Daniels. Esq, Raleigh, n. c.:
NV Dear Sir: l have your inquiry as
to the tariff duties on anthracite coal
and the products of the Standard Oil
Company.
In the present tariff law, enacted in
1897 under schedule N, Paragraph 4l5'
you will find the following:
Coal bituminous, and all Goals
containing less than 80 per centum
of fixed carbon, g. cents per ton"
In the Free List, paragraph 523, you
will find the following:
Coal, anthracite, not specially
provided for in this act
The effect of paragraph AIS is to Inn
pose a duty of 81 cents per ton on all
imported anthracite coal, for the reason
that there is practically no coal that
can be imported containing more than
''92 Der Centum of fixed carbon. In
deed even in the anthracite district of
Pennsylvania there is not large guam
tity of coal containing more than 80
per centum of fixed carbon. You will
observe that the inclusion of anthracite
coal in the free list does not permit 1t
to be imported free of duty. because the
| mot specially provided for in this act"
Now, as to the products of the Stand
ard Oil Company. In the free list, para
graph GIG, you will find petroleum
crude or refined but there is added the
following provision:
provided, That if there be imported
| into the United States crude petroleum.
or the products of crude petroleum pro-
duced in any country which imposes
duty on petroleum or its products ex-
ported from the United States, there
| shall in such eases be levied, paid, ana
| collected a duty upon said crude petro-
| Ieum or it's products so imported equal
| to the duty imposed by such country
| The effect of this provision is pracu-
cally to take petroleum and it's products
| out of the free list. In every country
from which it would be practicable 70
| export petroleum or its products TO the
| United States, there is imposed d con-
| siderable duty upon petroleum or lts
| products when imported from the Onltea
| States. For example, there is high
| tariff duty in Russia. So that under this
provision there is in fact a considerable
| tariff duty upon petroleum and It's pro-
ducts when imported into this country,
and in some instances this duty is very
| high.
| Yours very truly
THE INDEPENDENT,
| +. d. r.