The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1902-01-09
A HIGH PRICED FIDDLER
The Protected Trusts Dance
and the People Pay.
eR1oEs OF AMERICAN PRODUCTS.

Lead, Typewriters, Tin Plate, steel
Rails and other Steel Goods Sold
to Europeans at One-hsIf to Three
quarters of the Prices Demanded
of Consumers at Home.
According to The Oil, Paint and
Drug Reporter of Dec. g. the lead
trust has for great while been selling
lead abroad for about 2 cents per
pound lower than to the domestic
trade. AS the price here has been
about cents, the export price must
have been about 2 cents per pound.
The import duty which The OIL, Paint
and Drug Reporter thinks Is "absurdly
high" is rs cents per pound. 1t is this
duty which prevents Americans from
getting lead at about the same price
paid by foreigners to our own dear in
FAINT lead trust. 1t Is this duty which
takes cents out of the lean pockets of
American consumers for every pound
of lead sold and puts them into the fat
pockets of the trust magnates. 1t is
this duty which doubles the cost OF
lead to the hundreds of industries for
which it is raw material and handi-
caps them In competition with similar
foreign industries which get lead of
the same manufacturers.
The lead industry is not an excep
ton. All Of the protected trusts that
are doing an export business-and most
of them are boastlng of their export
trade-are charging from 20 to 100 per
cent more to Americans than to for
eigncrs. The typewriter trust, which
has for years maintained the price of
$1o0 for its standard machines in
American markets. has always sold
them for $75 or less to foreigners. At
present 1t is getting but $50 for its ex-
ported machines.
Steel rails, steel billets, structural
steel and other similar steel goods are
almost invariably sold for export at
from So to 800 per ton less than at
home. The duty Of 1874 or more per
ton protects the trusts in this infa-
nous business, and the American peo-
pie vote for the party that makes the
duty that protects the trusts that plum
der the people. The tin plate trust,
which has cost us considerable more
than 500, 100000 during the last ten
years, is now selling tin plate to ex-
porting manufacturers at a dollar per
box of 100 pounds below the price to
the ordinary trade. The price to Amer
leans is kept about $3.50 per box (the
amount OF the duty above the price Of
foreign plates. The American con-
sumer pays the duty Ito the trust), and
the foreign consumer gets the benefit
of American competition in the worlds 9
markets.
Protection Ia a lovely scheme as seen
| by the protected trust or the foreign
consumer. There are 75,O00,000 Amer
leans who do not share in the blessings
of protection unless they enjoy lear
ing the manufacturers sing praises to
protection and seeing them dance
around the protection fetch. In this
case those who dance do not pay the
fiddler. The overfed manufacturers
dance to their hearts content while
75,0O0,000 chumps put their hands in
their pockets and pay the fiddler. And
what dear fiddler is protection! On
sugar alone, according to recent esti.
mates by the sugar people themselves,
we pay 800, 100000 year because of
the duty. Two hundred million dollars
more can be added because Of the du.
ties on iron, steel and wool. Five hun.
dred million dollars year is small
estimate of the cost to US Of this fid
dler. VIII we never tire of his music
and his bills? B. w. II.