West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1902-10-09
HOW rMg TARIFF WORKS.


ting ready to food the county with speeches
from the lips Of fiap doodle orators, the peo-
pie viii do we'll TO take a plain. common
sense, businesslike view of the tariff question
They will do we'll to reduce il TO a business
proposition with dollars and cents rs q basis.
They will then get more real insi.h, into the
question than all the ell.binding speeches
the Republican party can manufacture In
yeau.
No industry will better illustrate the
workings Of the tariff than the steel industry.
The Steel Trust has. through the workings
Of the tariff, become the most colossal Of
Trusts. To illustrate how II makes its
profits nothing will serve better than the
question Of steel rails.
A town in Western Pennsy ivanis wishes
to build street railway. They ask for bids
from the Steel Trust aud also from the
English iron masters Let us see how the
two bidders make their figures.
In the hrs place IL costs the American
manufacturer less than IL cost the English
iron master TO produce a ton of steel. This
Is shown by the fact that last year American
steel manufacturers sold 500. 900. 600 worth
of steel In English markets, and in diree,
competition with the English iron masters.
When IL is remembered that the American
manufacturer had 10 pay freight of S4.7s
per ton and still underscll the Englishmau
in his own market, that proposition will
need no Argument. But. giving the Repub-
licsns the benefit Of every doubt, we will
grant that The cost Of production of a ton Of
steel here and in England Is the same,
Sworn statements by iron manufacturers
themselves before the United States Indus
trial Commission show that the cost of pro-
ducing ton 81 steel here Is twelve dollars
per ton. ], is ns much in England. IL not
m.me. hence, when the English iron master
bgures his Lid. he will have 10 begin with
$Ia as Gust of production. To deliver that
ton Of steel he finds that IL will cost him
s. IS or theresbouts. This too is shown by
the evidence before the United States In.
dusiriai Commission. Then--when this ton
of rail reaches the port Of entry at New
York he has to pay a tariff duty Of 81 81
before he can land his rails Therefore
when he figures up what he can deliver his
steel on the ground for IL looks like this /;
Cost Of production, tI7; transportation
charges. 81 IS; ia'if duty. 81 So; living
profit. IS; total, SAG 50. So he. writes to
the Pennsylvania town that he will. deliver
the rails for sag So per ton.
| On the, other hand the hmcticsn Steel
Trust bidder with his Characteristic shrewd-
ness figures iR this way; "It costs me Sra
| to produce q ton of steel. I could Gil that
| order at tI7 per ton aud make S. per ton st
that. But here know that the English
iron masters bid will not be under szS per
ton and As have no competition at home
am safe 10 placing my bid at Sal per ton.
know that the steel only costs me sra per
ton and il is true that have shipped my
share Of $o3, ,oco, 900 worth ~ steel TO En-.
gland and charged the Eoglsb buyer only
SAG per Ton for 1t after paying the freight
myself yet here have a lead pipe cinch on
these people and am going TO charge them
all they will stand" lie puts 10 his bid at
sal and as il is the lowest bid IT Is accepted.
| Thus the people of that town have been
charged net profit Of SIS on ton Of steel
that according to the report Of the United
States Industrial Commission cost sI2 to
produce. The consumer is held up by the
isnh and deliberately robbed. No wonder
the Steel Trust is able TO declare si4o,.
100000 dividend even after paying their
Schwsbs million dollar salaries. The con
diiions in steel are prevalent in every Trust
controlled industry. They are growing
richer every day and more powerful. Shall
they continue TO iiIoh the money out Of The
pockets Of the people and grow immessur-
ably richer at the expense Of the people :