Middletown transcript., 1902-01-18
pRoposrD TARIFF TINKERrEs

MT DdDCOGhg -
has introduced bill in Congress
to make certain changes in the
Dingley Tariff. just what he is
aiming at is not apparent on the
surface. While the cry OF the
free trades for ''free raw mater
ial" is a specious one, It had
some elements of sanity. But
to leave the raw material subject
to tariff and to place the furn-
ished produce on the free list is
ridiculous. This seems to be Mr..
Babcock's idea of tariff reform,
as his bill proposes to put on the
free list finished iron and steel
in many forms while imposing a
duty on iron ore, pig iron, steel
slabs, ingots, etc.
The inconsistencies of the bill
in other respects are as great as
those we have already mentioned.
It is perhaps the most absurd
tumble of any tariff bill ever in
troduced into Congress. It is
difficult to understand without
discrediting Mr.. Babcock what
purpose he had in view in intro
ducing such an absurd measure.
It can be understood why he
would impose duty on iron ore
while making finished iron and
steel free of duty. Iron ore is
produced to a large extent In
Wisconsin, and Mr.. Babcock evi-
IDENTIFY assumes that his consti-
tuents know as little about the
tariff as he does. Ii he thinks
that he will please them by keep
ing a duty on iron ore while ad-
mitting finished iron and steel
free of duty, then he is greatly
mistaken.
There is a very large iron and
steel establishment at Sydney,
in Cape Breton, in which certain
Americans are interested. They
have cheap coal, ore and cheap
labor and are at tide-water. All
they need to grow enormously
rich is the free introduction Of
their finished products into the
United States, while at the same
time preventing furnaces at tide
water in the United States from
getting the benefit of the Can
adian coal and ore. Mr.. Bah
cocks bill would suit them exact
ly. If it were not drawn up
with that special purpose in view
then there is no other apparent
explanation Of it.
The Canadian Government
pays a bounty Of So ton on pig
iron and So ton on steel ingots.
Combining the bounty paid on
the pig iron before it is made into
steel with the bounty on the
steel made from the pig iron, and
there is a total bounty of about
81 a ton on steel if produced in
Canada. In the province of On
tario that 81 a ton bounty is paid
on all steel produced. What a fine
thing it would be for these Cana
dians and for Americans who
have invested their money in iron
and steel mills in Canada to Sc
cure entrance for their finished
products into the United States
free Of duty as proposed by Mr..
Babcock. With their cheap
labor, cheap materials and 81 a
ton bounty there is millions in it.
Any one who thinks that Mr..
Babcock does not know what he
is about is mistaken. Mr.. Bah
cock has grown very rich out Of
the lumber business. No free
lumber for him. But free iron
and steel for Americans who have
invested in Canada in that busi-
ness is what Mr.. Babcock is evi-
IDENTIFY after. That is why his
bill is confined exclusively to iron
and steel, while retaining duty
on the raw products. Forum
ately there are few men like Mr..
Babcock in Congress. Hence his
preposterous bill will probably
never be heard of again. The only
thing that seems to reflect on
Mr.. Babcock's common sense in
regard to the matter in his as
sumption that such proposition
should be entertained in Con
gress.