The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1902-01-25
FREE HIDES.
BY Hon. william b RICH, suoE DrAlrn.

In this country no man raises cattle for their hides. A tariff "a
viii not increase or diminish the domestic production BY one hide
We import South American hides because we need them. IS per cent
Of the leather manufactured In this country is made nom foreign hide
and skins. The tariff upon them is simply ~andpurely a tax, bardeninl
the people and cripplng our manufacturer in foreign markets.
BY the Act Of July "A, 1897, the Dingley Tariff, duty Of Is PEI
cent. ad vaorem was placed upon hides, which had been tee fO
twenty-five years previously. The impUtiono of this duty has enaneC
a tax upon the country amounting TO not less than 81 100000 annually
! has added from 5 to per cent. to the cost Of every Amercan-mSdC
I pair Of boots or shoes, and has made it just that much harder to com
. pete in foreign markets. BY the same act a rebate Of 90 per cent q
the duty is given on exports Of leather made of inverted hseS the
enect Of which has been to discriminst gainst Amer an and Ia AWr
of foreign manufacturers
But ten years ago the possibilities OF an export trade in shoes
were not thought worthy Of consideration. Amal AmericanNn was
likely to be questioned, if he expressed a desire f"ri It. The most
honored and most prominent man connected with our industry publicly
stated that there was no foreign trade worth having, and, il there
we're, It would be impossible to compete with the poorly paid workmen
OF other nations for the trade Of the world. AS late as 1891 dis
! unguished congressman from a shoe manufacturing district in New
! Hampshire wrote in a public letter, eve are not, never have been,
! and | hope never shall be, to any considerable extent, exporters Of
J boots and Shoes"
Today no intelligent person, who studies the situation. doubts
our ability to successfully compete for a share Of the trade Of the
world, II we can haveequal opportunities with our foreign competitors
IN The purchase Of materials. We pay more for our labor, and it is
worth more. We have learned that it ii not the lowest paid labor
that makes the lowest cost product. In our shoe manufacturing
towns, generation after generation has studied and practiced the
industry, until the great body Of workmen are not merely shoemakeS.
but educated, intelligent artisans.
This marvellous advance in capacity for production Of quality and
quantity has %outstripped the power of our own country to consume.
we can manufacture in nine months as many shoes as our people win
purchase in twelve. We have therefore reached that stage Of deyel.
opment when we should vigorously improve every opportunity to
widen our market and when it would seem good policy for orr orern !
ment to render every aid to a complete development of the possibilities
of foreign trade.
In 1895 our export of shoes reached 81, 600, 900. In 1896 they
were sl,5OO,OO0 Yet leather exports were sl7,7OO 600 for he same
year. Taking fiscal years ending June 30. in 1898 shoes were over :
81, 300 900; in 1899, 50, III, $50; in 1900, 81 Oh. e5e. and for 1oo1 tnor !
reached s5,526, 200, showing a gain Of 200 per cent. in the past three !
years. Inc exports OF leather for the same years, however, were over I
s21, 900, 900 year.
Our American tanneres make the best leather in The world .
Ifey use not only the vast production of the hides in cur own country I
but last year imported hides and skins to the amount of s33 600 ooo !
making Of leather from the foreign hides and skins alone more than !
millions. The Englishman, the German, and other foreign !
manufacturers buy that American leather to take home and mann ,
facture into shoes to compete with us. and. when thew take u an =, !
the country, our government pays them for doing it a bounty ALA I
rebate, OF 80 per cent. Of the duty that may have been paid on the ]
imported hide, amounting to from 5 to 10 per cent; and no wv has !
been found for American manufacturers to get like treatnoont M J
is that a considerable portion of the unner and rroh. 30 49, ~
leather made in the United States from imported hides is sold -
foreign manufacturers at a lower price than we can buy il. nv 5to
10 per cent.
1t may be asked, Why don't you get the rebate Of dutv rod !,
The imported leather in exported shoes?
For the reason that there are from fifteen to TWENTY-FIVE niecoa !
ea%ei "a d Snoe' some OF which may have been made from imported J
nue. anu oCnerS not; and, when once a hide is tanned and cut IN into
pieces, and made into a shoe, it IS impossrbo = traoo
hose separate pieces, and prove which are made from FOREIGN h,sa*
he satisfaction Of the United States officers
This hide duty is a serious handicap to the American shoe mu
o''rei ~ competition WIN the foreigner for the export trade. Ash
evenue duty, 1t is a failure; for the rapidly Increasing rahoto touom
the cost OF collection, will soon absorb the income od 49,
opportunities and temptation to fraud in regard to rebate AZ
1t protects the foreign manufacturer aOafnst Amor,oaa
- noOouy eSe' II encourages the tanner Of leather for export to
ny foreign hides, whenever they can be bought for ne.rlr 49,
as the domestic, because he can get his preat in the rebate
~ mas resulted In building up the tannery interests Of Canada a.
loss to those Of the United States. II has ircroasoa ~
q footwear ana other products Of the hide to the people Of the
nted States, while beneftting none, unless it be the Great 40
icKlng establishments; and 1t is very doubtful If it benefits them
Inc hide duty ought to be repealed, not alone in the intoros, !,
great industry of curing and tanning hides and rasbionino ,hos
70 IN numoereSS things which are necessities, but in the interest
the consuming public. ~
sonable accumulation Of money in 1896 and Is now servtDnh j. ~