Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1903-04-09
MONOPOLIZE MATERIALS.
PEELED 10 Import and Pay
rarin ON Them.

Uncle Sans bureau of statistics is.
sues s~elf-praising letters TWO or three
times a week. These letters contain
such statistics and information as the
writers think will benefit the republic
ans and help to continue their party
in power. Unfavorable figures are
kept dark as long as possible. The re-
publican boom letter for March 90
says:
Manufacturers materials formed
more than half of the imports into the
United States in the month of Feb
ruary. For the last fiscal year, end
ing with June 80, 1902, the importa-
tions of manufacturers materials for
the first time passed the $400,O 900 900
line, having grown from S243,000. 600 in
1882 to $27s. 900, 900 in 1892. and $415,-
000,0O in 1902. The figures for the
eight months of the fiscal year justify
the assertion that for the ~ months
ending June 80, 1908, the total value
of manufacturers materials imported
will exceed $450,O 900, 900, and will far
surpass that of any preceding year in
the history of our import trade"
As the average duty paid upon these
raw materials when they enter our
protected country is about Is per cent,
the amount of this duty this year will
be about $67, 100000. This, then, is
the amount of tax paid directly by
consumers upon materials imported.
It is becoming such a heavy burden
that the manufacturers are clamoring
to have it lightened and are pe~titionina
congress to remove the duties on raw
materials. They are banding together
into reciprocity leagues and tariff
drawback leagues. The manufacturers
i; who are pushing the Lowering draw
back bill are working in a perfectly
legitimate way for reduced duties on
materials when exported in manufac'
tured form. 1t is foolish and absurd
to handicap Il exporting manufac-
turers by compelling them to pay more
for materials than is paid by their for,
eign competitors. If We are not wise
enough to permit them to manufac-
lulC tIICdpIN " VI wv L
should not stand in their way when
they wish to manufacture cheaply for
foreigners and thus to secure trade
which otherwise is entirely lost to
them and for which there are no com
pensating gains to us or them.
The most significant fact. however
in this connection is that a few great
trusts have so monopolized Il raw
materials and are charging such higf
prices for them that thousands of or
binary manufacturers must procure
materials abroad and pay the tariff
duties on them. These duties have be
come so burdensome that many manu-
facturers are concluding that it ne
longer pays them to stand for pro
lection" which protects only thei,
giant competitors. The greed of thu
big protected corporations, having
monopoly of raw materials, has be
come so great that they have squeezed
out the nor numerous smaller manu-
f%acturers. with more numerous votes
and now have monopolized and takel
to themselves nearly all of the tariff
benefits. Thus steadily, as in a ~"circle'
hunt. are the beneficiaries getting int,
closer quarters. With thousands o
manufacturers aiding the hunters, in
stead of protecting the game, the 'fin
.. ish" of "~protection" is near at hanc
l 1t cannot come too soon.