The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-10-23

per cent. in 1889, when many of our
industries were really infants, we have
by successive steps reached a scale of
over so per cent, while the industries
themselves have become colossal.
Hamilton said that the iron and steel
industry was already in a flourishing
condition in his time. He was willing
nevertheless to give 712 per cent. of
protection to steel. 1t has now $7.S4
per ton on steel rails and the steel
pool sells them to Canadians at $19
per ton, but exacts $2S from Ameri-
can purchasers. 1t is enabled by the
tariff to do this, for without the tariff
it would be obliged to sell rails at home
for the price at which they could be
imported. American railways are thus
compelled to pay $7.S4 per ton more
than a fair price; that is, $7.S4 more
than the price at which somebody else
would supply them.
Is a Game OF Grab.
why do the railways submit to such
extortion? Why do they remain quiet?
Why do they not establish rolling mills
and make their own rails? Surely the
difference of $7.S4 per ton, or 40 per
cent, is sufficient inducement to do
so. | cannot answer this question,
but if the leaders of the steel rail in
uuSlIN DIRE dlSO lle COillIOllCIS VI lilOHE
railways, which are strong enough to
defend themselves against extortion,
the mystery is explained. In such a
case the profits go into the pockets of
the controllers of the railways in their
capacity of steel producers, while the
other shareholders of the railways and
the general public pay the difference.
The tariff lends itself to this sort of
grab game, and if the men who COM
LARGO "a nita1 do OOt avail fhen-
selves of their opportunities they are
not so shrewd as they are generally
supposed to be.
II cherish no grudges against men
because they are rich, nor do l great
ly blame them for taking the profits
which unjust laws throw in their way,
but l protest against the unjust laws.
I protest against the men who make
them and who stand pat whenever
anybody proposes to repeal or modify
them.
1.-The pauper labor argument for the
tariff has for the most part dropped
out of sight. Industries that COM
pete with foreign markets no longer
have the audacity to say that the diff
ference of wages prevents them from
competing on equal terms in the Amer
lean market.
I'm place of the tauper labor argu-
ment, and the infant industry argu-
ment, and all the other arguments here
tofore noted, the home market argu-
ment has been substituted and is now
relied on so far as any arguments are
used.
Is hut n BOgy Man.
"This assumes that without the tar
ift, and. indeed without the SO per
cent. Dingley tariff, we should have
no home market for the farmers prod
.ucts, or for any other products. This
is bogy to frighten children. So
childish is it in view of what Hamil-
ton told us of the flourishing condition
of large branches of manufacturing
industry more than century ago, and
of all that has transpired since that
no answer to it is required. The bare
statement of such an argument carries
its own refutation. What happened
under the low tariffs Of 1846 and 1851?
Was there any lack of home mar
ket then? On the contrary Senator
Morrill, of Vermont the father OF the
Morrill, tariffs of the war period, said
in a public debate, that the year 1860,
which fell within this period, was one
of the most prosperous in our his
tory. This is also the testimony OF
prof. Taussig IN his tariff history OF
the United States, not alone as TO the
wear 1860. but as to that period gener-
allv. The same authority tells US that
orr cotton spinning industry grew
more rapidly or prospered more thah
under the Walker tariff of 1876.
rho story of BOrax.
"-rhe truth is that the tariff bene-
eciaries and the stand patters' have
abandoned argument. They virtually
saw TO us now that. high protective
tariff is a good thing. per sc, and ought
10 last forever. and by this they mean
fhe present Dingley tariff. SO FAR
have the old arguments been abandon-
ed. that II is not necessary for a par
ticuIar industry, in order to get pro-
tection. 10 show that II cannot STAND
alone. and make fair profits on It's own
"a few years ago large deposit
| ~ borax was found IN California. Ihe
on,ners Of IL forthwith advertised that
| tbev could produce boraN at such low
rates az to undersell the world, which
,yss the fact. They wentfto Wash,
tngton and expressly on the ground or
,beir ability 10 undersell foreigners,
thev cot a duty OF cents pound
on borax. They then began 70 sell
borax IN England at rates tar peloM
,vbat they charged 10 American pur-
cbasers and are doing 20 now. but
this is only one OF q multitude OF IKE
| ,,sonopoilea which opprese the pupnc
"a ~ no means the first IN point of
I'm. which has obtained pofeotion'
con,,nued on sixth Page