The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-04-28
A QUESTION OF FACT.

Many times it has been stated on the
floor of the House and also of the
Senate that our protected manufacture
ers sell the products of their mills III
foreign markets for a great deal less
than they demand and receive in the
home market, and the protectionists
have declared the statement to be I'M
founded.
On Monday. Senator Bacon Of this
state repeated the statement, and, in
support of it, read letter from
Charles NJ. Schwab, to II. G. Frick'
both of whom are experts in the man
ufacture of steel products, in when
the actual cost of manufacturing steel
rails was given. MIR. Bacon said the
letter showed beyond question that the
steel trust needed no protection against
English steel manufacturers. The let
ter stated that steel rails could be
sold at profit for SIS per ton.
Senator Aldrich of Rhode Island,
the Republican leader of the Senate
denied that Mr.. Schwab's statement
was correct. In fact. he said, it was
absurd. and insisted that it was
part of a stock jobbing operation.
Doesn't it seem remarkable that there
should be a dispute in the Senate rel
alive to the cost of making steel rails
in this country? Why doesn't Mr.,
Bacon inquire of the Department OF
Commerce and Labor as to the cost!
What is that department for, If not
to supply just such information? Be
sides, there are hundreds Of men con-
nected with steel works in this coun-
try who know what the cost of max
ing steel rails is.
No man knows the cost better than
Charles M. Schwab. who. for long
time. was at the head of Mr.. Carne-
gie's mills. and, later, was president
of the United States Steel Corporation.
1t is safe to say that he stated the
facts in the letter which Mr.. Bacon
read to the Senate. 1t is hardly prob
able that he would make an incor-
rect statement respecting the cost of
steel rails in a letter to Mr. Friek,
who knows at what price they can
be sold at a profit.
Where information about the cost of
protected articles is so easy to OBJ
tain, it is a mistake TO make an at
tack upon the protective system with
out having it at hand, because the
defenders of that system are always
ready with denials.
IL fhnncrhf a LET
ter from Mr.. Schwab stating the price
at which steel rails could be sold
at a profit would be accepted by every
senator, but it wasn't. Mr.. Aldrich
would probably hesitate to deny the
correctness of information furnished
by the Department of Commerce and
Labor
That our protected manufacturers
sell their products in foreign markets
at much lower prices than they get
for them in this country, is undoubt-
eddy true and it is an outrage on the
American people that the tariff laws
enable them to do so. Mr.. Bacon
stated that under the Dingley tariff
act the discrimination against the
American people on steel rails alone
amounted to $15,OOO,oOO. Assuming that
these figures are correct of how many
hundreds of millions of dollars have
the American people been practically
robbed by the protective system in the
few years that the Dingley tariff has
been in operation?
The Democrats who favor making
tariff reduction the leading issue in
the presidential campaign understand
how deeply the people feel in respect
to that issue. Reduce the tariff where
it is highly protective and there would
be less complaint of trusts, for the
protection tariff, as a prominent trust
mo gnate said, is the mother of trusts.