Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1905-12-28
JUGGLED STATISTICS
How Republican Leaders Try to
Fool the People.
THE TARIFF DUTY ON STEEL RAILS

THE TARIFF DUTY ON STEEL RAILS
What the Government statistics
Show of thc Value of Exports and
Imports How the People Pay the
Tariff Tax on Everything In the
IInd-Duty on Rails.
1t is extraordinary how some other
wise intelligent men allow their minds
to be warped by what they consider
the needs of their partisanShip. For
instance, Congressman McClcary of
Minnesota was called by the protec-
tionists to Massachusetts before the
election to defend the tariff that fos-
tiers trusts, which the people of that
undertook to refute what even some
Republican congressman have been
obliged to aumit-that the steel trust
has been selling steel rails in England
and elsewhere cheaper n here. Con
gressman BaDcock, when he was pre-
Dulll1S 1lC Jul Aol q ioiSi VII IN
surplus of the steel trust to be used
to convince the voters that only Il Re
publican congress would preserve their
liberties, declared that he had seen an
invoice of American steel rails sold in
Scotland at sd a ton. Mr.. McCleary
says that cannot be true because the
past six years, according to his "statis-
tics" the price of British steel rails
has averaged $29.O4 a ton against the
American average nrice for the same
period Of $29.62.
If these McCleary statistics were cor
rect, how can he possibly urge the ne
cessity of continuing to protect the
steel trust by a tariff of $7.S4 a ton on
steel rails, which are sold here for
S2S.64 and in England at $29.O4? How
could English steel rails be imported
and pay the freight and charges and
compete with rails produced here when
they cost more in England than rails
are being sold for here? What possible
reason can there be to charge an i'm
port tax of S7.S4 a ton on foreign steel
rails when, according to Mr.. McClea-
rvs statistics" one could be import
ed and sold here except at a great loss?
Under MI. McCleary's own showing
why should steel rails continue to be
taxed:
But the trouble with these McCleary
"statistics" are they do not tally with
the official figures given in the United
| States Statistical Abstract. for on
page 215 for 1904 are found the exports
and value of steel rails for the past
six ycars-numely, for the years 1899
to 1904, inclusive. The average value
per ton for the six years is given at
$:24.39. Then on page 100 of the Stats
teal Abstract are also given the imports
of steel rails for the same years, and
the average value is stated al $G3.=iS
per ton. and for 1904 the value is only
$G2231 per ton. These prices are taken
from the invoices and bills Of iading
and are therefore the prices charged for
export in each country. To this price
for American rails would have to be
added tie duty Of Ssh per ton. besides
freight, to show the cost here to those
who imported rails, which would bring
the total cost to not less than $50 4
ton.
The lesson of these figures is that
statistics used by Republican speakers
are untrustworthy if not Intentionally
intended to deceive, for, as Congress,
man McCleary vas Il Schoolteacher be.
fore he was Il congressman. he should
have been competent to do the neces'
sary addition, subtraction and division
to discover the real facts. The figures
given by the government also show
that the steel trust sold rails during
the past six years to its foreign Gus,
toners for the average price of $24.3!
when at the same time it was charging
at home $2S or more; that during the
same period the average price of rails
in Europe was $23.49, and in 1904 the
price was $22.31 for export, which We
may well believe produced a good prof,
it to the manufacturers.
The actual cost of producing stee
rails is estimated by experts to be
about $50 a ton, so the absurdity OF
any duty on steel rails except to en-
able the trust to eXtort from us is APP
parent. Some people may think tina
rs the railroads are the only purchas
ers of steel rails the taxpayers Of the
country arc not interested. but it must
be remembered that every Il pays
his share of freight to the railroads OF
nearly everything he or his family con,
sumes, and the high price of steel rails
adds to the cost of freight. SO in the
end the people pay the tariff and ever
much in enormous profits on ev
cry ton Of steel rails that the railroads
buy and also or the other products OF
steel that the steel trust produces
amounting in all to nearly S100.O0O.00(
q year.