The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1906-10-19

no quarrel between the Iowa
idean and the "Ma1Sachusetts
idea" They might work we'll
together. Why do we OF MasSa.
chusetts now ask for the removal
of these particular duties? | shall
give only lew Of the many res-
sons:
FREE COAL.
We want free coal for our
| homes and factories. Free coal
would mean but little to you in
New York or to any other sec
ton OF this country, except New
England and the Pacific Coast.
TO most of New England and
the Pacific Northwest free coal
continued for several years so
that shipping facilities would be-
come adequate would mean q
difference of about 81 cents per
Ton. The duty of 81 cents on BIZ
luminous coal clearly protects
both the hard and soft coal trusts
in the New England territory.
1t costs only half rs much to
transport coal from Nova Scotia
to Boston as from Virginia or
Pennsylvania, even when the
railroads give us square deal. )"
" ifh tree access 10 Nova Scotia
coal the protected trusts would
have TO lower their prices or lose
our orders. Free and cheap coal
would be a great boon to the
homes and factories of our cold
climate. Nor do | think ii would
injure any section of the country
hot even PennsS lvania. AS 1
understand it, Canada has for
years been ready to take her duty
off OF coal when we take ours off.
pper aud middle Canada are
even more dependent upon Penn.
SN ~ ania and other Central States
for coal than are We OF the At
lautic and Pacific coasts upon
Canada. We export four or five
times as much coal to Canada as
we import from there. For the
year 1904, we imported 1873, 600
tons of coal and coke from Cana
da, and exported 6,643, 600 tons
to Canada. 1t is thus evident
that even our protected coal
trusts would share in the mutual
benefits that would flow to these
two mutually dependent coun.
tries from the mutual removal of
these mutually obnoxious taxes
on coal. Reciprocity would make
brothers of these two neig hbor
countries. Why cannot we ex.
change products in friendly way7
/ FREE IRON ORE.
We want free iron ore to save
the remnants of tue once import
ant iron industry of Massachu
sets and to make us less Servile
subjects to the steel trust. The
duty of 40 cents a ton amounts to
about 20 per cent. adj valOrem.
1t is sufficient TO keep foreign ore
from New England, except a
trille brought in az ballast. Ii
is, however, not sufficient to. keen
considerable quantities from com
ing in from Cuba to the CheNa
peake and Delaware Bays, and
I from Upper Canada to our lake
ports. Small quantities also get
in from Spain and from New
foundland and Labrador. In each
OF the years 1902 and 1903 more
than 1000, 600 tons of ore, valued
at more than $2,00O,000, were
imported. In 1904, less than
| 10000 tons came IN. With the
duty off, iron ore could be laid
down in Massachusetts as cheaply
as in Pittsburg. With free ore
and free coal the smelling in
duStry, once thriving, but now
extinct in Massachusetts, would
return and become profitable.
Our 1900 census tells us that
Massachusetts, which was the
first of the original colonies tC
manufacture iron, and which oc
cupied the ninth rank in 1876
and 1880, declined to the twelfth
position in 1890 and the sixteenth
in 1900. More wage earners were
employed in 1880 than in 1900,
although the number of sucl
wage earners in the entire coun
try nearly doubled from 1880 tt
1900.
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