The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1908-12-24
THE TARIFF ANp rns TRUSTS.
CR. T. Crane. Of Chicago, to the New
York Journal Of Commeroe).

For once can agree heartily with
Mr. Carnegie. Undoubtedly his presl
ent position ig right, but he should
have taken II many years ago, for II
would have been as right then as II
is now.
My views on protection and tariffs
generally are not new; in fact, have
little to add to what / have expressed
publicly at various times during the
last 20 odd years.
Under natural trade conditions
there can be no great harm in a tar
iff-even' an unnecessarily high one
because open competition prevents
abuse of the protection the tariff af-
fords the home manufacturer. But
when under the wing of this protec-
tion manufacturers combine and form
trusts whereby they are enabled to
establish and maintain unnaturally
high prices for their products, pro-
lection becomes distinct evil
For example, protection has enabl-
ed the steel trust to hold club not
only over other steel manufacturers,
but over this whole country, for years,
compelling the people to pay tribute
to It that they would not have had to
pay were 1t not for the high tariff and
the trust.
Manufacturers in collateral lines
. have been particular sufferers. These
manufacturers have been brought to
a high state of efficiency. and should
have no difficulty in holding their own
against the world.
But they are under the peculiar and
unusual disadvantage of having to
pay the steel trust artificial prices
prices much higher than the trust
charges the foreigner for the same
material. So American manufactur-
ers Of farm machinery and imple-
ments, machinery, tools, ETC., who
have come to be interested largely in
export business, are compelled not
only to combat the lower price of la
bor abroad, but the distinctly higher
price of material at home.
The steel trust has fattened at the
expense of every other American
manufacturer who has had to buy. the
trusts products. The low stage of
American shipbuilding is a case pc
culiarly in point. How can the Am
erican shipbuilder hope to compete
with the foreign builder when our
highly-protected steel trust sells en-
ormous quantities of steel to the for
e1gn builder at prices far lower than
1t charges the home builder for pre-
cisely the same kind of. material?
The second great evil that has
grown directly out of our protective
tariff is the tariff retaliation it has
Induced in other countries. Take
Canada, for instance. In order to get
the legislation needed for the inordi-
nately high tariff on steel products,
the farmer vote was brought into line
by the placing of an absurd and who'll
1y unnecessary tariff on Canadian
farm products. The Canadians took
offense and by way Of retaliation
placed stiff tariff on the products of
American manufacturers. Now these
manufacturers the exporters
previously referred to-have the ad-
ditional obstruction to their business
of having to combat this Canadian
duty. And the Canadian market is
worth more to these manufacturers
than all the other foreign markets
combined, besides being right at our
door. t et..
Our nigh protective tariff, instead
of being beneticial-as it doubtless
was originally with open competition
has come to be decided injury to
the country, directly and indirectly
for indirectly 1t has a detrimental eff
feet on large amount of home manu-
facture.
In fact, so far, at least as the steel
trust is concerned, it presents the re-
markable spectacle of the govern
ment sitting on the ordinary Ameri-
nsk nj
strust to come and take his money
from him.
This trust is the most vicious COM
bination that ever existed. Today it
threatens all iron manufacturers with
destruction unless they stand by it
and cooperate with 1t in its scheme
for robbing the pubic. The great
plant at Gary, Ind, is but part OF
this "hold-up" game. What else can
its purpose be-in view of the fact
that half the trusts plants, and as
many of the Independent steel plants,
are now idle-than to declare that the
trust is in a position to wipe other
steel manufacturers off the face of
the earth, If they do not support the
trust In it's highway robbery?
Unfortunately, Mr.. Carnegie did not
hold--or at least act up0n-his latest
views on protection when he was
actively engaged in business, and
when his opinions on such a matter
would have had some real weight. |
ANY time within the last 10 years he
mj&hh have said that American steel
manufacturers were no longer in need
of protection. 1t is not forgotten that
at the time Carnegie retired from ac-
tive business it was asserted by Mr.. |
6chwab that the steel trust could
make steel rails for $13 a ton.
1t would appear, therefore, that Mr.. |
Carnegie "let go' at a figure that has
compelled the steel trust to continue |
playing the highway robber In order |
to pay interest on the Carnegie bonds |
and to declare dividends oil an enor-
nous amount of watered stock.
Mr.. Carnegie owes all that he has |
to our high tariff. He is more respon-
sible for it and for its evils that any !
other man. He should have prevent |
ed the formation of the steel trust |
instead of making 1t possible.
1t is to be hoped, therefore, that Mr.. |
Carnegie's 1ith-hour advocacy of the |
stronger food of free competition" |
NAV hasten the much-needsd lower |