The Washington herald., 1908-02-08

representative Kustermann, of Wiscon
sin. the German merchant who calcu.
lated that it cost the country $3.50 a min
ute TO listen 10 the unmatchable orator1
of Tenuessee's most famous statesman
has done some uncommonIy interestine
figuring on the tariff profits of the
Standard oil Company-hgures that ought
to do good service in the campaign foi
revision, whether conducted by Republi-
cans or Democrats. 1t has been sup
posed by everybody until lately that the
Standard Oil Company was not a bene-
fieiary Of the tariff, both crude and re-
fined petroleum being on the free list
but there is a little joker" at the end
Of the list, which reads:
Provided That if there be imported into the
United States Grade petroleum. or the products Of
crude petroleum produced in any country which i'm
poses duty on petroleum OF It's products exported
from the United States there shall in such cases
be levied paid, and collected duty upon said crude
petroleum OF its products imported equal to the
cuty imposed by such country"
The effect of this cunning little pro
viso." said Mr.. Kustermann. in a brief
that petroleum OF the Standard oil Com
pany has greater protection than almost
any other article appearing on the Ding
ley tariff" This proviso was In the Dem
ocgatic tariff bill of 1894, and it IS in the
Dingley law, SO that both parties are
responsible for IT, Mr. Kustermann
faceuously remarked that the Republic
cans overlooked it. but we may be sure
somebody took good care that it was
overlooked
Now, how does this apparently innocent
proviso operate TO protect the Standard
Oil Company? The explanation is that
Russia is the chief oil producer outside
the United States. and her oil fields are
the only dangerous competitors of the
American fields. Russia imposes a heavy
import duty on oils to keep out the
American product. and so by grace of
the joker ip our tariff law we impose an
equivalent import duty to keep out Rus
sian oils This duty runs I'm some cases
as high as 100 or even 200 per cent. Rus
sian oil is. therefore. practically excluded
from this country, 10 the great advantage
of the American oil monopoly, for Rus
sia produces an immense surplus that
would come TO the American market were
it not for the prohibitive duty.
Intrenched behind this high tariff wall.
the Standard Oil Company, like many
other trusts. robs the American people
by eXacting higher prices for its product
than it could obtain under "a competitive
regime. and az the same time sells its
product abroad at prices much lower
than the domestic prices. Mr.. Kuster-
mann presented figures showing that the
London price of oil was from "A to 34l
cents a gallon lower than the average
ps.ce in this country. Even more in
structive than these figures is Mr.. Kuster- /
mann's calculations that the little Joker
IN the Dingley law, by keeping out Rus
sian competition, has been worth Sl93.- /
s4S.SS0 10 the Standard oil Company in I
the last ten years, direct tax Of > cents
a gallon on the oil consumed in the
United States, and equivalent TO a tax
OF $50 on every inhabitant Of the coun- |
Try.
Mr.. kustermann. though a Republican. /
is ready 10 vote now for the repeal of /
the Standard OILS little tarfR Joker /
How many Republicans, or Democrats |
either, for that matter, are like-minded?