Democratic Sentinel, Volume 10, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 December 1886 — Let Us Hare the Figures. [ARTICLE]

Let Us Hare the Figures.

The disclosures made by Representative Scott in his Erie speech suggest a measure to which the manufacturing beneficiaries of grotectiou have no right to object. It will e remembered that Mr. Scott stated that a man who made it bis boast that he was a British subject, had pocketed $5,000 a day for 300 days, or $1,500,000 in one year, as his share of the profits of an iron and steel manufacturing concern in Pittsburgh, and that he was building a castle in his native land with what he had made out of our tariff for the protection of American labor. It will also be remembered that Mr. Sco’t stated on the authority of one of the largest purchasers of steel rails in the country—a man who knew exactly what he was talking about—that the principal bone of contention in the board of directors of a certain iron and steel concern had for some time been whether they should declare an extra dividend of $10,000,000 on a nominal capital of $10,000,000. 11 should be borne in mind that this statement was made to Mr. Scott a year ago, when the iron and steel industries were supposed to be, and for some years had been supposed to be, in deep depression and distress. Now, the thing suggested by these disclosures is that the protected capitalists should be made to disjlose the state of their affairs, or go without protection. When they apply to Congress for tariff taxes of 30, 50, 80 per cent., they say in effect that they can not compete against imported goods without such taxes. Congress has a right to know whether they tell the tiuih. Since they have the benefit of these taxes Congress has a right to demand of them that they show affirmatively from their looks just what the taxes are. doing for them. That is the least the country has a to expect from them when they ask it to cairy them on its broad shoulders. If they are rolling up wealth by millions at the country’s expense, the country has a right to know it. Tha country has been favored with many statements about wages in the protected industries, and they do not go to show (hut those who work for hire make much out of the tariff. The worker has been called on to shed light on this subjtct by tel iag what wages he gets. Now let his emp'oyer be called on to shed more light by telling what profits he gets. As long as ho is supported at the pul,lie expense the public has a right to know whether he is able to support himself. Let us see who it is that is enriched by the tariff. —Chicago Times.