Democratic Sentinel, Volume 13, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 February 1889 — THE TIN PLATE FRAUD! [ARTICLE]

THE TIN PLATE FRAUD!

The Leader: The eountry baa been treated to a long dobito om ‘ the question of protecting tin plate. 1 Every possible argument has boon adduced to make it appear that the existence of the tin industry in America depended upon the imposition of a high tariff on all tin flats brought from abroad. — One senator stared that within sixty days fsom the passage of a bill to project the manufacturers of tin plat®, there would be started works capable of turning out v-st quantities, and giving employment to hundreds of workmen. It was a pretty tough story, even fer a Protectionist, and Senator Vest with little difficulty piobed the matter and brought to the surface the fact that all this talk about protecting tin plate was but a cover to a further tariff bonus for the benefit of the manufacturers of sheet-iron. The following extr»c + fron the Record will show the true inwardness of this tin plate tariff: Mr. Ve t—lt is true we are not considering the duty upon tin per se, but v e are considering the duty upon tin plates, which are simply thin sheets of iron bathed in tin. that makes the tin plate, and anotder process makes the terne plate. But we are advised now by th® senator from lowa that tin must b® eliminated from this discussion, that that is cot an element at all in this debate, and it now aomes down to a simple question of protection upon the sheet-iron. Mr Teller—That is ad of it.

Mr. Vest —It is all of it, I am told. Mr. Allison—Of course; that is all of it. Mr Vest —I thought from the begianimg that this was nothing else but a demand on the part of the manufacturers of sheet-iron m this country, the thin iron that is used for the covering of houses, in order to keep out the competition of tin plate and terne plate that is brought in from abroad. — But I do not want to continue the debate. lam as anxious to get through with this bill as the senators in charge of it. I wish to make one other remark and I am done with it.

1 have the highest respect for the opinion of the senators in charge of the bill. I believe that they are sincere in their statement that the effect of this duty will be to originate this industry, Jhat it may come into existence within the time which the’ name in this bill—the Ist of January, 18 0. But no w we are confronted with two possibilities—not to use the stronger word, probabilities. In the first place, if we originate it at all by reason of imposing this duty, there would still b© a considerable, an indefinite time when the production m the United States would mot supply the necessity of this country; and when that is the case, it will |simp!y, according to the statement of the senator from Rhode Island vesterday, as to the average effect of a tariff duty, increase the price to the consumer in the United States.

But let us take the further proposition and probability in my judgment. Suppose that these industries do not spring up; suppose that this tax does not have the effeet whieh is contemplated b\ the senators who have introduced it, then what is the condition of the consumer in the Ua.td States? He Japs to pay this increased duty without bringing into existence the domestic industry, with the additional employment of labor in the United States, and the increase of the homw market. It seems to me, sir, that it is dangerous legislation. It is carrying protection to an extreme nev r before contemplated by judicious minds, ft is going into an unknown future and undertaking to construct out of nothing an industry that does not now exist. * The Leader adds: In this connection it may be well te quote a few words from lenator Allison on the subject of tin production iu this country. .It must be noted

that there is at pres mt no demand for duty on the raw material. We have vast deposits of tin in seme of the western states and territories, but the methods of reducing the ore, and removing it from the rock, which apply to the tin found in the Co nwall mines is not applicable to American tin. Senator Teller informs us tha ? he tin found in this country is easily nc-f-eaaible, while in Cornwall and Malacca, “they are delving down 3,000 feet to get tin.” This will be well to remember after some enterprising American inventor has discovered a process that will economically remove the Dakota tin from the rock. Then the whole pack of Protectionists in and out of Congress will unite in a demand for a protective tariff on tin, in order that the richer and more accessible mines of Dakota may be protected against the poor Welshmen delving 3,000 feet below the surface to g®t tin. Senator Vance appreciated the situation fu’ly, and stated clearly what has always been the course of protection and the (compromises, by wh'ch the consumers have always been the victims: Mr. Vance —I question the wisdom of the course we are pursuing in regard to tin plates in trying to get the duty reduced for the benefit of the poor people of the countiv. I think the first thing we know we shall have a duty on tin alsc, and then a duty raised still higher on tin plates in order to compensate for the duty on the raw material. That is the tendency of everything here. Because some objection was made to the admission of free fish into the border states, where they could be obtained fresh from water without anv pres *rvative process, and be cause there was a movement made to extend that privilege to all the United States, the firsVthing *we know fish were put upon the dutiable list; and that was what was called a compromise. That is, it doubted the rate for everybody. A compromise always gives the benefit of the doubt to all persons who are protected.

I have been informed this morning by this debate that the richest deposits of tin to be found in the world at present are Known to exist in Dakota. My observation of protective tariff legislation is that there must be something always done by the ingenuity of man to counterbalance the gifts of nature, and the more lavish Providence has been to us in bestowing wealth of any kind upon us the higher the taxes have been elevated upon that article, so that really upon very things which we have been furnished with more abundantly than any people upon the face of the earth, we ’’ay higher taxation than other people upon the face of the earth. The time is not far distant when, if it be true that these great deposits of tin exist in Dakota and the proper methods of separating the tin from the ore have been discovered, instead of having what Providence manifestly designed, an abundance of tin cheaper and surpassing n quality any other people in the world, we shall have the highest taxation imposed upon that article, and the highest priced tinwire for the use of the common people of any nation of the world. That will be the result of it. — That has been the result of all our efforts to reduce taxation upon the common necessaries of life. They have resulted in an increased duty. I fear it will be the same in thi i case.

Poos vs. .Fat IBJMes. —An extreme ly poor horse is usfiwiljr a miserable one, but it ib ,jue ,t onable whether it is any more so than an extremely fat one. Especially is this true where the animal is required to perform any amount of hard labor. While horses need good, wholesome food, it should not be all of the fat-producing kinds. The matter of feeding horses by the majority of horse owners never receives the attention it should. The supply of food and the different kinds should be varied as often as tae amount and kinds of work * changed.