Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 June 1890 — POVERTY PAYS THE TAX [ARTICLE]

POVERTY PAYS THE TAX

INEVITABLE EFFECTS OF THE M’K.INLEY BILL.

Heaviest Duties Laid on Cheapest Goods i —A Prohibitory Tax oa Some Lines—All 1 Classes or Goods Will Be Higher—Chi- j cagj Jobbers Interviewed. [From the Chicago News, Ind.] It is the opinion of most of the Chicago wholesale men that the AlcKinley bill , •win not seriously reduce the volume of their basiuess, •ut all agree that the ; higher tariff will make all classes of good- dearer for the consumer. Espe- \ ciftLy is this true of woolen and linen! fabrics, cutlery, and tin goods. Other lines will feel the effects of the bill in a ! less decree. But as the chief items of domestic expense are concerned with these heavily taxed goods the evil results of the b»ll are expected to be sufficient j to create no little distress in the humbler j class of consumers. That the bill will j pass seems to be conceded, ' More than ! that, it is anticipated that the bill will be put into effect at the earliest possible date to shut out large importations that may be attempted before the bill becomes a law. MR. WALKER’S OPINION OF THE BILL. “The effect of the bill will be to make • enormously rich a few already rich manufacturers,” said James H. Walker, the wholesale dry goods dealer. “While, doubtless, no discrimination against the poor man was intended, he will most feel the bad effects of the bill. It offers a larger protection to the manufacturers who make articles in imitation of foreign importations and these articles are consumed by the poor people. In every instance the cheaper grade of goods is compelled to pay a higher tariff and in the end the consumer pays it. Wo will sell as many goods as before, but we’ll get more for them. The bill raises the tariff on cheap pearl buttons, none of which are made in this country, from 23 per cent, to 304 per cent. Isn’t that robbery? Some manufacturer probably thinks he wants to make these buttons and the bill provides for him. Then there is the case of the linen tariff, familiar to the public in recent discussions. One rich manufacturer only makes linen goods in this country and he only makes $1,000,01)0 worth a year. He hasn’t increased his plant sinco he began the . business. We import $20,000,00J worth of linens and pay $7,000,000 in duties. The McKinley bill makes the duty $12,000,000 a year and makes it operative for fifteen years—slßo,ooo,o6o taxes to protect one man. Is anybody legislating to double your salary? I ihimr not, yet that is the effect of this bill for the linen manufacturer. THE PEOPLE WILL WIPE T IE WEON G AWAY. “No great wrong is ever righted until the burden becomes so oppressive that the people arise and wipe it away. It looks like Providence was driving these men to desperate measures to overwhelm them. Every Congressman who voted for this bill ought to be relegated to obscurity, especially the Western men, who know they do not represent their constituents. What shall we think of a man like Butterwortli, who makes a speech pointing out the evils of the hill and then votes for it. The talk about protecting labor is a fallacy. Free labor is the best paid, and protected labor will not secure any increase of wages commensurate with the cost of the articles the laboring man consumes. Here is the instance of ‘cut’ hose. The imported article is much superior to the American manufacture, which has a heavy seam injurious to the feet of those who wesr hose. The McKinley bill will keep the imported article out of the country, and the laboring classes will have to wear the American goods.” TIN-PLATE AND CUTLERY RATES. Charles D. Seeberger, of A. F. Seeberger & Co., has made a study of the effects of the bill on hardware. “The worst effects of the bill,” said Mr. Seeberger, “will be felt by the consumers of tin goods, qutlery, and guns. The tariff on some classes of these goods is in effect prohibitory. Tin roofing will be increased 15 per cent, in cost. The bill will not make the wages of miners higher because pig tin is free of duty. Tin-plate can’t be made satisfactorily in this country, but the imported article is to be kept out by the rate of duty. It will increase the cost of tin goods and render still less profitable the already unprofitable trade of the tin dealers. The cost of the tin can is already too large a portion of the cost of can products, and this b.ll will make it larger. “Only the cheaper grades of pocket cutlery are' imported, and the McKinley bill prohibits the importation of these goods. Nobody is benefited except a few American manufacturers. Knives that cost now $36 a gross will co-t under the new bill S4B a gross. Five patterns of knives made in this country alone can be manufactured here for $42.98 a gross. These knives, made at Sheffield, England, would cost $46.52, and landed in New York, duty paid, $64.30. The bill may cause some decrease in our sales, but we do not anticipate any serious falling off in our business The people must have our goods, and they will have to pay more for them. ” SENATOR EARWELL’S PARTNER TALKS. Mr. J. K. Harmon is a member of the firm of J. V. Farwell & Co., of which Charles B. Farwell, one of the Illinois Senators, is a member. Mr. Harmon has made a study of the bill. “The McKinley bill will raise the prices of all our goods,” said Mr. Harmon. “It will raise the prices of woolens and linens more than cottons, but will make everything dearer. This bill lays more specific duties than any other tpudff measure, and specific duties always increase the prices on lower grades of goods. The poorer people who buy them will feel the tariff more than the wealthier class.” “Will the laboring people get enough more in wages to compensate for these increased prices?” “We can’t tell what the result of passing the bill will be until we have tried it, but I think the laboring 1 people will not be benefited as much as the manufacturers . The poor will have to buy a poorer grade of goods than they have been baying and pay just as much for them. The rich will haye to pay more for what they buy, but proportionately less than the poor, for the tariff will not be ns high on the better grade as the lower class goods. I think nearly as many goods will be sold as now are. Tho people have got to be olothed. In some instances, of course,

the poorer people may wear their clothing longer and do with less, but these people are not numerous. ”