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| Lord Salisbury, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. |
PAGE FOUR/EDITORIALS.
Republican papers are delighted over a report
that Lord Salisbury of England, in a recent speech, is said to have stated
that free trade had proved a failure in that country. Very likely it has, and
there is no good reason why it should not. Absolute free trade is not desirable
for any country unless all countries adopt it. Nearly all the countries with
which England trades collect a duty on all goods manufactured by that country,
while England admits the goods of all the other countries to her markets free
of duty. There is only one handle on that jug and it is on the side of the foreign
country every time. The only wonder is that England can thrive at all under
such an arrangement. She is constantly selling her productions in protection
markets and buying in a free trade market. If she would adopt a tariff for
revenue she would not be compelled to raise the money to support the government
entirely by direct taxation.
Republican employes [sic] in Carnegie's Homestead
steel works are forming Cleveland and Stevenson clubs this year. Four years ago
they were misled by Republican theories. Now they are face to face with
Republican facts. Four years ago the Hon. William L. Scott in his great speech
on the tariff, May 10, 1888, showed from the books of the Carnegies the way in
which protectionism operates. Of a total cost at that time of $26.79 for a ton of
steel rails, the labor employed by the Carnegies received only $4.09, while the
profits of the firm on each ton were five dollars, and Mr. Andrew Carnegie
himself confessed to Mr. Scott that in one year he had drawn $1,500,000 as his
share of the profits from the Edgar Thompson steel works, only one
establishment out of the many united last week in the Carnegie trust. Organization
secures labor's wages; a protective tariff secures monopoly's protectionism. Mr.
Carnegie is against organized labor and in favor of protectionism. This year
Mr. Carnegie's employes are in favor of organization and against protectionism.—Albany
Argus, July 5.
Who Pays
the Tariff Tax?
(From the New York World, June 27.)
It is the foreigner who pays the tariff tax,
says Mr. McKinley. The figures tell a different story. Mr. McKinley insists
that the foreigner deducts the American duty from his price in order to procure
the pleasure of selling in American markets.
In other words, Mr. McKinley asserts that
the foreigner takes off his regular price on pearl buttons 114 per cent, shoe
buttons 83 per cent., on tannic acid 247 per cent, on sulphuric ether 320 per cent,
just for the pleasure of selling in this "splendid market." The
cotton-goods makers, according to this poet of mathematics, deduct 49 per cent,
the makers of glass and glass ware, 56 per cent, of iron and steel 33 per cent,
of ready-made woolen clothing 70 per cent. Under these circumstances the foreigner
must regard the "splendid" American market as more ornamental than
profitable.
Of course Mr. McKinley's assertion is absurd.
Americans who buy in foreign markets know that they pay for the goods they
purchase the price which is charged to those who buy for domestic consumption,
and who do not intend to export to this country. As to the amount of the tax
the Treasury figures tell the truth.
During the fiscal year 1891 the Custom House
collected on foreign goods entering this country for consumption the enormous
tax of $215,700,686. The total value of these goods was $465,455,173, so that
the rate of tax was 46 per cent.
There is no tin-plate manufactured in this
country. Notwithstanding Mr. McKinley's assertion that "there are to-day
twenty-eight tin-plate industries in the United States," he knows that American
tin-plate is a myth, a fraudulent myth, and that all the tin-plate that goes to
the making of the tin goods for domestic and trade uses is imported. On this
article in 1891 the Custom House collected tax of $10,577,115, and the
purchaser of dinner pails, kitchen pans, roofing material and canned goods paid
this tax, with the added profits of importer, wholesaler and manufacturer. The tax was paid in this country to our own
Custom House by the American firms to which the goods were consigned. It was
added to the original cost of the goods by the importer, who reckoned his
profit on the aggregate. Each subsequent purchaser added his profit to the
total, and the last man to pay the original cost of the article, the duty, the
interest and the profits was the man who put the tin-plate to practical use.
A similar story could be told of glass, on
which the government collected a tax of $4,532,220 in 1891. The duty prohibited
the importation of the largest sizes of plate-glass, but the rate of tax
on one smaller size was 62 per cent, on another 105 1/2 per cent, on common window
glass from 48 to 110 per cent, on table glass 60 per cent. Mr. McKinley would
have us believe that the foreigner gave us the glass and paid a bonus of 5 1/2 and
10 per cent besides.
The government collected on cotton wearing
apparel a tax of $4,438,741, on woolen wearing apparel $2,825,719, and on woolen
dress goods a tax of $16,616,302.
All these taxes were collected in this country.
They were paid by American importers, who brought them here to sell them to
American consumers. If the foreign exporters paid a cent of the tax the Custom-House
does not know it, the American importer does not know it, while the consumer,
if he will take the trouble to think, knows that he paid it all with interest
and profits added.
Is Mr. McKinley a solemn, ignorant humbug or
a disingenuous monopoly defender?
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| Penny-farthing high wheel. |
HERE AND
THERE.
The work of repairing the old Normal
building has commenced.
The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick will have a
field day and picnic at Tully lake on Saturday, July 16th.
The Norwich Morning Sun appeared on the 4th, printed in red and blue ink. It
presented a neat appearance.
The Charles J. Stevenson Company opens a
week's engagement in Keator Opera House, Homer, next Monday.
The Grand Central barber shop has just had
two new and very handsome chairs put in place of two of their old ones.
Mrs. F. M. Miller has sold her brown mare
Madge to Dryden parties.
Mr. R. D. Mack, a well known citizen of
Marathon, had his left foot badly injured while firing a cannon in that
village, last Monday evening.
Pea coal has advanced 10 cents per ton since
July 1st, and all the other varieties have advanced 25 cents per ton. Trusts
and combinations are the direct result of the McKinley bill.
The E., C. & N. R. R will run another of
their popular excursions to Sylvan Beach, next Sunday. Fare for the round trip,
90 cents. Train leaves Cortland at 7:20 and 10:21 A. M. Returning at 5:30 and
8:20 P. M.
Back numbers containing the first installments
of the great serial now running in the DEMOCRAT can be had at this office. You
can't obtain the story elsewhere. It is H. Rider Haggard's latest and best, and
costs comparatively nothing.
The surviving members of the old 12th Regiment,
N. Y. Volunteers, will hold their reunion at Maple Bay, Onondaga county, on
Monday, July 18th, 1892. The first company enlisted in this county joined this
regiment. The many friends of the old veterans in this county should and probably
will attend.
At a regular meeting of the Cortland Wheel
Club, last Tuesday evening, a committee consisting of Messrs. F. W. Collins,
Wm. H. Clark, C. E. Rowley, J. F. Wilson and E. M. Santee, was appointed to
investigate suitable property, of a central location, for an athletic ground.
If this can be obtained it is proposed to inclose [sic] it and erect a grand
stand and lay out a quarter mile bicycle track, base ball field, etc.
Giles and Miles Rood, of Homer, were in town
on the 4th, and soon had a cargo of liquid dizziness shipped. Wilbur Butler,
also of Homer, was in town and the three met in the rear of Hollister's bakery to
settle an imaginary grievance. All rules were set at defiance and a scrimmage
in which only a few blows were struck was brought to a close by the officers,
who arrested all three and lodged them in jail. Tuesday morning they paid a $2
fine each and were discharged with the injunction that a heavier fine would
be required, should the offense be repeated.
Last Friday evening, Mr. Eugene M. Baum
undertook to practice riding one of the high bicycles that are now fast going out
of date. The place selected was the stone bridge on Clinton-ave., a rather retired
quarter, much frequented by amateur riders. He had but just mounted when the
machine became unruly and threw him to the ground, seriously injuring both
arms. He was brought to the office of Dr. F. W. Higgins, who dressed his
injuries. The doctor says that the joint of his left arm may never again be as
handy in controlling unruly bicycles as it once was.
The Raymond House at Little York is open and
ready to entertain visitors for the season. Picnic parties and excursionists
will find this one of the most delightful places to visit, to be found in
Central New York. The handsome and commodious grounds are well calculated to
accommodate both large and small parties, and there is a large fleet of new
boats for cruising on the lakes. The business man who desires a few days'
genuine rest from the busy cares of life can find it in abundance at this quiet
resort. The tired housewife will find a happy release from the cares of her
household and excellent meals awaiting her as often as her appetite may crave to
be appeased. The proprietor has recently added a telephone to his other accommodations,
which will prove convenient for himself as well as his guests.
The
Court House Question.
The question of repairing the old or building
a new Court House was decided at a meeting of the committee and the Supervisors
held in this village last Friday, in favor of spending $5,000 in repairing the
old building substantially in accordance with the plans of the architect, which
have been approved by Judge Forbes. The Committee on Court House repairs were
authorized to raise that sum for the purpose. The committee from Homer stated
that their attention had been called to section 2 of article VIII of the
constitution, which says that "no county, city, town or village shall
incur any indebtedness except for county, city, town or village purposes,"
and according to this provision the town of Homer could not [bond] for the purpose.
The only way that town could raise the money for the purpose of building a new
court house in that place would be by private subscription, which would be an
impossibility.
TOWN
REPORTS.
TRUXTON.
The fourth passed off here with rather more
than the average saloon hilarity and in consequence of some parties having had their
bile stirred, not getting trusted by the proprietor of our one saloon, they
entered the same at night and despite the old man left in charge, who was
likely paralyzed with fear and [horror] carried off everything of value that
was easily movable. This raid led to a pugilistic encounter the following
evening between a young white man, who over-estimated his capacity for such
things, and a colored barber. Some one present at the scrimmage remarked that
the affair was barbarous.
LITTLE
YORK.
Ed. Morse has moved the Bowdish ice house
upon his lot and it will make him a fine shop.
The cabbage yards in this vicinity are all
set and looking very promising. From one to six acres constitute a yard.
The Ice Company have made sale of a quantity
of their ice and have commenced loading cars. For drinking purposes no ice is
purer.
Many who were busy the 4th took Tuesday to
visit the lake and have a good time. Among them we noticed "Mitt"
Brockway, Chas. Rumsey, Will Foster and others.
W. T. Perkins has secured the services of
Charles Eaton, an experienced charcoal burner from Shokan, Ulster Co., and will
now be able to supply all orders from a sack to a car load on short notice.
A. B. Raymond has put up new poles and a
telephone in his house. Whether we shall permanently have the use of it, or
remain only during the season of boarders, depends on the amount of patronage.
The glorious 4th was begun about 1 A. M. by
the usual noise of fire crackers and improvised cannon by the "small boy"
and kept up until the sun rose. Then we got a rest until the going down, when
for two hours it was a continuous roar. Many drove here for a quiet day and
they found it. The dance in the evening was fairly attended and the music very
fine.
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