Show othlnr Like Liiticr The Chicago Tribune and the Times have have lately been discussing the prosperity of the American leather Industry the Times contending that the record of free trade in hides suggests that tbe same effect would be proluced in regard to the wool industry Hides havo been on the free list for twenty years and the only time there has been any serious thought of changing the policy was when HARRISON was threatening to put Arsenlinia and Uruguay on the retaliatory index for refusing re-fusing to modify their tariffs Sscretary RUSK did propose to tax South American hides becauso the boot and shoe manufacturers manufac-turers of Massachusetts supported RusSELL i Rus-SELL for governer but the matter was i never pursued I Massachusetts has 7003000 Invested in iiOOOao 11 the leather business and turns out a product pro-duct of about twice that amount per annum an-num The manufacturers in that branch 1 bavd free trade in hides but as soon as they male their free hides into leather 1 harness boots and shoes I they demand a tax thereon from the consumer They buy hides from western farmers paying the same price as they do for cheap hides from Uruguay and sell them back in various va-rious forms of manufactured leather with a tax of 40 par cent added to a fair price the farmers titus being Imposed upon in the way of taxation on what they themselves them-selves raise The tax is four times the amount they get for their hides so in point of fact the manufacturer pays for his raw material out of tbe protection money and has a big percentage left The Chicagi News draws an interesting and useful lesson from the effect that free tides have had upon tho leather industry I sO sTake s-Take the whole leather industry Into account ac-count The capital Invested in 1870 was S126 126 4I171Q aid the value Of the product was ii3 2 211 Iu ISJJ the capital was 5UD8oO094 and the value of the product SlaSClO In lS2 when hides were placed on the free list American imports ot leather and its manufactures were of the value of 1I87D00 and exports amounted In value to but S3G31129 In that year we brought in and paid duty upon hides to the valuo of 143 5727 In 1887 we brought In hides free at the custom house to the value of S3JS5 770 and our leather exports had increased threefold three-fold Free hides have enabled leather makers of the United States to find I foreign as well asa as-a home market for their products Operatives in the shoo Industries have steady work and as high or higher wages as operatives in highly protected Industries |