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Show KHKE Tit V HE K.l IX CI K1. OiiMiitKssvj an Wilson made a free trade speech last evening for the delectation delec-tation of the local democracy, and, as is customary with lice traders, ho attacked at-tacked tho manufacturer in order to win the sympathy of laboring men, proceeding upon the supposition that the latter are not endowed with tho power of thought. He charged directly di-rectly that ii.O:ll),OU0 was to be annually annu-ally put into the pockets of tin plate makers. Such an utterance as that can only bo classed as demagogy. Mr. Wilson virtually admitted that tin-plate tin-plate could not be profitably manufactured in this country under tho old rate, of duty, which produced a revenue of x, Ot'O.OdO, The 1 1 il.OdO, OUO represents the entire amount that would bu collected from tin plate if our entire supply wero imported im-ported under the new rate. Wo know from Mr, Wilson's own figures that it would take more lhan J. 000,000 to cover the difference between foreign and domestic cost. As a matter of fact the new rate has been carefully adjusted so as to give our home works achaiicjto run under present conditions, condi-tions, and there is not any amount of undue profit put into the pockets of our American manufacturers by the tariir. If then; were nuy undue adv:inlage iu the tarill', it would soon be obliterated obliterat-ed under the influence of competition. Mr. Wll.snv admitted that ha o.ice thought competition would lower prices, lie cannot deny that it has done so in every other line, but he holds up his handstand cries "trust" iu connection with the tin plate business. It is necessary to recoguio the fact that the trust evil Is one that must bu dealt with independently, The at-tempt at-tempt tu make the tariff responsible for them is a dismal failure and the theory that American industries should be strickeu dow n to prevent such organization organi-zation does tint incut with popular ap proval. Mr. Wilson's position is that we should not have an American tin-plate tin-plate industry because it may be accompanied ac-companied by a trust, lie is particularly particu-larly uafortunale in applying the doctrine doc-trine to this subject. An Americau trust is better than an English trust, and there is no true American who would not prefer the former to the latter. lat-ter. There is a thoroughly organized English tin plate trust, it is more iron bound than any that we have in this country. This was illustrated last fall when the McKinley net passed, the English trust, in a spirit ol revenge, putting up the pricu of plate $H a box, although the tariff would not go into effect for nearly a year. If we are to have a tin plate trust, by all means let in be American and let the control of a great industry of which we are such heavy patrons, bo taken away from the English combination. There is oua other of the fallacious arguments made by Mr. Wilson iu connection con-nection with this tin -plats question, to which we would call attention. He resorted to the old plea that we have to purchase goods abroad iu order to supply a market for the farmer. Just note his language: "Where you keep out of this country twenty-millions worth of tin you kecj back in this country twenty-five millions worth of tho farmer's products, and while von are providing employment 'for 20,000 or :i0,0o0 people in tho manufacture manu-facture of tin plate you are throwing out of employment quite as many iu the profitable, production of the farm supplies that we exchange for the tin plate." 't his is open to attack in more than one respect. It the lirst place it is absurd to suppose, that ono fanner produces pro-duces only enough to provide one family fami-ly or part of one family besides his own. It docs not require IJO.OOO farmers to supply tho tallies of UO.OOO tin-plate workmen. Hut this is not the must absurd ab-surd feature of the congressman's proposition. pro-position. The inference is that flll.OoO men manufacturing tin-plate in Wales cotisuino the product of 110,000 American Ameri-can farms. They are enormous feeders while they are ou liritish soil but when they strip olT their coats and go to work in America they become veritable Doctor Doc-tor Tanners to a man. Mr. Wilson ought not to put forth silch buncombe propositions if he hopes to make free trade converts The tin plate operatives in America will consume just as much of tho American agricultural product as is now consumed by tho Welshmen who make our tin-plate tin-plate for us yes, and far mote. The Welshman eats Welsh potatoes, aud Welsh tuultou (when he can afford to feast 011 meat) and a long list of tho products of the Welsh farm and field, while every pouud of provisions consumed con-sumed by the American workman will be grown iu the I'nited States. The farmer's market arising from the industry indus-try will bo more than doubled instead of being curtailed as claimed by Mr. Wilson. J |