American Labor Robbed

During the past year we importad 350,000 ton8 of tin plates, at a cost of $21,000,000. At the lowest calculation, $18,000,000 of that sum was paid to Kuropean labor, or the wages of 30,000 men in this country at J600 a year. Sinco the duty was reduccd to one cent a pound, not a ton of tin plates has been made in the United States. JBefore the duty was reduced we produced 150,000 lons a year, our consumption then beinjj 250,000 tons, and had the duty remained as it was we should now be producing every pound we use. Were tin plates cheapened by reduing the duty so that we can not make them in competition with European cheap labor! Let us seel In 1875, underthe higher duty, three tiu píate milis were established in this country, one at Wellsville, in this State, and the others in Pennsylvania. The best tin plates up to that time sold for14.75a box. The establishment of these three milis, and others that followed, brought down the price toí6.75 a box. The red uction of the duty that closed the American miils ought to have reduced the price of the imported article, if the theory of President Cleveland, the Mills bill and the Democratie party is correct. Did it reduce the price, or the "tax," as it is sometimes called? Not a cent 1 The price of the best tin plates is $U.75 a box to-day. What was the gain, tben? Absolutely nothiugl What was the loss? Had the duty remained as it was, we would have the tin p ates and the money also. Now, we have tho tin plates but the money is in Europe, while the product has not been cheapened a cent. The loss, then, is Í18,000,000 a year, and growing larger every year. It is just so much money taken out of the pockets of American woiking-men. But, thoy say, we have no tin and can not profltably produce tin plates. That is a falsehood. We have more tin than any other country, in accessible mines that only need developing. England importa half the tin sho makes up iuto tin plates for thi maket. The ore in the tin mines of Cornwall does not average over 2J per cent of metallic tin. The Cajulico mines of California yicld frora 8 to 13 per cont. Tho mines of Kockbridge, Va., yield from 14 to as klgfa as per cent. of metallic tin Thcro are very extensivo deposits of tin in the Black Hills. Prof. Baüey, United States geologist for Montana, says there is enough rich ore in the región of Harney's Peak, Black Ilills, that can be quarried from the surface, to supply the whole world I Tin plates are composod of 95 to 98 percent, ot iron. The percentage of tin is only 2 to 5 per cent. When we import 350,000 tons of tin plates we import about 840,000 tonsofiron and 10,000 tons of tin. Tho Mills bilí proposes to pat tin plates on the free list, whilo retainiug a duty of one to ono and a quarter cents a pound on the sheet iron of whictj tin pUtes are niado This, says tho Cleveland Lenüa-, would allow the importation of tin plates to take the place of 150,000 tons of sheet iron used for galvanizáis, roofing and kindted purposes. Thrs would rob American labor of 10,000,000 more in wages. Tho tariff policy of the Democratie party, if adopted, would aliuort immediately lead to the transfer of Í5ü0,000,000 ayear now paid to American labor to Europe, there to be paid out f or European labor. The effect of that every workiug-man can see for himself.