FEBRUARY 10, 1911.
The Commoner
i
days Representative Smith now- cornea for
ward and makes an extended- and' interesting
defense of the doctrine, as both good democ
racy and good sense. His points are too many
to enumerate, but some of them are very con
vincing. There is the argument not new, of
course, but never answered that other manu
facturing countries admit raw material free,
and that for us to put a duty on it would bo
to impose on our manufacturers a positive tax;
-Jto take off such a duty would not be, as Senator
.Bailey and others have contended, a form of
protection; it would bo merely removing a
burden and handicap which ought never to be'
imposed. The difficulty about' defining.raw ma
terial is not practically important, since we alL
know fairly well what is meant -by .the. term.
.The tax on' raw material, like .every. other -tariff
tax, is in. theuend paid by the consumers;' yet
meanwhiler itt operates, to denx our manufacturers-
tx -f air chance-in foreign - markets;
In the matter ofr the democracy of the doc
trine, Mr. Smith is able to produce some telling
citations from utterances of various democratic
leaders. Perhaps the most telling is one from
Robert J. Walker, father of the tariff of 1846;
but at a later period one finds Cleveland and
Bryan in full agreement on the point. Hardly
less effective is the evidence that, whether or
not the doctrine is democratic, it, cannot be set
down as republican. That could 'be done only
over the vigorous protests of the men with the
best right to speak for "the republican party.
These have pretty uniformly denounced the doc
trine as the most insidious and dangerous of all
forms of the democratic low-tariff contention.
Harper's Weekly.
HIGH TARIFF FRUIT
"Lemons are scarce and high. The best grade
of Messina lemon will bring $6.50 to $7.00 a
box, and fancy California fruit will bring, even
higher prices. Dealers assert that one ot the
reasons for the Jiigh prices of lemons is the
tariff which is $1.10 "a box- A few years aco
only about twentyrfive cents a- box was the
xanir."
;Tle b,pve,,.qudtati6n is from the Pittsburg
market report of October 2tf, 1910. It shows
the effect of tfio tariff which Roosevelt and Taft
say is "the best ever." Of course, 4t is "the best
ever' for the few whom it licenses to rob the
American people. The voters should soon be
tired of "the best ever" Payne-Aldrich pet of
Roosevelt and Taft. E. E. KEELER,
R. 1. Ford City, Pa.
A GROWING REFORM
George W. Acklin,. Pittsburg, Pa. In the line
of The Commoner's campaign for election of
United States senators- by popular vote, I beg to
call your attention to "Pittsburg Dispatch sen
atorial straw vote contest." The Dispatch re
ports that during the past week, "upwards of
21,000 ballots were cast in this contest and of
this vast number, coming from every corner of
the Keystone state, less than thirty were marked
as opposed to the proposition to elect senators
by popular vote. It seems to me. this indication
of the direction of the senatorial breeze in boss
ridden Pennsylvania ought to be given the
widest possible publicity.
pensation to injured employes In all lines of
Industry.
Concerning the Income tux Governor Shafroth
said: "This power of tho national government
was exercised on previous occasions, but about
fifteen years ago a law authorizing such tax was
declared unconstitutional by tho supremo court
of tho United States. In order that tho govern
ment may possess that power It is necessary that
the constitutional amendment should bo ratified
by the legislatures of the respective states.
"When a man by tho protection and advan
tages given to him by a benign government, is
enabled to make an income over and abovo tho
.cost of supporting -himself and family, ho owes
to his Country the duty of contributing a part
of , the wealth so acquired for .the maintenance
of .that governments The most enlightened na
.tionr on tha face of the globo resort to that
.mode of raising revenues.
"Taxes upon Incomes are taxes upon people
who can afford to pay and, therefore, are less
burdensome upon the people than many other
forms of taxation. I, therefore, urge that tho
general assembly4 ratify this constitutional
amendment, so that it may become a part of tho
constitution of the United States."
SHAFROTH'S RECOMMENDATIONS
John Shafroth of Colorado, is one of Amer
ica's great governors. - Tho message he sent
recently to the Colorado legislature will take
high rank as a state paper. Recommendations
in that message are as follows:
Urges passage of. a bank guaranty measure
as a "solemn obligation;" declares the Texas
plan is the fairest.
Asks that power possessed by the public ser
vice commission of New York be vested in the
railroad commission of Colorado.
Demands passage of good registration bill,
containing such measures as will provent frauds
at elections.
Favors central board of three, to be paid fair
salaries, for control of all the penal institutions.
Advises ratification of the federal constitu- '
tional amendment providing for the income tax.
Asks four-year terms for state officials, with
the recall.
Wants a law regulating and limiting cam
paign contributions.
Advises tax of one cent a ton on all coal
mined in the state and enlargement of coal
(mine inspector's department.
Suggests appointment of commission to study
the subject and report ,to the next general as
sembly a measure providing a system of com-
A BIG PLACE
The Houston (Texas) Post, a newspaper which
objected to the democratic method of choosing
house committees declares that the speakership
would be an empty honor with tho power of
naming committees removed. The Post seems
habitually to take the undemocratic view. It
will be a greater honor for Champ Clark to bo
the presiding officer of a real house of repre
sentatives than to be the dictator of a body
from which all "constitutional semblance has
departed.
BROKE THE RECORD
The Houston (Texas) Post says: "Our friend,
the New York World, is now getting' the college
presidents to demand an, extra session of con
gress to revise the tariff.. If the.Wprid only
knew how. Indifferent seasoned politicians" are
to the demands" of college presidents!','
But there is one college president in New
Jersey who made the "seasoned politicians" sit
up and take notice.
"THE DEMOCRATIC PRESS"
Editor Hemphill was chosen to respond to the
toast, "The democratic press," at the Baltimore
re-organization banquet. Mr. Hemphill did what
he could during several presidential campafgns
to defeat the democratic national ticket. It
was perhaps just as well that the banqueters
made so much noise that Mr. Hemphill did not
deliver his address'.
NEVER MIND, SENATOR GORE
Senator Gore of Oklahoma need not be dis
turbed about the attacks made upon him by his
enemies. The American people have confidence
in the Oklahoma senator, believing that he has
done his best to protect the public Interests and
they thank him for his faithful service.
JOSEPH FELS AND HIS MISSION
(An interview with Joseph Fels in the Chicago
Tribune of January 9, 1910)
A little' man with a big mission and a big pile
of money it is estimated at $8,000,000 with
which to carry it Out, went through Chicago
yesterday. He is Joseph Fels of Philadelphia,
soap maker and single tax apostle. "If you're
an honest reporter, I'm glad to meet you," said
Mr. Fels as he looked up at his visitor in the
La Salle hotel. On being assured that honesty
was the chief aim in life of his visitor Mr. Fels
displayed a newspaper clipping and said, "Read
that." Here is what tho headline said:
CONFESSED ROBBER!
Joseph Fels, Millionaire, Tells
How He Got It
Mr. Fels was assured that the report was
shocking. "But it's true," he said. "So are all
millionaires. I haven't so much fault to find
with the way Rockefeller and Carnegie are giv
ing away their money as I have with the sys
tem that permitted them to get it. Swollen
fortunes for the few and prohibitive prices for
the many are tho direct result of special priv
ileges. I am "for single tax and low tariff. The
tariff Is about as insidious a crime against the
prosperity of a common pcoplo as could bo con
ceived by a fathead government, which allows
itsolf to bo controlled by big business. A box
of forty matches is sold in an avorngo grocery
store in America for one cent. Six boxes of
forty matches in a box are sold on tho ntrcots
of London for a penny. Eggs in England,
twonty-oight conts a dozen. Tho day I landed
in Now York eggs wero forty-five cents a dozen
there. They wero cold storage eggs, too. Cost
of living! Why look at this suit of. clothes!
What do" you suppose I paid for It In London?
- Just. $2.0. To -duplicate - It hero; it. would cost
mo $35; and I do not.consldor that tho average
wages of tho common people in America aro
much, If afty, higher than in Great Britain, cost
of living considered."
Asked concerning-his intorostHh' politics, -sMr.
Fels said: "I am not in politics-. I am. working
to push along, thtf ocoiomlc'philofwp)iyjfHenry'
George. That Is my purpose in, traveling to tho
Pacific coast now Wo shall have somethings
liko single tax In Oregon in 1912."
"I have heard you intend to dispose of your
fortune in benefiting humanity," was suggested.
"This will toll you all about tho Fels fund,"
said ho, handing out some printed literature.
"Read that carefully."
One of tho pamphlets said Mr. Fels is "giving
In England $25,000 a year; in Denmark, $5,000;
in Canada, $5,000," and so on altogether,
$100,000 a year. And. ho 1b offering to give
$25,000 (or more) a year for five yoars (or
more) In tho United States on condition that
Americans who see tho "land cat" will match
him dollar for dollar. Tho money is to go into
a fund which will be spent in taxation move
ments which seem to bo making most directly
toward the cures of poverty.
"I want to spend my fortune to make such .
fortunes as mine impossible," ho said. "And
that's a serious, worthy, happy occupation for a
man of executive ability."
, Mr. Fels spoke in Oak Park at noon, addressed
single taxers in the afternoon, and heard Gif
ford Finchbt speak in Orchestra hall at night.
;
A UNIVERSAL PRAYER,
George N. Bailey in tho Houston (Texas)
Post: "Would to the Lord old Carnegie would
make haste and unload his pilo and be done
with it. We aro sick of the noise of It. Wo
are not grateful for any of his philanthropy, and
we aro as strong as ever for a horizontal reduc
tion of the Iron and steel schedules of the tariff
law so that he 'can't rob us any longer."
THE BURDEN OF MILITARISM
Tho standing armies of Europe exclude from
productive employment almost four million men,
not Including nearly two hundred thousand offi
cers. During the past twenty-five years the
military establishment has cost almost forty
thousand millions and yet there aro those who
would have our country enter Into a mad, rivalry
with Europe in military matters.
A PROLONGED STRUGGLE
A week after the execution of Charles I., two
centuries and a' half ago, parliament resolved
"That the house of lords is useless, dangerous
and ought to be abolished." The question is
still up and the patient people of Great Britain
still tolerate the hereditary body, but it looks
like it would be shorn of some of its powers.
REED OF MISSOURI
Senator Reed, who succeeds Senator Warren
of Missouri, will not remain long in the backr
ground. . He is an orator and, what is more, is
right on public questions. His campaign wasaf
spirited Aone, and his speeches won him an' en
thusiastic following. Keep your eye on Reed
of Missouri. Ho will not disappoint you.
SCORED AGAIN
Tho corporations and standpat element scored
again and heavily when President Taft ap
pointed Representative Walter I. Smith of Iowa
to bo judge of the Eighth circuit court to suc
ceed Judge Vandeventer. Mr. Smith is one of
the most pronounced among the corporation
standpat republicans.
WHY FORTIFY THE CANAL?
President Taft recommends the fortifying of
the canal. Why? It is a useless expenditure
of money and reflects upon the nation's good
intentions. It is about time for our nation to
do something to prove its faith in the peace
movement.
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