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The Commoner.
5-
DECEMBER 311909
cd, In a sensational, speech, congressional inves
tigation of the general land office.
Neither the anti-Ballingerites in private life
nor any members of the minority, nor all of them
together, have sufficient leverage to throw off
the "lid" against the wishes' of the president
and Speaker Cannon. But at least they are oscil
lating it so persistently and industriously that,
refusal to consent to an investigation will placo
both the secretary and his friends in a rather
uncomfortable position. There are many un
questionably who believe that tho president has
been misled to indorsement of his secretary's
past and present record. Accusers of that ofilcial
insist that their charges can bo substantiated
by- the records. Where questions of veracity
are so directly opposed, and both disputants in
sist that the records justify their respective
claims, It would seem that the quickest and most
satisfactory way of ending the row Is offered
by' the proposed congressional investigation
which should result at least in bringing out. the
testimony o'f the "records," complete and un-garbled.
New York Times: In its efforts to make Mr.
Richard A. Ballinger's position in President
Taft's cabinet untenable, Collier's Weekly has
either overreached itself, or It has actually in
its possession evidence seriously damaging, not
only to Secretary Balllnger but to United States
Senator Heyburn of Idaho, and to Commissioner
Fred Dennett of the general land office at Wash
ington. In its issue of December 18 Collier's
brings fresh charges, to the effect that these
three officials have acted as attorneys fov per
sons interested In urging claims before the fed
eral departments offenses for which two United
States senators haVe been tried criminally and
convicted. The statue forbids officers of tho
government to. practice before the departments
not only during their incumbency, but "within
two years next after" they shall have ceased to
be officials. In March, 1908, Mr. Balllnger re
signed his commisslonership of the general land
office. The charges lodged against him by Collier's-are
here subjoined:
"Under date of- December 23, 1908, a little
over two months before he took office of secre
tary of the Interior, Ballinger wrote to the regis
ter and receiver of tho United States land office
at Juneau, Alaska, saying that he represented
W. G. Whorf, whose entry was known as coal
survey No. 315. On January 7, 1909, less than
sixty days before Ballinger became secretary of
the . interior, M. A. Green, who represents an
other Alaska' coal syndicate, wrote to John -W.
Dudley, register of the Juneau, Alaska, land
office: 'I submitted this scrip to Judge Bal
linger as my lawyer, and he has approved the
same, saying it was regular in every way, so I
bought it and paid for it, and am sending it for
ward to you at this time.' Under date of
April 19, 1909 six- weeks after Ballinger took
the oath of office as secretary of the interior
Walter M. French of the law firm of Allen &
Frencb. of Seattle wrote John W. Dudley, regis
ter of the Juneau land office: 'Mr. Harriman,
whom I represent, has on several occasions taken
tho matter of sale up with Judge Ballinger,
whose firm represented the purchasers, and with
Mr. Hartline, and the parties have at all times
seemed to be in perfect accord.' "
In respect to the Cunningham claims, Presi
dent Taft investigated and declared in his letter
to Mr. Eallinger of September 19 last that the
evidence concerning which the secretary of the
Interior had been consulted did not come within
the Inhibition of the law, since it was not se
cured "until after your resignation as commis
sioner," and Mr. Ballinger in advising his clients
could not have acted up6n official knowledge.
But the fresh charges are more serious very
serious, indeed as, also, the charge brought
against the present commissioner,. Mr. Dennett,
that he has admitted having "worked for the
legislation sought for these men (the Alaska coal
claimants) and had Interviewed several con
gressmen in their behalf." Senator Heyburif is
accused of accepting 100 acres of coal land In
consideration for his services as attorney for
the Cunningham interests. Either these charges
are true or they are gravely libelous. Mr. Hey
burn, Mr. Dennett, and Mr. Ballinger must make
answer to them.
Practical Tariff Talks
Perfumery is one of tho so-called luxuries
upon which tho tariff tax has been increased.
Under the Dingley law those preparations car
ried the high average tax of 77 per cent, or, as
expressed in tho law, GO cents per pound and
45 per cent ad valorem. Under the now law
the specific duty remains the same, but the ad
valorem has been increased to GO per cent.
Perfumery is only theoretically a luxury, its
use being general and doomed necessary by tho
women, constituting, as It does, tho base of most
toilet preparations. Tho effect of tho specific
duty of tho law Is to bar out all of the cheaper
perfumes, while those used by tho wealthy con
stitute almost tho whole of the importations.
This gives complete control of tho cheaper per
fume market to the American manufacturers,
who fix whatever prices they decide upon
through their association, which alms to rogu
late competition. As a cheap perfume weighs as
heavily as does a high-priced ono, tho specific
duty of 60 cents a pound results In this: That
on the cheaper grades used by tho masses, the
specific duty alone runs as high as 227 per
cent, while on the dear stuff it is as low as 2
per cent. And the labor cost of perfumery mak
ing runs only about 10 per cent of the total.
It is something of a jump from perfumory to
glue, but it can be excused on tho ground that
they are both in the chemical schedule, and both
are good illustrations of the application of tho
principle that runs through so many of the tariff
schedules, to bear down heavy on tho cheaper
grades of articles and light on the more costly
ones. Under the Wilson and McKInloy laws
the tariff on glue was 25 per cent. This was
changed In the Dingley law to 2 cents a
pound, which meant that on tho 10 cent a
pound glue the rate was 25 per cent, and on
4 cent glue it is equivalent to CO or 70 per
cent. At the tariff hearing before tho house
ways and means committee the chargo was
made that thjs, change was made at the instance
of the packers who manufacture the low-grade
glues. The effect of this naturally was to great
ly Increase the price of the cheaper glues.
Formerly the packers were glad to sell to the
jobbers at 4 to 5 cents. per pound. Today
and for the greater part of eleven years past
the cheapest glue sells for 7 to 8 cents a pound,
and the packers won't take any less because the
imported article can not pass tho tariff barrier
for less.
Never heard of cutch, did you? Maybe it
won't interest you to learn that cutch has been
taken off the free list and put under a duty of
seven-eighths of a cent a pound, about 25 per
cent of its value? But a little later you will
be paying the tax on every pair of shoes bought.
It won't be much, but it will be a good excuse
for tacking some more on. Cutch Is a tanning
extract, containing a strong brown coloring prin
ciple, and Is tho liquor secured from boiling the
chips of acacia trees , which grow only in
southern Asia. Cutch was originally used in
the dyeing of cotton and woolen cloths, but as
its value became known it was used for dyeing
silks, piece goods and various textile fabrics.
Later it became widely used in the tanning of
leather, as the discovery of aniline dyes de
stroyed much of its usefulness for text lea. The
demand for it has caused the substitution of
mangrove bark extract, and the importation of
the latter under the name of cutch.
woro felled for tholr bark alono and loft on tbo
ground to decay, and now .hemlock bark forma
but a small part of tho tanning oxtract trade.
Oak, howovor, is ntlll used, along with chestnut.
Tho effect of putting a heavy duty on cutch
will bo to oithor Incrcaso Its price, or if it i
shut out, to cnuso a furthor raid on tho forests,
whore tho American extract makers secure their
chlof supplies. c. Q. D.
It might be well if the public was furnished
with the names of those upon whose recommend
ation judicial appointments are made the ver
.., uJi. ,ii,vnci na wfill as the written
ones.:;-We could then tell what to expect in those
cases1: where "bias and personal opinion enter in.
The extract makers in this country desired
this tax put upon cutch because its importation
Internes with the sale of what they make
Cutch can not be made in this country, and f
a stiff tac be put on It the Importation will
ceaseecomingrohIbItive One of the men
who protested against the Increase said that
the government could well afford, in order to
save the oak and hemlock of our forests, to
Sv a royalty on every pound of mangrove cutch
?mnortedy Fifteen years ago, he said, practically
n tanning extracts were used in leather mak
ing With the failure of the bark supply in tho
immediate vicinity of the tanneries,. tho owners
hto go farther away, and the cost rapidly in
rreased Chestnut-wood extract began to bo
Sed with the oak-bark extract largely used,
St as the tanning business Increased it be
?? necessary to export various extracts made
XS? foreign woods and barks. Not many years
ago?so camels ero the tanners, hemlock trees
A MONEY DICTATORSHIP
Mr. J. Plorpont Morgan's Equitable Llfo As
surance Society refuses to buy any of tho four
per cont bonds issued by Dalian county, Texas,
because tho Texas legislature, has had tho au
dacity to enact an insurance law that is dis
pleasing to Mr. Morgan's company.
Hero follows tho lottor of tho Bqultablo'n
vice president to tho county Judgo of Dallas
county:
"Tho Hon. John L. Young, County Judgo of
Dallas County, Dnllas, Texas. My Dear Sir: I
have tho honor to acknowledge receipt of your
lottor in which, on behalf of Dallas county, you
offer for salo county bonds. I have read with
great interest what you say respecting tho bonds
as well as the financial statement of Dallas
county. I hnvo no doubt of tho soundness of
these securities and their desirability as an in
vestment. Wo should bo very glad to buy the
bonds, but as under tho extraordinary
laws of Toxas, enacted and approved by tho
present administration of your state, this society,
together with nearly all other strong and repu
table life Insurance companies which had boon
doing business in Toxas, was compelled to ro
tlro from tho stnto, we can not invost In Texas
securities nor can wo loan money In that stato
without jeopardy. For this reason wo can, not
becomo bidders for tho attractive bonds you
submitted to us. Respectfully yours,
"W. A. DAY, Vice President."
It Is stated In a Dallas dispatch that "aB no
eastern financiers have offered to buy any of
tho bonds It would seem that all havo taken
a stand similar to that noted by Mr. Day."
Let it bo observed that there Is "no doubt of
the soundness of these securities," no doubt of
"their desirability as an Investment," no, doubt
of the excellence of Dallas county's credit. The
bonds are boycotted by the New York monby
trust solely bocauso tho Tcxa lojffliaturo In the
exercise of a sovereign power has cnactod lnwa
that are offensive to Mr. Morgan's llfo insuranco
company and the other insuranco companies
allied with the money trust.
Tho World Is not defending the Texas insur
anco code. H may bo a very harsh and objec
tionable statute Wo arc merely calling atten
tion to this latest method of Wall Street finance
to coerce states and to punish states that do not
govern themselves In accordance with Wall
Street's wishes. Today it is Toxas that Is dis
ciplined for its insurance code. Tomorrow
county bonds in some other state may bo boycot
ted because of railroad legislation that Is offen
sive to tho money trust. Tho next day tho United
States government may feel tho weight of money
trust displeasure because congress has not been
sufficiently considerate of "vested rights."
Among tho great insuranco companies, banks
and trust companies thore is now a community
of interest the like of which the country ha
never before known. After Mr. Morgan bought
the Equitable from Thomas F. Ryan, a Wall
Street operator was quoted in a financial news
paper as saying that any man might experience
much difficulty in borrowing a million dollars
in New York, regardless of his security, if Mr.
Morgan was unwilling that ho should have tho
money. Tho Dallas county case may now bo
CltThisncoGmmunCity of interest is not confined to
New York. Tho great Wall Street banks and
the great insurance companies, through their
financial relations and alliances with outside
banks, reach to nearly every part of tho country
More and more they are coming to dictate the
firms on which the American people are per
SEdto do" business. Not satisfied wUh this
nower, they havo begun, as the Dallas case
shows; to dictate tho terms on which states may
govern themselves. otk
Whether Dallas county can dispose of $875.
000 in four per cent bonds Is of no great public
imnortance except for the extraordinary circum
stone of Shte financial boycott. Money has
i&n. smashed the
by tho throat. New York World.
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