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The Commoner.
VOLUME 10; NUMBER 39
ir.,-
drained of his earnings for the benefit of tho
manufacturer and tho manufacturer now shows
hlo lngratitudo by Belling abroad cheaper than
At home.
Q. How has tho tariff been maintained so long
when it is wrong iu principle, unwise in policy
and unnecessary?
A. Tho protected interests havo contributed
liberally to support literary bureaus and to cam
paign funds and havo coerced their employes by
tho threat of shutting down. Advocates of pro
tection havo been ablo to organize, distribute
litoraturo and get out tho vote, while advocates
of tariff reform, as they could promise no special
pecuniary benefits, havo had to make their cam
paigns without funds. The advocates of protec
tion havo done much to corrupt public opinion
by boldly teaching that tho voter should use tho
ballot to advance his pecuniary interests. Tho
manufacturer has been invited to vote dividends
into his pocket, tho wool grower has been solicit
ed to vote himself a higher price for wool and
tho laboring man haB been warned that a vote
against protection would lower his wagos.
Q. Is it truo as often asserted by advocates
of a high tariff that a high tariff always brings
good times and that tariff reform always brings
a panic?
A. No. Prosperity followed tho low tariff of
1840, and tho panic of 1873 occurred under a
high tariff. Tho panic of 1873 not only occurred
under a high tariff but twelve years after tho
republican party came into power and eleven
years before Mr. Cleveland's first election. Tho
panic of 1893 occurred while the McKinloy law
was in force a year before tho Wilson bill was
passed, and really began whilo the republican
party was in power.
Q. Is there any evidenco of growth in tariff
reform sentiment?
A. Yes. Tho farmers are no longer deceived
by tho home market argument, the employes no
longer regard their wages as dependent upon the
tariff and many manufacturers find tho tariff
more of an ombarrassraent than a benefit. Our
exporters, too, are discovering that our tariff,
discriminations excite retaliation in other
countries.
Q. 'Wneiv -will the beneficiaries of protection
consent to tariff reduction?
A. Never. A child gets so old that it is
ashamed to nurse; a calf gets so big that it will
wean itself, but no beneficiary of protection ever
voluntarily lets go of the public teat.
Q. When will the tariff be reformed by its
friends.
A. Just after the money lenders ask for a re
duction in the legal rate of interest that is, juBt
before the millenium.
Q. To whom must we look for tariff reform?
A. To those who suffer no abuso was over
reformed by those who profited by the abuse to
be reformed. - v
Q. When should tariff reform begin?
A. At once.
Q. And how?
A. By putting on. tho freb list thoso articles
which competo with articles controlled by the
trusts; second, by the reduction of the tariff on
tho necessaries of life, and, third, by such other
changes in the tariff schedules as will put "pro
tection .for protection's sake" "in the process of
ultimato extinction" with a view of restoring tho"
tariff to a revenue basis.
WILL HISTORY REPEAT?
Mr. Roosevelt's speoches at the New 'York
convention aTo examples of strength and vigor.
They aro probably tho best illustrations of
forensic oratory ho has given. He had a good
subject when he denounced tho bosses in charge
of tho republican party; and a man needs a good
subject for a great Bpeech. But when Mr. Roose
velt endorses Mr. Stimson as the right man to
reform Now York he aBks tho people to accept
big endorsement In lieu of a record. Ho did
that in tho case of Mr. Taft and tho result Is the
largest revolt tho republican party has known.
Is he any more certain in regard to Mr. Stimson?
DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGN BOOK
Tho democratic national congressional com
mittee has issued its campaign book and is now
distributing it. Tho committee has no funds
save as it obtains , them through contributions
and is selling the book at $1 per copy, or for
50 cents a copy in lots of ten or more.
The book is replete with valuable matter and
is said to bo tho best campaign book ever issued.
Every democrat shduld have it and in this year
of democratic effort for supremacy should gladly
contribute to tho committee by purchasing the
book. Tho committee did valiant service in
Malno with notablo results, and if democrats
overywhere will rise to the occasion, by their
dollar contributions, tho democratic sun will riso
triumphantly not to set for fifty years to come.
Send your orders or contributions to F. F. Gar
rett, treasurer, democratic campaign committee,
821 Fifteenth street, Northwest, Washington,
District Columbia.
. ADDRESS OYSTER BAY
E. S. Richardson, M. D., Read City, Mich.
Relative to the inquiry of Dr. D. L. Cowden in
laBt week's Commoner: I am pleased' to say
that information as to the construction of an
Aeolian harp might bo furnished by the con
tributing editor of the Outlook. The weird
strains of music from this harp no longer has its
charm on tho public ear, and the bombastic
musician will soon consign it to tire republican
political junk shop. Doctor, you can purchase it
cheaply after election.
ROOSEVELT AND LAFOLLETTE PLATFORMS
COMPARED
(From the Denver News)
Tho platforms of LaFolletto and Roosevelt
adopted yesterday by the republican state con
ventions of Wisconsin and New York, respective
ly, show many points of dissimilarity. The
most notable lack of agreement between the pro
gressives of Wisconsin and New York is seen in
the Taft and tariff planks. Wisconsin mentions
Taft only to disparage, and condemns the Payne
Aldrich tariff, while New York fulsomely praises
both Taft and the tariff. Wisconsin demands the
initiative, referendum and recall.
The salient features of the two platforms aro
shown below:
NEW YORK
1. War against graft.
2. Taft administra
tion fulsomely praised.
3. Payno - Aldrich'
tariff praised as revi
sion downward.
4. Congress com
5. Courts praised.
6. Hughes' adminis
tration praised.
7. Improving condi
tion of laborers.
8. Encouragement of
agriculture.
9. Conservation of
rivers resources.
10. Prevention and
cure of tuberculosis.
11. Prevention of
primary frauds.
12. Direct .primaries.
13. .
14.
15.
1G.
17.
18.,
19.
20.
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ks in.
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WISCONSIN
1. Condemnation of
pernicious activity of
breweries in primary
elections.
2. No mention of
Taft administration ex
cept to disparage it.
3. Pavne - Aldrich
tariff condemned.
4. Special Interests
in congress condemned
for suppressing inquir
ies by country life com
mission. 5.
6. Services of LaFol
lette in congress is
praised.
7. Regulation of
working hours of
women and children.
.8.
9. National controU
of natural resources.
10 '
11.
12. Second choice
primaries.
13. Physical valua
tion of railroads and
more stringent regula
tion. 14. -Federal owner
ship of Alaskan rail
roads. 15. Initiative, refer
endum and recall.
16. Anti-lobby law.
17. Graduated in
come tax.
18. Home rule in
liquor traffic.
19. Advalorem tax
on corporations.
20. Employers' lia
bility law.
00
The American Homestead, a monthly
farm journal of national scope, will be
sent to all Commoner subscribers, with-
out additional cost, who renew their sub-
scriptions during the month of Octo-
her. Take advantage of this offer at
onco and send in your renewal.
Practical Tariff Talks
In order to placate the public, angered over
the iniquities of tariff schedules, the information
is being disseminated that the president intends
to force a revision of the 'woolen schedule at tho
coming session of congress, and will be but
tressed, in his stand for a reduction by facts and
figures furnished him by his tariff commission.
Just what guarantee the president can give tho
voters that the senate, after having this infor
mation in its possession, will act as he desires
is not apparent. Practically all of the informa
tion that 4 the tariff commission can give was
laid before the senate by two eminent republi
can senators, Dolliver and LaFollette. Tho
records of senate proceedings for the second and
third weeks in June of 1909 contain many pages
of facts and figures presented by these two pro
tectionists, entirely justifying their demand for a
lowering of the duties and a readjustment of
the rates contained in the woolen schedule. Yet
scarcely a paragraph therein was changed. The
, vote in each instance was decisive. The infor
mation presented by the two senators was com
prehensive and authoritative. It might be sup
plemented by the work of the tariff" commis
sioners, but their facts are incontrovertible.
The figures presented by Mr. LaFollette were
gathered by aspecial agent of the department
of commerce and labor, a bureau that,, in fact,
4haBva. large mass of similar information relating
to manufacturing costs that render unnecessary
and duplicatory much of the work of the com
mission. The expert in this instance was W.
Graham Clark, and his researches are printed
in a comprehensive bulletin which anyone may
get from the department named. Mr. Graham
is a graduate of Harvard, and supplemented his
general education with technical courses in
textile schools, followed by actual experience
as a mill manager. He traveled, in quest of
this information, in all of the principal foreign
countries where the textile industry is estab
lished. He was selected for the work on the
recommendation of the textile manufacturers of
this country, woolen and cotton both. His work,
says Senator LaFollette, was deemed highly sat
isfactory until he reported on the labor and
other production costs of the woolen industry.
After that he was a target for many attacks.
Mr. Clark gives a detailed analysis of the
cost of production of eight typical samples of
worsted and woolen cloths, and these Mr. La
Follette presented in detail to the senate and
they didn't change a single vote. Mr. CJark's
tables show 'the wages in all countries and he
gave as his deliberate opinion that the highest
efficiency of labor was found in the United
States. In presenting the matter to the senate
Mr. LaFollette said that he would base his cal
culations on the theory that labor efficiency was
the same in England as the United States. He
worked, out tho cost of labor in England in each
instance, and taking the figures of Mr. Clark
that tho average wage in the United States was
twice as much as in England, he found the dif
ference in labor cost to be 21.3 per cent on a
high grade fancy worsted suiting, and approxi
mately the same on the other samples. He
added to this the compensatory duty allowed
for shrinkage when the wool is imported by
the American manufacturer, and found that the
total duty ought to be, if the difference in cost
of labor is to be the measure, 42.5 per cent,
whereas the tariff law carries a protection of
more than double, or 97 per cent.
Ci)
The figures submitted by tho Wisconsin senator
as to the remaining seven samples showed the
following to be the excess duty in, each instance:
No. 2, 52 per cent; No. 3, 54 per cent; No. 4, 5G
per cent; No. 5, 49 per cent; No. 6, 44 per cent;
No. 7, 63 per cent; No. 8, 55 per cent, nn aver
age for the eight of 53.8 per cent excessive
duty. This was not the testimony of a man
employed to bolster up any theory, nor from
any prejudiced or biased person, but of a dis
interested man employed by the government to
secure truthful and trustworthy Information.
In view of the fact that this testimony was
Ignored and flouted by the senate majority and
the old schedules re-enacted, with all of their
excessive duties, may it not.be pertinently asked,
what will the same senate do -with tho informa
tion that the tariff, commission presents?
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