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The Commoner.
VOLUME 13, NUMBER 15
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The Commoner. How the Tariff Bill Will Lower Cost of Living
ISSUED WEEKLY
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THE COMMONER, Lincoln, Neb.
the semblance of privilege or any kind of artifi
cial advantage, and put our business men and
producers under the stimulation of a constant
necessity to be efficient, economical and enter
prising masters of competitive supremacy; bet
tor workers and merchants than any in the
"world."
"The object of the duties henceforth laid
must be effective competition, tho whetting of
American wits by contact with tho wits, of the
rest of tho world."
"We must build up trade, especially foreign
trade."
"We must build up industry, as well, and
and must adopt freedom in place of artificial
stimulation only so far as it will build up, not
pull down."
"Our object is clear. If our motive is above
Just challenge and only an occasional error
of judgment is chargeable against us wo shall
bo fortunate."
"We havo to deal with the facts of our day;
with the facts of no other, and to make laws
which square with those facts."
Rend these paragraphs to your high tariff
neighbor and help him to understand that the
democratic tariff platform program is a con
structive program a program that will result
In the greatest good to tho greatest number.
TIIE NEW DEMOCRATIC TARIFF BILL
Now York World: Only two clauses in the
Underwood bill are likely to occasion serious
opposition within tho democratic party. One is
the provision for a reduction of 25 per cent in
the duty on sugar, with its total extinction in
1916, and the other is tho free-wool schedule.
Sugar and wool have enjoyed a special sanctity
in the eyes of congress for many years. Neither
the Declaration of Independence nor the consti
tution nor the bill of rights can command such
eloquent and vehement defense as sugar and
"wool. Just as the woollen schedule has been
the citadel of protection for the manufacturers,
bo tho sugar and wool schedules havo been tho
citadel of protection for the producers of raw
material.
No other articles can alienate so many demo
crats from tho principles and promises and
pledges of their party, and these two schedules
will be the "Bloody Anglo" of tho tariff fight.
All tho conscience and power and resources of
tho Wilson administration and the democratic
organization will be required to write the Under
wood sugar and wool provisions into the new
tariff law. Herein lies tho gravest threat of party
discord and party perfidy. Against the bill as
a whole the World believes there can be little
sincere and disinterested opposition. It is an
honest measure. It is a1 reasonable measure. It
is an intelligent measure. It is a progressive
measure. It is not the product of intrigue and
log-rolling. It was bought with no corrupt con
tributions to a campaign fund. It was framed
by the representatives of the people and not
by tlie representatives of yrivileged interests. It
is a bill to promote the welfare of the many,
not tho profits of tho few, and the democratic
party can stand by it in all honor and in all
good faith.
The St. Louis Times submitted to Represen
tative Harrison, democrat, of New York, a mem
ber of the ways and means committee, the
following question:
How does the new democratic tariff bill pro
pose to lower the cost of living?
Exactly how much will it reduce the price of
clothing, food, fuel and other necessaries of life?
Mrs, Harrison answered these questions by the
following statement:
Tho present tariff bill is the most earnest
attempt to lower the cost of living, to break
up the power of tariff protected monopolies and
to lighten the burden of taxation since before
tho war.
The American producers of food, clothing and
other necessaries of life will no longer be able
to monopolize the home market. They must
now compete on fair terms with the producers
of other lands. The consumers will benefit
through getting a better article at a less price.
This is the first attempt since the foundation
of our government to shift the burden of taxa
tion off the great masses of consumers, where
the tariff places it, onto the backs of the wealthy,
who are best able to pay the expenses of our
government. Every dollar which will be col
lected through the income tax means a dollar
less of tariff burden on the plain people.
The income tax will be assessed against the
incomes of the wealthy to make up the deficit
in revenues that will follow the reduction of
import duties on the necessities of life. And
every dollar of it will represent a clear saving
to the consumer on food, clothing, fuel and
other necessaries. Under the new tariff, this
amount can be estimated at from $125,000,000
to $150,000,000. The following resume of dras
tic reductions in the present tariff law illus
trates the far-reaching effect the new bill will
have:
FOOD
Meats All duty will be taken off meats, fresh
and prepared. This means that meat from Ar
gentine can be imported to compete with the
product of United States packers.
Fish All fish are on the free list, spelling
a probable average of 20 per cent reduction in
its cost to consumers. This covers the enor
mous catch in the northern Atlantic waters, a
majority of which is marketed in the east.
Bread Biscuits, wafers and bread have been
put on the free list. This opens the markets
of the world to every consumer in the country
and provides a formidable rival to the "biscuit
trust." The Payne law, by a joker which re
mitted the duty only on unsweetened biscuits,
prevented foreign importations, because prac
tically all biscuits and wafers have some sugar
in their composition.
Fruits All citrus fruits, lemons, oranges or
grape fruit, are reduced from 1 to y per cent
per pound, opening the markets of the Mediter
ranean to this country. The Payne tariff effec
tually prevented competition, and limited the
citrus fruits supply to California and Florida
All fresh fruits are cut from 25 cents to 10
cents a bushel, permitting importations from
Canada and the tropics.
Milk Fresh, preserved or condensed milk is
put on the freo list.
PoultryLive poultry is cut from 3 cents to
1 cent per pound; dead from 5 to 2 cents
Cheese Is cut particularly as to the cheap
grades used in quantity by the average con
sumer. fa u
it. G.neIal PnlSCe:0n Seneral Produce, used
in great quantities by all consumers, the duty
has been cut in some instances more than 100
per cent.
The following list of necessary foods repre
sent the cutB that were made:
Potatoes go on the free list. This will pre
vent a potato famine or the manipulation of
prices by combines. Similar facts are true of
butter, beans, pickles, eggs, onions and peas
CLOTHING
Schedule K The wool schedule is the most
heavily cut item of the whole tariff and means
better clothing and better woolen furnishings at
greatly reduced cost. In some caTes woolen
garments havo suffered cuts of 180 per cent
The duty on woolen clothing In the new tariff
will enable the consumer to purchase for $8 a
suit for which he now pays $10. The reduction
on higher priced clothes will be in equal raUo
Woolen socks, underwear, sweaters, mufflers
and gloves wi 11 be imported Into this country
and sold at prices much cheaper than now pre-
Cotton Clothing Cotton clothing of all kinds
including men's and women's underclothing, an
enormous item, has been cut 100 per cent. '
Leather and Leather Goods With the ex
ception of dress gloves, leather goods are put
on the free list. This will foroe American
manufacturers of shoes to compete with foreign
markets. The cut in duty on men's dress gloves
will reduce their prices an average of 50 cnts
per pair. Workingmen's gloves are put on the
free list.
FUEL
Bituminous and Anthracite Coal These are
now duty free and will permit large importa
tions of English, Welsh and Canadian coals.
MISCELLANEOUS
Paint The consumer will be able to purchase
excellently made foreign paints at very low
prices.
Soaps All soaps have been cut from 20 to
5 per cent. This will force American soapmak
ers to materially lower the prices of their pro
ducts or increase the size of the soap cake.
Household Furniture The duty on all house
hold furniture has been cut from 35 to 15 per
cent. This will increase importations of excel
lently made foreign furniture at low prices,
particularly' bentwood furniture from Austria.
Agricultural Implements Articles necessary
to the farmer have been placed on the free list.
Important among them are agricultural imple
ments, wagons and carts, cotton bagging and
binding twines, all fertilizers and insecticides.
DEMOCRATIC INCOME TAX BILL
Income Tax Rates Must Pay on $4,000.
One per cent on excess of all incomes over
$4,000.
One per cent additional on excess over $20,
000. Two per cent additional on excess over $50,
000. Three per cent additional on excess over
$100,000.
Thus, on a net income of $1,000,000 the tax
would be $38,260.
The corporation tax is to remain unchanged
at 1 per cent.
Special dispatch to Denver News: Washing
ton, April 7. Included in the democratic tariff
revision bill, introduced in congress today, is
an income tax section which would require every
resident of the United States who earns more
than $4,000 a year to pay a tax of 1 per cent
on his earnings in excess of the exemption.
This would not require the man who earns
only 4,000 to pay a tax, but would demand that
the individual who earned $4,100, for example,
pay into the government treasury an annual tax
of 1 per cent on $100, or $1.
The bill also would provide higher rates of
taxation for persons with larger incomes, ad
ding a surtax of 1 per cent additional on earn
ings in excess of $20,000; 2 per cent additional
on earnings in excess of $50,000, and 3 per
2? A. additional on earnings in excess of
$100,000.
HOW TAX WORKS OUT
UndoJ'rttne surtax provisions, the man who
earns $20,000 would pay to the government
C4A?nar at thf rate of 1 Per cent on $16,000
($4,000 exempt), or $160. If he earns $30,000
ne would pay 1 per cent on $16,000, and 2 per
??n on 10'000, thus making his annual tax
?Jto. The person with a $50,000 income would
En Lper cent on $16,000 and 2 per cent on
fi :a'0rttal of $76- Tlle man with an
income of $100,000 would bo required to pay
1 per cent on $16,000, 2 per cent on $30,000,
55 9RnPermSent, on ?50.00, bringing his tax to
si nnn nn?he lndivldual with a net Income of
Sinn nnn Would pay thIs $226 on his first
Lv! ',SAn addition he would pay 4 per
to $38?260 ' WhiCh W0Uld brln hiS ta
inuS?? al,sa would re-enact the present cor
Snrnii ta? law lmPosing 1 per cent tax on the
arnirtgS 0f corPrations, stock companies, in
vnw comPanIes and the like, but it would
exempt partnerships. This is a flat tax, there
Deing no graduated scale as the earnings in
S.?' few cnanges from tho present cor
niaf ? act concern chiefly the time of
nS gi Ii?tuirns and the time for collection.
!. U1 also includes under its provisions the
ESS 7 a,nd eamings in this country of per
sons who live abroad.
It is estimated by members of the ways and
means committee that approximately $100,-
V