Bisbee daily review., 1904-03-25
ANXIOUS WORK1NCMEN.
The Cost of Living Does No,
 Go Down With Wages.
HEAVY BURDEN OF TARIFF TAXES

Ffve-sixths of Those Taxes Go to Fat.
 ten the Trusts-shouId Come on as
 Once-Roosevelt's Message silent os
 the subject-workers Must Suffer
 Four Years Longer.
 The Journal of the Knights of Labor fer November says: That most excellent and carefully edited labor paper. the National Labor Tribune of Pittsburg. in it's last issue gives this pointer:
 Wages are expected to come down st the first of the year in all directions Many crafts, iron and steel workers not ably, have been reduced already. Jus tice requires that other things should come down in proportion. Let rent and taxes both be lowered if the working man is not to be ground between the upper and the neither millstones."
 Apparently new idea has occurred to these labor papers. If it can be made to work, the wage earners will not in future have to carry the heavier end of the burden of industrial depres- sions. They can unload on somebody else, just as the manufacturer now un. loads on them. When the demand for goods falls off and the manufacturers profits begin to diminish the manufac' turer reduces his working force or re duces wages, or both. When the de mand for labor slackens and labor'a earnings grow less, why cannot - have his rent, taxes and other costs of living reduced accordingly? How nice It would be if he could pass this trou- ble along.
 But we fear that the workers will no, get relief in these directions. Land. lords refuse to reduce rents much be cause they know that there are just as many houses and so many people whc have to live somewhere-that is, until they starve or freeze. State, county and local taxes could not be reduced without reducing the salaries of the of dceholders, and it is absurd to suppose that our political friends are going tc vote lower taxes and lower salaries tr themselves.
 The other kind of taxes are iafernal revenue and tariff taxes The internal revenue taxes are mostly on liquors and tobacco. It would hardly be advis able to reduce these much until the tariff duties on the necessities of life are greatly reduced. These tariff taxes which but few people know anything about. really constitute more than two thirds of all taxes paid by the average family. The total taxes of the average family are abSdt S125 year, of which sl0 goes for state and local taxes. S25 for internal revenue and 800 for tariff taxes. Of the tariff taxes only about S15 goes to the government, the re maining S15 going to the tariff trusti and other protected interests.
 There is no good reason why this S7s a year of tariff taxes which goes to the protected trusts should not be taken off, even when times are good and when wages are high. Wton wages are low and men are out of work every unnecessary burden should certainly be lifted from labor's weak back. This burden can be frightened only by act oi congress, and, unfortunately for the "oi AihSiieA, tuey HdNc eieCteC tlt wrong set of men to congress. The stand patters" are now on deck ir Washington, and they would see the workingmen of this country sweat blood before they would think of offer ing relief that could be given only by stopping the graft of the trusts.
 So little do the Republicans at Wash ipgton care about the sufferings of the people because of high tariff taxes fol the benefit Of trusts that President Roosevelt in his message to congress did not even mention the word tariff He last year joined the stand patters' on the tariff. and the whole Republican not be disturbed until after the next presidential election. Of course the real reason for this decision is that the protected manufacturers have paid for the privilege of tariff taxing the people and will not consent to let go of this privilege. The Republicans might be willing to break faith with the trusts ii they could next year look elsewhere than to these same trusts for a big campaign fund. The Republicans have never revised the tariff downward and probably never will do so while grass grows.
 The outlook for worLingnen is mol rosy. There are two hard winters ahead, and the cost of living is about the highest ever known, thanks to the trusts, which charge us all the tariff will allow, but sell their goods to for eigners at very low prices. Possibly the voters may find out by next year how to reduce their taxes in- the only way worth considering, but 1t Is i'm probable that their burdens can be frightened before 1907, for a Republican senate stands between the people and lower tariff taxes.
 It looks as if the workingman would have to be ground between those mill stones four years longer. Sorry, but | Is their own fault.
 BYRON W HOLT