Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-01-06
ANXIOUS W0RKINGMEN.
The Cost of Living Does Not
Go Down With Wages.
HEAVY BURDEN OF TARIFF TAXES

Once-RoOseveIt's Message Silent on
the Subject-Workers Must Suffer
Four Years Longer.
The Journal of the knights OF Labor
for November says: That most excellent
and carefully edited labor paper. the
National Labor Tribune of Pittsburg.
III it's last issue gives this pointer:
Wages are expected to come down
at 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 a new idea has occurred
TO these labor papers. If it can be
made 10 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 IN
loads on them. When the demand for
goods fails off and the manufacturers
profits begin 10 diminish the manufac-
turer reduces his working force or re-
duces wages. or both. When the de-
mand for labor sIackens and Iabor's
earnings grow less, why cannot he
have his rent. taxes and other costs Of
living reduced accordingly? How nice
+ ii would be if he could pass this trou-
bic along.
/ But we fear that the workers will not
/ 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 who
/ have to live somewhere-tha is, until
/ they Starve or freeze. State, county
! and local taxes could not be reduced
without reducing the salaries of the of
iicehOldcrs, and ii is absurd to suppose
/ that our political friends are going to
vote lower taxes and lower salaries to
themselves.
The other kind of taxes are internal
/ revenue and tariff taxes. The internal
revenue taxes are mostly on liquors
and tobacco. 1t 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 ali taxes paid by the average
family. The total taxes of the average
family are about 1925 year, of which
$40 goes for state and local taxes, $50
for internal revenue and 800 for tariff
taxes. OF the tariff taxes only about
SD goes to the government, the re-
maining SO going to the tariff trusts
and other protected interests.
There is no good reason why this $40
Il 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. When wages
are low and men are out of work every
unnecessary burden should certainly
be lifted from labOr's weak back. This
burden can he lightened only by act of
congress. and, unfortunately for the
wOrkingmcn. they have elected the
wrong set of men to congress. The
stand pattcrs" are now on deck in
Washington, and they would see the
workinGmon of this country sweat
blood before they would think of offer
ing relief that could he given only by
stopping the graft of the trusts.
So little do the Republicans at Wash
ington care about the sufferingS of the
people because of high tariff taxes for
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
outfit now says that the tariff should
not be disturbed until after the next
presidential election. or course the
real reason for this decision il that the
protected manufacturers have paid for
the privilege of tariff taxing the people
and will not consent To let 90 of this
privilege The Republicans might be
willing to break faith with the trusts if
they could next year look elsewhere
than to these same trusts for Il big
campaign fund. The Republicans have
never revised the tariff downward and
probably never will do so while grass
grows.
The outlook for workingmen is not
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
eisners ut very low prices. Possibly
the voters may find out by next year
how 10 reduce their taxes in the only
way worth considering. but ii is im-
probable that their burdens can be
Iightened before 1907. for Il Republican
senate stands between the people and
lower tariff taxes.
1t looks as if the workingman would
have Ia Ice ground between those mill
stones four years longer Sorry. but it
is their own fault.
BYRON W. HOLT.