Bisbee daily review., 1904-02-18
ANXIOUS WORKTNCMEN.
The Cost of Living Does Not
 Go Down With Wages.
HEAVY BURDEN OF TARIFF TAxE,

Ffve-sixths of Those Taxes Go to Fad ten the Trusts-ShOuld Come on a.,
 Once-Roosevelt's Message silent os
 the Subject-workers Must suaeI Four Years Longer. The Journal of the Knights of Labor 1 for November says: That most exceileDiI l and carefully edited labor paper. ths 1 National Labor Tribune of Pittsburg in its 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 moi ably, have been reduced already. Jus l tice requires that other things should come down in proportion. Let rent an9 taxes both be lowered if the working man is not to be ground between the l upper and the neither millstones" Apparently a new idea has occurred. ! to these labor papers. If it can b. made to work. the wage earners will not in future have to carry the heavief 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 fol goods falls off and the manufacturerIr 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 iaboris earnings grow less, why cannot ha have his rent, taxes and other costs of living reduced accordingly? How nice 1t would be if he could pass this trou- ble along.
 But we fear that the workers will moi 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 wha have to live somewhere-that is. untiI they starve or freeze. State. county and local taxes could not be reduced, without reducing the salaries of the of fceholders, and it is absurd to suppOs.s that our political friends are going t. vote lower taxes and lower salaries tc themselves
 The other kind of taxes are internsi revenue and tariff taxes The interna, revenue taxes are mostly on iiquori 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 about S12o a year. of wlIicbi s10 goes for state and local taxes, $25 for internal revenue and 800 for tariff taxes. Of the tariff taxes only about $15 goes to the government, tie re- naining STo going to the tariff trusts and other protected interests.
 There is no good reason why this $7J, year of tariff taxes which goes to the protected trusts should not be takcni off. even when times are good and when wages are high. When wages are low and men are out of work evcryi unnecessary burden shonld curtainlyi be lifted from labor's weak back. Thisl burden can be frightened only by act of, congress. and, unfortunately for thei workingmen, they have elected the wrong set of men to congress The stand patters' are now on GecI: in Washington. and they would see the workiDgmen 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 Wasti- ington care about the sufferinsS of the people because of high tariff taxes for the benefit of trusts that President RnnSavQIf in hiS fo 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. Of course tue 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 if they could next year look elsewhere than to these same trusts for a Bi: 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 wintersi ahead. and the cost of living is about. the highest ever known. thanks to thei trusts, which charge us all the tariff will allow, but sell their goods t0 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 Republican senate stands between the people and lower tariff taxes.
 It looks as if the workingman would have to be ground between those milI- stones four years longer. Sorry. but if is their own fault
 BYRON ". HOLT.