Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1905-06-19
TAFT VS.. TEXT BOOK
SECRETARY TAFT'S FAMOUS FREE
TRADE ORDER
Should be Read in Connection With
the Republican Campaign Text
Book for 1904. This Book Offered
to Show That the Foreigner Paid
the Tariff.

The Republican Campaign Text-Bo
for 1901 provides inte' esting reading in
the light of recent developments with
respect to the tariff question. Several
pages of that book were devoted to an
effort to show that American goods were
not sold abroad cheaper than at home.
And where it seemed impossible to deny
that IN some cases foreign prices We're
cheaper, an effort was made to explain
away the fact by the statement that
American manufacturers were seeking to
build up a market for the benefit of
| American labor. Where it was incon.
venient to deny that American prices
were much higher than foreign prices,
an effort was made to explain away the
fact by the assertion that it is a duty to
buy at home, and that even when Ameri-
cans pay exorbitant prices for American.
made goods, they are merely "paying
the money into their own pockets"
Dealing particularly with the duties
on iron and steel the text book sought to
establish the claim that those duties are
not prob bitive as to imports, and that it
is not in the power of the manufacturers
to maintain such prices as they may
choose in the home market.
In another chapter an effort was made
to show that prices in the United States,
were as rule much lower than prices in
England.
| The proposition that the foreigner
pays the tax was asserted by this text
book and it was said: "The claim that
the foreign producer or merchant pays at
least a part Of the tariff levied on import
ed goods ia now admitted in free trade
England"
One chapter of the text book was
largely devoted to an effort to show THAT
trusts do not control prices. In this
chapter it was said that trusts are utter
ly unable to control the markets." An
extract from this chapter follows:
"It is doubtless true that occasional
sales of American manufactures are made
abroad at less than the established prices
at home, just as the manufacturer or
merchant frequently sells below his regu-
lar price in the home market for the
sake of gaining new customers or OF dis.
posing of his surplus produce at cost =,
rather than close down his factories and
deprive his workmen Of employment"
| oo;o ,.,oo Ia ii ~, kpo ro,,ork of n
commission to the effect that "a great
majority OF the answers Ito its inquiry
indicate that prices are no lower abroad
than they are for domestic consumers,
and considerable number indicate that
foreign prices are higher"
In another chapter it was asserted &:
circumstances in the United States do
not justify the assertion made by the
free traders that a protective tariff re .
suits in an advance of prices or in high
prices in the country adopting it. Ger.
tainly it has not been the case in the
United States."
These statements are particularly in.
teresting at this time. They require no
comment other than that provided in
what is known as "Secretary Taft's free
trade ORDER" 1t will be remembered that,
according to the dispatch carried by the
Associated Press, the canal commission
acting with the approval of Secretary
Taft-who acted with the approval Of
President Roosevell-decided that the
money consideration in the purchase ol
canal supplies was go great that it could
not be ignored, and it was, therefore, de-
cided to purchase material in the mar.
kets of the world. AS explained by this
press disoatch cit was held that in many
cases fully so per cent more would be
charged for the material needed in the
canal construction than the same goods
could be procured for in Europe"