Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1905-02-24
sAKRs FOOLED kcaln.
What Attorney General Moody's
Drawback Decision viii Do for
Home Consumers.


Free hides, free wool, free lumber
In ssword, FREQ raw and partially manu-
featured materials Of every sort and de-
scription-are now az the disposal Of
American manufacturers engaged in the
export trade as a result Of the far4reach-
ing drawback decision OF Attorney Gem
eral Moody
This says the republican Chicago
Tribune Is joyful tidings for imeyican
manufacturers, especially in Ncw Eng
land They viii return thanks o the
New England attorney general, who has
given them cheaper raw materials for
their export trade without making II
easier for their foreign rivals to enter
the domestic market
The wooden mills can establish a fol
eign trade, Cor they will have cheap
wool. but the dut3ks on foreign woolens
will remain almost prohibitory. The
makers of woodenware can import
Canadian lumber duty free and make
cheaper goods to send abroad, but those
made by Canadian manufacturers viii
have to pay the same high duty The
print paper trust can import Canadian
wood pulp to make the paperit sells out
side the country, but the duties on print
paper made In Canada are as exclusive
as ever. The New England shoemaker's
export trade in patent leather shoes will
be increased, for he will gel d drawback
! on the fine leather. he imports, but the
7 duty on shoes will not be changed II
the Rhode Island and Massachusetts dol.
lar jewelry men who defeated.the rati.
fication Of the reciprocity treaty with
France import any Of the materials that
go to make up their brummagem goods
they viii be benefited and the foreign
cheap stuff will still be effectually ex.
cluded an
The manufacturers will sing the
praises Of Attorney General Moody, Of
Massachusetts,, and Secretary OF the
Treasury Shaw, of Iowa, who have con.
strued away provisions of the tariff act
they did not like without touching
those they approved Of, But there are
others who will not join in theehorus
American consumers hardly can be ex-
pected to exult over something which
enables domestic manufacturers 10 sell
more cheaply to foreigners but not to
their own countrymen--whi puts 1t in
the power of some trust to gain a foot
hold in foreign markets while leaving
i 1t free to exact monopoly prices from
| American consumers.
/ The farmers may ask where they come
In. They may ask themselves how far
they are the beneficiaries Of protective
tariff when hides, wool, wheat and, other
raw materials they produce can be im-
ported free by manufacturers who use
them for export trade. 1t may appear to
the farmers that in spite of the imposing
! agricultural schedules Of the tariff they
are not protected except as to eggs
chickens and cabbages.
4 The revision of the tariff by con
struction may have consequences the
two cabinet officers did not dream of
1t may set the farmers to thinking thai
the tariff is turkey for the manufacture
ers but buzzard for them and that there
should be a general revision by con.
gress giving manstacturers cheap raw
materials to use in the domestic as wei
as in foreign markets and enabling
farmers and other consumers to ge
manufactured goods at reasonable
prices by reducing considerably the du
ties on foreign goods and providin,
wholesome competition. Soon 1t may b,
impossible for Speaker Cannon to sa,
truthfully that nobody in his district o
! elsewhere is taking any interest In tn
tariff question
Messrs Moody and Shaw may hev,
unknowingly inserted the thin end OF
wedge which win split the republican
party on the tariff Issue. The New Eng
; land manufacturers who applaud thei
construction Of the drawback law ar
an insignificant fraction of the party.