The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1905-08-18
SELF-REFoRMlNC TARIFF.
Under Republican Manipulation the
Tax on Imports Thinkers"
Itself.

We hear a good deal said these days
about the supposed necessity OF rails
ing or lowering certain duties. and
many people We fear. have the i'm
preston that the only way in which
duties can be raised is 10y a change
in the Law Yet as a matter of fact
the duties on carpet woods have been
almost doubled within short time.
The law provides that the duty shall
be four cents pound on all carpet
woods not costing in excess OF ~
cents a pound and seven cents a
pound on all carpet woods costing
more than I . cents pound. Up TO a
comparatively recent date the prevail
ing foreign price has been under II
cents, and SO the duty was four cents.
But lately the foreign price has been
lifted above - cents. and SO the duty
went up with il TO seven cents. And
II is this latter tax that our caspet
makers are now compelled 10 pay. on
an increase from 3S per cent ad va
lorem TO 5S per cent And this with
ont a congressional action.
In other words. says the Indianap.
oils News. congress arranged matters
SO that the tarin thinkers" itself.
From 80 per cent. 70 IS per cent. is a
big jump. and one that can not but op
crate injuriously TO our manufacturers.
We are exporting fewer carpets than
we exported ten years ago under the
free wool regime while we are i'm.
porting both more carpets and more
carpet woods. Our people must have
carpets. and our manufacturers must
have this foreign wool But they can
get neither without paying a tax on
carpet woods which allowing for the
shrinkage probably amounts to l0c
per cent The manufacturers are not
protected for their foreign trade has
fallen on by about 20 per cent. i'm
ports of carpets have increased and
tho increase in the importatsans ~
foreign woods shows that even the
grower is not protected Who is pro.
tected We DO not pretend 10 know
But what we wished 10 do was 10
point out how the tar.0, even il left
alone. reforms itself upward. That
IS part Of the game In this case wool
at eleven cents would pay fcpr cents
a pound. while wool at I2h cents
would pay seven cents pound. The
least change in the market would as
II has done almost double the tax on
the people. Ard this is the sort OF
tax law that business is forced 70 adj
inst fTElfF -, r..
can not tell a month in advance
whether they shall have TO pay a tax
OF BIZ or 5S per cent on raw wool
Such is the stability" OF system
which. we are told. must not be tam
pered with lest business conditions ba
disturbed. Business conditions are al.
ways subject TO disturbance under
such a law.
OF course the wool tariff will not
&c touched. Nor VIII any other SEIZED.
uie Of the tariff in the near future.
The instinct OF the standpatters Is
perfectly sound They know that
everything depends on something
else !" and that TO remove or greatly
reduce one exorbitant and foolish tax
would lead 20 retaliation which would
make certain radical reductions ali
round Il is conspiracy Of grab
only II is working ont so that the grab
bers do not always get what they
thought they we're going TO get. Much
5 lost through waste and friction
and there is always the danger that
the grabbers may begin To grab from
one another But the tariff as a sell.
raiser is an interesting device.