Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-10-09

PioHIdpie way OF living.
These are the things the republican
party and Theodore Roosevelt stand
for. These are the things the repub-
ltcan party is willing to make its cam
paign on. Are they democratic .thun-
der?"
is THE TARIFF ADDED TO THE
PRICE.
Cedar Rapids Republican.-In the
campaign of 1890 and 1892 tariff reform
speakers and writer's all had a phrase
which they repeated over and over
again. They got it from Grover Cleye-
land. For the tariff is a tax which
is added to the cost, which the CON
sumner pays" For the time being 1t
served these people well. In 1890 the
Mckinley law was in process OF CON
struction. The democratic stump
speakers of that year used to 90
around with carpet bags filled with
articles of common use which they
would exhibit. They would name the
price of each article as quoted In the
market, and then declare that it would
be SO much less If there were no tariff
then dutiable but which the Mckinley
law proposed to tax, and among these,
articles made of tin were CONSPICUOUS,
they would say the price of this article
is so much, but under the inquitious
Mckinley law it will cost you so much,
increasing the latter figure from fifty
to seventy-fve per cent over the form
er.
The fallacy of this tariff reform con-
tenttons has been exposed over and
over again. There are any number
of articles of common use sold over
American counters today at price ac-
tually less than the duty. The doleful,
prophecies of the democratic orators
of 1890 as to what would happen when
tin should be made dutiable were never
fulfilled. Under the duty imposed up
on tin in the Mckinley law, and re-
acted in the Dingley law, the tin in
dustry has grown by leaps and bounds
until it is today one of the great indus
tries OF this country, employing thous-
ands of men at maximum wages, but
the consumer Of tin pays no more for
it than he did before the duty was
placed upon 1t.
Mr.. McCleary presents table which
he has used to refute democratic argu-
ments. 1t Is too elaborate for repro
duction here in tabular form, but some
quotations from it are instructive and
serve the purpose of utterly disputing
this fallacy that the tariff is tax
which is added to the cost which the
consumer pays. For example, hand
saw files are taxed at 75c per dozen,
they are sold at wholesale at 48c per
dozen. Salt is taxed 33 3-5c per bushel
and wholesaled at CSC. Lead pencils
are taxed Coo a gross and wholesaled
at 45c. Calicos are taxed sc per yard
and wholesaled at 3 3-4c per yard.
Shifting prints are taxed at &c per
yard and sell for the same price at
wholesale Carpets taxed at 64c per
square yard are sold at wholesale at
SOC per square yard. Cheviot taxed at
Csc per yard are sold at wholesale at
42c per yard. And SO on through a
list of thirty articles of common use.
In nearly every instance in the vari-
GUS tariff revisions where the duties
have been lowered under the impress
sion that the American consumer
would be benefited, the advantage has
all gone to the foreigner. 1t was so
even in the matter of coffee. Coffee
was dutiable years ago, that was a re-
venue duty. The republican party
made coffee free. That was the con
sistent thing to do, but what happen
ed? Why Brazil Immediately imposed
an export tax on coffee, and that tax
goes into the treasury of Brazil in
stead of into the treasury of the Uni
ted States, the American consumers
| u nNf
flied. In other instances where export
duties have not been LEVIED by foreign
countries on articles made free in
United States tariff bills, foreign mer-
chants have reaped the benefit. Mr..
McCleary quotes a letter from the
president of the Shepard company's
stores of Providence, Rhode Island, as
to his experience with kid gloves I'M
der the reduced tariff given in the
Wilson bill Mr.. Shepard goes on to
state that as the prices at which kid
gloves were selling were satisfactory
to their customers, he imagined the re-
duction would add to their profits. 1t
will be observed that the consumer
was not going to get the benefit in
any event. But this is what happened
according to Mr.. Shepard, "The manuf-
acturers on the other side advanced
the prices SO that we continued to pay
the same as before, the benefit going
to those abroad and not to any one in
this country.
The tariff reformer's stock In trade
is principally catch phrases. They
serve to produce pleasing prospects,
but when put to the test they seldom,
If ever. justify the hopes they encour-
age.
WHY LA TOILETTE WAS DE-
FEATED.