The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1906-02-22
HIDES.

COIHc VI Iuc pdpeie III 'ho oSoon"
district are working themselves
into quite a frenzy on the subject
of hides and seem to carry the idea
that if the tariff on them should be
removed the farmers of Minnesota
would have to 60 out of the stock
raising business. We will wager
that not one of the editors can
tell the average weight of an OK.
skin, a cow-skin, kid-skin or a
calf-skin, either green or dry. We
will wager further that not one OF
them can tell the amount of tariff
on any class of hides. Parrot like
they are repeating arguments that
some one has put in their mouths
without giving the matter any
personal investigation. AS far as
we are concerned we do not care a
straw whether the tariff on hides is
taken off altogether or is made five
times as high as at present. 1t is
the baggiest kind of bagatelle and
cuts about as much figure in the
question of tariff revision as the
army of Ecuador would cut in a
general war among the nations of
earth. 1t is one of the scarecrows
that is used by the "stand patters"
and their henchmen who when they
find sentiment for tariff revision
developing among the farmers,
open their mouths and yawp at
them, "Oh, you poor, deluded
mortals! Tariff revision means free
hides and free hides means that you
will travel to the poor house faster
than John Gilpin rode over the
pike"
Now let us look at this matter a
moment. Everyone knows, that
has any knowledge on the subject,
that ninety-fve per cent of all stock
sold is sold on hoof. They know
that the price of stock on hoof is
fixed by the beef trust. That this
price is not based on supply and
demand but is fixed by magnate
who sits in his office and by nod
to his typewriter sends the price up
or down as suits the purpose of the
trust. That the farmer and stock
raiser is receiving no more for his
stock at the present time, and often
not as much, as when hides were
free. The only time that a farmer
receives any benefit from the tariff
on hides is when he slaughters his
animal himself and sells the hide
and carcass separately. More thar
ninety-6ve per cent of all the hides
find their way into the tanks of the
beef trust, costing all the way from
a cent and half to three cents and
half a pound. There they are
kept until the eastern tanners must
have them and they, the tanners.
are made to pay price three or
four times as high as they cost.
The shoe manufacturer when he
manufactures it into shoes, adds
this increased cost to the price when
he sells to the retailer and then the
retailer collects from the consumer
and the man who wears out the
shoes pays the tribute to the beef
trust. We wonder if the editors
that are shouting about the benefits
of free hides are aware shoes are
from forty to fifty per cent higher
than they were a few years ago and
are going up all the time and the
reason of this increased cost is
owing to certain extent to the in
creased price of leather and this
increased cost finds its way into the
overlooking Golfers of the Beef
Trust.
For every dollar of benefit the
farmer receives from a tariff on
hides he pays back three to the
Beef Trust and not only that but
every person who wears shoes con-
tributes and has just that much less
to buy the farmers butter, eggs,
chickens, turkeys and other pro-
ductlons.
There are protective tariffs that
are of great benefit to the farmers
and working men but a tariff on
hides is not one Of them.