Charlevoix county herald., 1906-11-03
GARDENERS ABSURDITr.
Like the Dog Who Dropped the Rca,
Bone for the One in the Water.


changes in the Dingley law accordin;
TO his statement. He wants fire,
hides and free sole leather. Every
thing else he would leave as 1t is
Mr.. Gardner represents distric
which Is about as largely engaged il
the making of boots and shoes as the
state OF Iowa is in raising corn, hogs
and cattle. The finished products Of
Mr.. Gardeners constituents, that is tc
say boots and shoes, are adequately
protected by the Dingley law. They
In common with all manufacturers
have been doing better than they ever
did before; but they are not satisfied
with their just appointments of the
benefits Of protection, they want
more. They want free hides and free
| sole leather. In other words, free raw
material. They want this, not in or
| der to make boots and shoes cheaper
to the consumer, but to increase their
own profits. The interests OF the cat
tie raiser do not count with them.
The cattle raiser has his share of pro-
lection in the duty on hides; he is
perfectly willing that the boot and
shoe manufacturers shall have their
share OF protection on their finished
products. But Congressman Gardeners
constituents want TO despoil these peo-
pie to enrich themselves, and SO their
representative comes out for just Il
simple change in the Dingley sched-
ules, free hides and free sole leather.
The rest is satisfactory to him. At
the close Of his statement he takes q
fling at certain other gentlemen who
are selfshly demanding the sacrifice
of some other interests to enrich
themselves. He seems to be utterly
oblivious that his own proposition is
the qulntessence of selffishness and
prOvincialism.
The Gardner interview shows us
just what would happen if we should
undertake revision at the present
time. 1t would be impossible for
Gardner to get what he wants. be
cause his scheme involves the ma
nipulation of schedules for the benefit
of single industry, without taking
others. There are other congressman
no doubt who have pets just as Gard
ner has, but they are of totally diff
ferent variety. They would be found
favoring Il tariff law framed with an
eye single to their pet schemes. They
would tell Gardner that he was q
very hog for Selfiehness. They would
be as contemptuous of the Massachu-
sets boot and shoe man as he is OF
those who are seeking to promote il
vestments in Canada and Newfound-
land by means of tariff changes.
1t is these special interests seeking
special and unwarranted advantages
that have furnished the sinews of war
for the political agitators. The cru
SADIE for reciprocity with Canada was
financed by the International Har-
Vester trust; the reciprocity move
ment that was inaugurated in order
to force congress To yield to the
threats ol Germany was financed by
the beef trust. The boot and shoe
manufacturers are no doubt willing
to pay for the dissemination of liter
allure in favor of free hides, and so it
goes.
These several selfish interests
might better save their money. If
the next tariff law is framed by a Re
publican congress it will not be made
up with an eye single to the interests
of the Massachusetts boot and shoe
manufacturers, or those of the Inter
national Harvester trust, nor yet those
of the Beef trust. The principles UNI
DERIVING any Republican tariff will be
those underlying the Dingley tariff
law, chief among which is, adequate
protection for every American indus
try. Ii the Democrats have the max
ing of the next tariff law they will. If
they are true to their principles, de-
prive every American industry of pro-
lection, for that is what a tariff for
avenue only means. Fellows of the
Gardner type had better remember
the story of the fool dog who lost the
bone he had in his mouth for what
seemed to him to be a bigger one, but
which turned out to be nothing but
Rapids Republican