Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-06-18
NEED OF TARIFF REFORM.
prreoods


Protection seems TO have become
cardinal principle, If not the cornerstone
OF our government. It is idle, therefore,
to discuss its merits, and sufficient to at
tempt the correction Of some OF its abuses
Great stress is laid upon the benefits OF a
tariff to capital and labor, but little at
tention is paid to the consumer or the
man who pays the bills.
The consumer pays a tax Of from 80
to 100 per cent on mems and women s
wear; but what proportion OF this goes TO
American labor Ask the operatives OF
the New England mills or the workers IN
the New York sweatshops.
A striking object lesson in this line is
furnished by the meat-paoking industry,
on which the attention OF the country IS
now fixed The beef packers say that
in their great establishment they utilize
everything about pig but his squeal.
One thing is very certain, and that Is
that everything but his squeal is pro-
tected by the tariff. There are thirty
odd provisions OF the tariff which give
exceedingly liberal protection to every
product Of the Meat Trust. Hoofs are
protected as glue stock; horns are pro-
vided for; bristles are protected against
the Russian product. New England
demands free hides, but without success.
Bones and boneblack are on the list.
Then the tariff takes excellent care OF
bacon, hams, pork, lamb, all sorts OF
meats, lard, lard compounds, oleomar-
garine, sausages, meat extracts, &c.
Now who gets the lions share OF this
protection The laborers certainly do
not, for their condition seems to be pitt
able, and their wages give little more
than a bare existence. Ii would be news
TO learn that the farmers enjoy much OF
the government bounty. The trust alb
solutely fixes prices for their droves, and
the rate has little or no relation to the
tariff.
Armour, Fowler, Swift, and the few
other men constituting the Trust gather
in the lions share Of tariff protection.
They gobble up millions while the people
pay up and try to look pleasant.
So, too, with the Steel Trust. Their
laborers are a little betteU off than those
Of the Beef Trust, but no one would pre-
tend that their wages are at all COM
mensurate with the protection afforded
by the enormous rates of the metal sched-
ules. Billions go into the hands OF the
few men dominating the trust.
If the real object Of the tariff is to make
a few billionaires, then We should stand
pat; but, aside from collecting revenue, if
the object is to protect American labor
from the cheaper European labor, then
the sooner we begin tariff revision the
| better.
Such enormous fortunes have been and
are being accumulated that the task Of
reasonable revision will become more
difficulty with each year. A few millions
judiciously distributed goes a long way
toward influencing public sentiment
Fifty OF one hundred millions would elect
a good many legislators or Congressman
We are not speaking OF bribery, but o.
men elected with view to supporting tn,
trusts. One trust could well spare ont
hundred millions, but if they pooled TO
the contest they could afford uncounteC
| billions.
4 The present tariff rates are not onl.
unjust to the consumer but they threatei
the existence Of the Republic by build
ing up a power stronger than the govern
ment.