Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1906-05-16

used in building which pay an average
percentage as follows:
Brick and tile 80
cement ................... 70
Iron and steel pipe. ........,...... 30
Leau Observation-Disclosures. u
Lime .................. "a
Marpie .................. 90
| Wall Paper .................. %
Stone NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 80
Tin plates observation-disclosures. 33
Varnish ................... 81
To refund these tariff taxes will be
an enormous saving to the home build
ers Of San Francisco, and will open the
ives Of home builders everywhere to
the tax upon building homes.
The trusts and combines have such
firm control of the market for most
of the materials that enter into build
ings that they have Increased prices
since the tariff bill was enacted fully
40 per cent on the average, and there
is but little opportunity for competi-
ton to keep them within reasonable
bounds. The materials that enter into
building are, in relation to 1t, raw
materials, just as much as pig iron is
to finished stove. The question to
be considered by voters in electing the
next Congress Is whether they will vote
to reduce the tariff rates enough to In
duce foreign competition, unless the
trusts and combines lower their prices
to the level to prevent the foreign goods
from coming in and underselling them.
If the tariff on building materials and
other necessities were necessary to
protect American workmen employed
at good living wages, the tariff taxpay-
ers-and that is eyerybody-wou per-
haps bear 1t patiently until the plumber
ing system could be revised for the
benefit Of all alike. But the tariff In
creased prices paid by the American
people should only be enough more than
the European prices to cover the differ
ence between wages there and here.
The transportation charges alone on
such heavy materials are enough pro-
lection In themselves.
The high cost of building material
has so increased the cost of homes that
rents have advanced about % per cent.
The farmer who builds ness house,
or barn, is compelled to pay about 40
per cent more for the materials, SO the
increased money invested Is a clear loss
to him and the interest on the same is
virtually yearly rent charge for liy-
ing in his own house.
There Is no reason why this tariff
tax on building materials should be
continued for the government collection
from this cource is less than 2 per cent
Of the federal revenue. The standpat
argument that protection is needed to
protect American labor is, according
to their own theories. not applicable to
building materials, which are raw ma
terial to be manufactured by the work
men Into buildings. The only reason.
therefore, for this tariff protection is
to enable the trusts to extort enormous
profits from every family, either in the
form of Increased rent or as tax upon
homes
The natural desire of everyone Is to
own his own home, but the Republican
plan OF protecting the trusts and COM
bines decreases the opportunity Of a
large increasing number of people from
ever being home owners. The home is
the pedestal upon which Democratic
institutions must rest, and to tax the
home unnecessarily is to clog the evo-
luton Of the Commonwealth to Its
highest development So let us have
free homes, not only in San Francisco,
but everywhere. and not tax the MANY
for the benefit of the few.
Amateur Statesmansip.
It has been agreed by the admins.
tratlon that the Attorney General must
take an appeal to the Supreme Court
from the decision of Judge Humphrey,
declaring corporation officials cannot be
reached by the antitrust law, who have
given information to the Bureau of
Corporations. So far the trust-bust-
Ing campaign of President Roosevelt
has all ended In smoke and the trusts
and corporations are free to continue
their combinations in restraint Of trade
to prevent competition and plumber the
consumers by charging unreasonable
prices for their products. President
Roosevelt has been about five years
trying to curb the trusts and the only
one disturbed SO far has been the North
ern Securities Company. Yet that cor
poratiOn Is still In existence and Its
constituent companies, are one and all,
continuing much the same as they did
before proceedings were commenced
against them. What trayesty on gen
uine trust-busting!
Democratic statesmen foretold this
breakdown of the Republican plan of
dealing with the giant corporations.
They advised that under the common
law such unlawful combinations could
be prosecuted, and the Supreme Courts
recent decision In the tobacco case
shows that the discriminating evidence
may be compelled from the unwilling
lips Of trust magnates. But that ad-
vice was not adopted by the admins
tration. perhaps because it was rec
commended by Democrats. who would
thus share in the political advantage
that would accrue, but also because it
was not spectacular enough to fit the
strenuous mood of the President.
II the decision of the lower court
stands and tho truat magnates and
their employees who aaye given conf.
dsatlally to Commissioners Garfield Of