Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1906-03-15
THE LUMBER TAX.

Inc w 1ScOnSlH FcJhll luthocl uS"i''
in convention assembled at milwaukee,
last week passed resolutions favoring
the removal OF all import duty on
Canadian lumber and requesting con
gress to take action to this end.
Ask any lumber dealer about the
matter, and, regardless OF his party
affiliations, he will tell you that the
lumber tariff aught to be abolished.
Important as the matter may be,
however, to the lumber merchants, 1t
is OF far more Importance to those
who buy and pay for the lumber for
their own use. All who contemplate
building during the comming season
are confronted by q very serious CON
dition In the existing high prices Tor
all kinds OF lumber and manufactures
thereof.
Another congressional election IL
close at hand, and no man who VIII
not vote to place lumber on the free
list should be sent AZ u representative
TO Washington.
III the newspapers OF the third dis
trict would be true to the interests OF
the people of southwestern Wisconsin
they could make the calling ana
election OF n tariff reformer sure.
But we are not, to say the least, very
hopeful OF consummatlon so devoul-
ly TO be wished M TO find our con
temporaries lined upon the right side
of the tariff question. We are not
unmindful Of the fact that for many
large majority OF them carried into
the uniustly tariff taxed house OF their
readers the sophistries OF the home
market club
Only recently the treasury depart
ment, MT the solicitation OF Congress-
man BabcocIS, stretched the law In the
case, made and provided, so as to Inn
posive restrictive tariff tax upon
raw zinc ores from Canada and Mexi-
co. The admission Of these ores
would not have depressed the price OF
ores here, because tho foreign and do
mestlc prices for zinc are very nearly
the same; but IT would have given In
creased employment TO zinc manuiac-
turing plants NJ some centers OF home
industries, such M Mineral Point, for
instance. Regardless this fact, how
ever, an article exploiting for the
benefit and behoof Of Mr.. Babcocl
this treasury ruling was published In
all of the stalwart newspapers In the
district, and in many outside OF the
district. The reason that II was not
made use OF by the half breed editors
Is, presumably, not that they love
high tariff taxation the less, but be-
cause they hate Mr.. Babcoclt the more.
However, while the Democrat rather
bluntly tolls the Republican brothers
OF the press OF southwestern Wisoon-
sin that they have In this matter done
what they aught not TO have done, We
would on no account discourage right
action In the future, and will rejoice
to find any or all of Thorn champion
ing the interests Of this section aud Of
the nation as against those who exact
tribute In tho name Of protection.
1t Is safe to say that the amount OF
money unjustly collected from our
people by reason of the import duty
on lumber alone would more than pay
for the construction and equipment Of
u city hall, postoillce building, and
n library building, in every town in
the district
Every newspaper In the third district
at least ought to have something TO
say about tho lumber tax, Who will
be the first TO answer to roll call
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