The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1906-09-01
HEAVY TARIFF TAX
AMERICAN WOMEN Paw BIG TRI.
Butte TO TRUSTS.
Enormous Profits on Silks are Taken
From the Pockets Of the House.
wfe-Addition Also TO- High
Price Of Necessities.

The silk industry is not prospering
IN spite OF tariff duties on manufac
tured silk of so. to 221.27 per cent
Raw silk Is free of duty, so there is
nothing in the way of free raw ma
terlals. 1t appears that the protected
SIX manufacturers have killed the
goose-the great American woman
goose-who has heretofore laid the
golden eggs for the benefit of the silk
n other protected people. The
anxiety of these dear geese of ours fol-
the bargain counter has induced man
u~facturers to sacrifice quality and tc
adulterate the silk to meet the de
mand for cheapness. The lovely
geese, however. who easily bite the
1rst time and often the second time
at what is on the face Of it a great
bargain, have at least discovered that
AZ cent silk will not wear like that
they used to pay 80 cents for and
therefore most of them no longer buy
IL. so cheap silk naturally went out
OF fashion, with the result that the
manufacturers, the jobbers and many
departmental stores are o%ver-stocked
with shoddy silk goods which the wise
geese refuse to lay down their golden
eggs, or their equivalent currency for.
1here VIII still be a lot of these
cheap silk dress goods sold, but most
OF them are dear at any price, for
they do no wear or even look as good
as wool, or cotton fabrics, at an
equivalent price, which our dear
geese have discovered to their cost.
Now for the political side of the
breakdown of a highly protected in
dustry and this the dear geese who
skirmish for bargains should carefully
note. The enormous tariff rates. which
allow our silk manufacturers virtual
ly to control the home market. be-
cause foreign manufacturers could not
pay the tariff duties, which on the
average are nearly as great as the
original cost, has led to ov%er-produc-
ton and many of the smaller manufac-
turers have gone under" in the keen
competition to sell at any price. The
surplus stool cannot be dumped in
foreign markets, for the geese there
appear to be wiser than those here
and refuse to buy American silk of
poor quality when they can get bet
ter goods at less price, for they have
no such eXOrbitant tariff to force I'D
prices and the competition of French
and English manufacturers regulate
prices to a reasonable basis, and the
cheap Japanese and China silks also
compete.
In this country such goods must pay
from so TO 200 per cent. duty, so. of
course, but little is imported, except
of such quality and class as the Amer
lean manufacturer does not make.
There was, however, $31, 1922, 655 of
silk manufactures imported last year
and upon that there was SIT, O10, 100
paid in tariff duties. There was also
SCI, O54,S 1876 of raw silk imported upon
which no duty was paid, but when
raw silk had been manufactured
into dress goods the price it was sold
to these dear geese Of ours had in
creased to nearly 5000, OOO, 900, and at
least 100000 was extra profit on
account of the tariff protection to the
silk manufacturers. If we knew how
many and how much each dear goose
had purchased we could figure Just
now much the tariff on silk had cost
her. 1t is safe to say, however, that
every dress piece of imported silk
than half that is paid is tariff
1nfv and on tho nhnon hon,o r,opro1
.ured silk nearly the same increased
price is due to protection.
In the present struggle to market
heir overstock this tariff profit is no
loubt being disregarded, but the sur.
)lus has been forced off at bargain
prices and the silk trade resumes it's
formal condition, the manufacturers
will resume their large profits and
hose who were able to weather the
torn will make up for losses now
icing encountered.
This silk tariff is but one of the
ways that the American woman is
axed by the tariff and this only on
n article of luxury, but nearly all ne
are likewise taxed and the
rejected manufacturers get increased
rot1ts, with but a small percentage
DING to Uncle Sam.
No one knows better than the Amer
housewife that the cost of living
as advanced 4S per cent. since 1897 !
'hen the present tariff law went into
fleet and this great increase in the
rice Of necessities cramps the
mount that can be expended for lux.
ries of which silk is but one item.
When the tariff is revised, so that
enormous protection to trusts,
ombines and manufacturers is re- ]
uced or eliminated while still retain
lg enough tariff duties to support the /
overnment, then the American wom- /,
n will have more left to spend for
pod quality clothes, instead of wear l
lg herself out hunting bargains that
re usually shoddy.
Bryan ard Roosevelt.