The Harrison times. (Harrison, Boone Co., Ark) 1876-1938, 1906-06-16
THE HOME AND POLITICS
How the Tariff Plumbers the
American Woman.
THE TRUSTS PICK HER POCKETS

Under the Present Law the Cost of
Living Has Vastly Increased - In
vestIgate the Republican and DEM
ocratic Policies and Act For Your
Own Interests.
The purpose of the protective tariff
ls to make things dear The higher the
cost of living the more the protection
lists rub their hands with satisfaction.
There Is no one more interested In the
tariff than the American woman, who,
as n rule, Is the treasurer of the Amer
lean home of the average family. But
how few women know anything about
the tariff and the trusts that have been
fostered by 1t! They all know that the
wages of their husbands do not buy
as much as formerly. but the connee-
ton between wages and the increased
cost of living through the protective
tariff tax they have to pay on about all
they buy has never been brought to the
attention of most housewives. The or
binary wife thinks the tariff question
is n political one and leaves 1t to the
husband and voter. But just the same
politics comes home to every woman's
pocket, whether she knows 1t or not.
Every dress you buy, my dear mad
am, every hat, every pair of gloves,
your boots and shoes. and. in fact,
everything you wear. is made dearer
by the tariff You have to pay twice
rs much for the suit of clothes for your
boy because of the tariff, and those
clothes, thanks to the tariff again, are
half shoddy and the other half often
cotton because the tariff has so in
creased the cost of wool. The clothes
for the girls Is taxed In like manner.
The meat and other food you buy for
your table. except perhaps the vege-
tables, have increased In price beyond
all reason because the tariff shields the
food trust from competition. The rent
you pay is higher than 1t would be If
the tariff did not make building ma.
terial cost so much. The sugar tariff
alone adds $3.50 n year to the cost of
living to the average family. 1t adds
2 cents pound TO the price OF every
pound of sugar and thus makes the
canned frui and preserves, which the
children crave, that much dearer.
The wife of the mechanic and labor
ing man never before found II so hard
to supply the household needs from her
husbands earnings and is obliged to
curtall the purchase of clothes for her
self and the children. The wife Of the
farmer finds the cost of groceries and
clothing more than keeping up with
the advance In the price of the wheat.
corn and cattle or other products Of the
farm. The wife of the business man
has discovered that her weekly allow
-sss-7ssa no. r---' '','--'-.s--a--l -'. -.
as heretofore, ana she dlsIikes 10 ASK
her husband to Increase the allowance,
which has sufheed for years Deiore' ana
she has to cut down her own pleasures
and adornment.
The tariff therefore IS American
"home politics" and Is worthy OF an
Investigation by the women us much
as the men. Under the present tariff,
which was enacted IN 1891, the cost OF
living has increased ever 40 per cent
On account of the tarin the trusts nave
increased and fourished exceedingly
and are able TO senu lneir goods aproau
and sell them cheaper to foreigners
than they do to you here at nome
which is plain plunderlng of our own
people.
The tariff is n political question that
every one is interested In, and the two
political parties are distinctly divided
ON this issue. The Republican poll
ticlans are protectionists, for II you ask
any of them, even the most liberal