The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1907-04-20
WOULD BENEFIT ALL
RESULT or COMMON SENSE TAR
iFF REVISION.
THE FACTS ARE PLAIN
Claim That Free Trade Is Aimed at
by Democrats Is Foolish-Fig-
ures That Will Convince
the Fair-Minded.

Whenever the standpatters, and
ever those Republicans that believe
there must be some reform of the
present tariff system, are cornered by
the exposure of the plundering by the
protected trusts and combines, their
only reply is that free trade would
ruin the country. This of course Is
no answer at all, as neither the Demo-
| cratic party, mol any other organiza-
ton of consequence politically, either
demands free trade or favors it. Free
trade is a bugaboO Of the S~tandpatter
who has a brainstorm and suffers
from paralogism whenever tariff re-
form is mentioned. Free trade would
undoubtedly be the best thing for the
| whole world if all nations practiced 1t,
but practically it is at present impos-
| sible.
Reforming the tariff by reducing 1t,
is not free trade, far from it, for there
would still be a large amount of tar
if tax paid under one-half the present
duties, and as the trusts would have
&c compete with the imported goods,
which would be sold at a reduced
price, in accordance with the lower
rates OF tariff duties, there would be
a general reduction of the cost of liv-
ing and the great mass of consumers
would be able to purchase more in
stead of ecOnOmizing as many now do.
There is now imported over S6O0,OOO,-
900 of dutiable goods and nearly that
much free of duty. All that comes
into the country upon which no duty
is collected is free trade" and if lum-
Der and coal and hides were also plac-
ed on the free list, as proposed by
the tariff revision Republicans of Mas
saChusetts, Minnesota, Wisconsin, the
DaHOtaS and Iowa, no n would be
injured but the trusts and combines
that illegally control those necessary
articles, and if their profits would be
cut down by having to compete with
the imported lumber, coal and hides,
every one else would be the gamer.
Free lumber would NEAR cheaper
buildings and therefore lower rent;
free coal would NEAR cheaper fuel
for the householder and the manufac-
turer and thus reduce the cost of liv-
ing and of manufactured products;
free hides would allow the tanner to
produce cheaper leather, which would
mean cheaper boots and shoes, har-
ness and all products in which leath-
er is used. The beef combine which
now controls the market for hides,
and through a subsidiary combine the
price of leather, the cost of which is
now very high, by reason of these
combinations in restraint OF trade,
would suffer to some extent. Free
hides will not affect the price Of cat
tie that are sold to the beef combine,
for beef is the main product and the
hide. the horns, and the hOofs, ETC.,
are b~y-products and do not count to
any ~appreuiable extent in the stock
ward price. If a farmer kills his own
steer, the price he would get for the
hide will be undoubtedly somewhat
lower, but he will mere than make up
for that in the cheaper boots and
shoes and harness he will buy, and
the working man and all other con-
sumers of leather will obtain the full
benefit of the reduced prices.
So when the standpat statesman
tells you that the Democratic plan of
tariff reform is free trade, ask him
why adding three more articles to the
present free list, which now under the
Dingley bill allows free trade on over
half a billion of foreign products,
would ruin the country or indeed ham,
Der any industry that is not unlawful
lv restraining trade. AS Republican
politicians are notorious buffers, es-
pecially those of NE standpat clique
in league with the trusts and COM
bines. it may be we'll to be prepared
with the official import figures which
can be found in the United States Sta
tistical Abstract for 1905-the last is
sued-on page 302, which gives the
value of imported goods free of duty
as s517, 442, 1902, and If that does not
see his bluff Just turn back the few
pages and show him what those free
trade articles are.