Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-14
Population Of Los Angeles 100000
TARIFF ON STEEL

revision has many contributing
causes behind it, and an analysis
Of any one of them will prove the fall
lacy of the criminal stand pat" policy
of the real power. in the Republican
party. For example, the United States
Steel corporation for the past quarter
produced the tremendous net earnings
of 100000 per day, or about $21 900 per
hour, or $3.50 per minute, or Sc per Sec
ond of time of every hour in the
twenty-four Fully one-half of these
enormous earnings for the year-S164,-
490,945-come from the protection the
present tariff law affords, and are, in
the opinion of financial experts, really
tariff taxes collected from our own
steel consuming industries.
1t is not possible, reasonably, to pic
ture this piratical concern as strug-
Cling infant industry that needed the
aid of high protection to keep it alive,
but, IL it were so, 1t would be infinitely
better to place the sS0,0O0,O 0O-given to
it through partisan political methods
-as special tax for that special indus
try, and so permit the lowering or
removing of tariff duties on industries
known to be self-supporting.
From its inception the steel combine
has ever controlled national legisla-
ton, especially the ways and means
committee of congress, and it has been
next to impossible to get a fair discus
sion of the steel question in conse-
quence. In proof of this statement the
Boston Herald of July 20 last contained
ten columns of letters and matter re-
garding these letters from and to Steel
corporation officials concerning the
tariff. Congressman Lowering, lead
ing representative of the Republicans
of Massachusetts,, speaks out plainly in
one of these letters to Congressman
Dalzell, and includes letter of James
Gayley, vice president of the Steel cor
poration, in all of which he (Lovering)
makes it clear that the Steel corpora
ton blocked all action on his tariff
drawback bills, so far as a favora BILE
report or discussion was concerned.
In commenting editorially on these
facts, Moodys for August says: ut is
because our congress, controlled by the
Steel corporation, has so long stood pat
on the tariff that the majority of man
ufacturers of this country are now be-
ginning to- agitate for tariff reduction.
They are tired of paying tariff tribute
to the Steel corporation and a COM
paratively few other great trusts, and
are ready to Join hands with the gen.
eral consumer for lower duties and
cheaper materials, foods and products.
1.-The recent action of the National
Association Of Manufacturers in favor
of tariff revision augurs i'll for the Steel
corporation, but we'll for consumers
and for industry in general. Both as
regards cost of manufacture and cost of
living, we, in this country, are on an
artificial basis, which not only handi-
with foreign manufacturers, but which
tends to impoverish our workers and to
render them less efficient"
The foregoing is a nonpartisan opin-
ion, majority of the members and the
writer being Republicans, and should
have weight accordingly.
In connection and sympa thy with the
things condemned here, it is we'll to
note the saying of Speaker Cannon
that sit would be criminal to disrupt
existing conditions in the next con-
-gress," and to remember that if real
tariff revision ever comes in the near
future it will be by votes of Democratic
congressman in the majority in the
lower house Lumber, coal, sugar,
wool and many other commodities are
held under a robber tax just as is steel