Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-06-29
The Tariff on Hides and the Price Of
Shoes.

Dirglcy tariff law. the people of Maine
were paying about $4,000 a year more
for shoe leather than they did under
the Wilson law. Its method of doing
this was first, to assume that the peo-
rle Of Maine wore out 400, 900 pairs Of
shoes year: second. to assume that
these shoes cost ten cents a pair more
| under the Dingley law than they had
| previously cost. thus imposing an ad-
! ditional burden of 20 cents a year on
4 each wcarer of shoes All this was a
very interesting tissue Of assumptions,
and would certainly have been inter-
esting, if it had been true, but, I'M
fortunately. it was shy on facts. The
| Journal took occasion to point out
| that the popular makes of shoes are
prices that they sold for under the
| Wilson law.
| The Sentinel thinks that the cattle
and sheep raisers Of the West should
not ne protected on hides, because the
people Of Maine are not specially in
tcrested in this particular American
| industry. On the other hand, the
people Of the cattle raising sections
| might say that a tariff on canned
corn, on lumber, on wood pulp and
paper, on manufactured cotton. and
various other articles which they do
| not produce is no special value to
| them and should be discontinued. 1t
IS evident that if every section were
to demand that all articles in whose
produc ton it was not Immediately
interested should be put upon the free
list, ami all these demands should be
incorporated into law, we should he
upon an absolute free trade basis.
which the Sentinel has assured us that
1T IS not in favor of. In fact our
Watcrvillc contemporary even pro-
f"s:7"s to he d pr"tectionist paper-of d
very retiring and conservative type.
would the Journal favor putting
hides upon the free list?" asks the
Sentinel IL the result of this action
were to array the representatives of
the cattle raising sections against all
other protected articles as we think it
would, we should not. Protection is
mt merely to promote the prosperity
Of ono state. hut to promote the pros
perity of all the states. Ii does not seek
I" single out one particular American
industry for slaughter. but cndcavor
to encourage and build up all of them.
1t is not circunscribed by the particu-
lar interests of one section of the
country. but comprChcnds the interests
of ali sections. 1t is true that the
enemies of protection have always en-
dcavorcd to break it down by attack
ing il in pieccmcal and from the pure
says: Put hides upon the free list You
don't care particularly for American
sheep and cattle raiscrs. and it would
enable you to save 20 cents Il year on
your shoes. ana put it in the bank.
To the cattle and sheep raising sec
tionS ne SAYS let US put lumber ana
wood pulp. and canned corn and manu-
featured cotton upon the free list. You
don't produce them, and why should
YOU pay more for them in order that
the people Of New England may have
prosperity and good wages? And 90
on in every part Of the country. If
once. however, this SpeCinus form Of
argument were successful it would
simply result in the sacrifice Of tie
protective prinCipl" in all sections %
the country. and our people would be
face - face with an unrestricted COM
petition with Europe where the wage
seal" and the standards of living are
infinitely inferior to those in this coun-
try.
But. the Sentinel declares that
"the duty on hides does not help the |
Western cattle raiser a particle" |
Possibly, but it is evident that they |
thought differently for they sent before |
the ways and means committee the |
ablcSt men Of their aSSoCiat ionS-many |
of them men of lifelong experience in |
the business, and declared that it |
would help them very materially |
Moreover. they asserted that the duty |
they asked was absolutely essential to |
the progress and prosperity of their
industry. Perhaps they didn't know |
what they were talking about. Per |
haps the Waterville Sentinel is better |
qualified to judge Of the effect Of a
tariff on hides as regards the cattle
industry. than were these men who
were in the business; hut. with no dis
position to underestimate the wisdom
II our Watervillc contemporary. we
should he inclined to doubt it. Ger
Iainly the Ways and Means Committee.