The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1907-10-01
TARIFF REAL EVIL
W. L. Douglas on the Cause of
High Prices.
TRUST BUSTING A FARCE
Former Governor OF Massachusetts
Says While Trusts Are Officially
Dead They Only Boost Prices the
Higher.

SSJs WINE trusts are Ofncidily
Dead They Only Boost Prices the
Higher.
Brockton. Mass. Sept. 3o.-Talking
more as a hard-headed business man
than as politician. W. l.. Douglas. for,
ner governor Of Massachusetts,. gave
his views on why the average Ameri
can citizen Is finding 1t 50 hard e
have corncd beef and cabbage on the
dinner table and the bottom OF the
flour barrel covered. And his view
in nutshell. is that the trusts are
growing fattcr and greedier evGry
day by virtue of the tariff which en-
ablcs them to tax the people. Trust
busting. as practiccd by President
Roosevelt. ne declares a farce. for
the trusts that have been busted are
robbing the people worse than before
As I Wow financial and industrial
conditions" said the former governor
we have just passed the top OF the
greatest period of expansion and infia
ton in the history of our country. The
prices OF cOmmOdities-raw materials.
food. clothing. building materials. etc
have risen more in the last 10 years
than in any previous decade. real es
tate values have also risen as never
before. perhaps. il we consider the
whole country
This enormous increase in the val
ues of materials. foods and real estate
has not only increased the cost of liv-
ing so per cent. and therefore necessi
tatod n rise in wages averaging 20 per
cent. but has greatly increased the
cost OF both ordinary productive pro
ccsscs and of making permanent i'm
provoments. Consequently. more capt
tai than ever before Is required 10 dc
legitimate business.
Il do not think that all OF the 80 per
cent advance In prices since 1897 l.
chargeable to the existing protective
tariff system OF TO the innumcrable
brood Of greedy tariff trusts. nearly ali
OF which have been formed since the
enactment OF the present tariff Jaws
Prices have risen all over the world
The advance IN England and. IN some
OF the other countries with light tariff
duties has been. as ] believe. only
about 80 per cent since 1897 This
world wide advance is. In my opinion.
due TO the food of gold pouring out OF
the mines OF the world. in rapidly-in.
creasing quantities. because the cost
OF producing gold has declined rap
idly. as compared with the cost Of pro
ducing most other commodities.
Il would. however. charge about GO
per cent. Of the 90 per cent rise e.
high tariff duties and 20 tarin-protected
trusts.
This whole 'trust-husting' business
as conducted at Washington is farci
cal Neither the policies nor the meth
DDS of President Roosevelt are right
and intended 10 accomplish results ~
the interest Of all the people. In my
opinion. he not only works on wrong
lines. but he tackles the wrong trusts
in wrong ways. He recently busted |
the white paper trust. The General |
Paper company. the western end of the /
paper trust, was dissolved by order OF /
the court. but the constituent parts are /
said 10 have been absorbed by the |
international Paper company. and the I
price of news print paper is now high. |
or than ever. II has been boosted from
$50 per 100 pounds 10 S2.60 and still
higher prices are anticipated.
This paper trust is protected by
tariff duties on paper and on wood
pulp. The newspaper publishers will
get no relief from high prices until
these duties arc removed. They know !
this. and are right now agitating for
the repeal of these duties.
The real remedy for this and for
most other trusts lies in the removal
% the duties that shelter and protect
them. Then. and not until then. will
prices he reduced to the permanent
benefit Of the people"