Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-12-18
E3aaaaaAaaRHE3a449H4
b POLITICS aaaa 3
81 ==OF THE DAY W
E3aaaaaAzaREHBBH414B
Tariff Tax ON paner,

Inc proprletorS OF newspapers are
united In demanding that the tariff
tax on print paper and wood pulp be
abolished, as the price of paper has adj
vanced so that it will compel an in
crease in the price of newspapers, or
the alternative Of bankruptcy for some,
OF them. This is but another example
of how the so-called protective tariff
plumbers even Its most ardent advo-
Gates. Those interests that are pro-
tected by the tariff object to free trade
In paper and wood pulp, because tinker,
Ing with one schedule of the tariff law
will force discussion on all schedules
and publicity of the plundering the
tariff allows the trusts and protected
interests to enjoy would result in the
election of n tariff reform Congress.
1t so happens that the chief source
of paper stock is Canada, where wood
for making paper Is plentiful, while
our supply is on the verge Of giving
out. What more natural then, that
the wood for turning into pulp should
be imported by our paper manufacture
ers, which, by the way, are combined
into a new trust. although 1T is only. n
few months ago that the old paper
trust was dissolved by the United
States Court on the petition of our
trust-bustlng administration. But a
protective tariff here begets reprisals
of the same character by other coun-
tries, and Canada, to protect her infant
paper industry, has imposed an export
duty on pulp and pulp logs, so as to
compel the paper dealers of the United
States to buy Canadian paper. But
another obstacle then appears In our
tariff tax on paper. The result of these
tariff taxes imposed by both countries
is that while the paper manufacturers
are getting rich through their tariff
monopoly, the newspaper publish
ers are getting poorer by reason
of the high price of paper. A
few weeks ago the officials of
the American Newspaper Publishers
Association requested President Roose-
Welt to recommend to Congress the re-
peal of the tariff duty on printing
paper and wood pulp and all material
entering into the manufacture of print
Ing paper" The President promised to
do so, but now 1t appears, according
to the New York Herald, that the pro-
tected interests have induced him to
qualify his recommendation to Con-
gress by the proviso that Canada must
lnreturn Impose no export duty on wood
to be used for pulp. The Herald thinks
1t is plain "that Canada will do moth
Ing of the sort" because that country
Is building up her own paper-making
Industry, a:d will not freely export
the raw material for her rivals in the
United States. So here we have tar
if on paper and pulp to add to the
price of paper, whether it is imported
from Canada or whether 1t Is manu-
featured by the trust at home, for. the
trust can safely add as extra profit
what the tariff tax would be on Inn
ported Canadian paper. In Canada
they have tariff on paper to protect
the Canadian paper maker from .the
pauper American laborer" and an ex-
port duty on logs which the United
States admits free of duty, SO that Che
American paper trust will not be able
to get free raw material at price
to compete with one of the infant In
dustries of Canada.
This paper and pulp tariff tax is but
an example of the effect of the tariff
on all other manufactured products,
whereby the consumers are plundered
as the newspaper proprietors are. But
the laughable thing about 1t is that
while the Republican newspapers are
demanding relief from the tariff tax
on paper, they are urging that the tar.
iff tax on everything else guards and
develops our industries" and protec.
ton us a cardinal policy of the Re.
publican party" Political necessity has
made these Republican editors incon.
sistent and the funny part of 1t is
they don't dare tell their readers why
they are demanding free trade In pa.
per and protection for all else.