Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-08-22

per must make a double profit-one by the shrewd management of his busi- ness and another by still shrcwder ma nipulation in Washington.
 We have no great difficulty in shop ping abroad, for we could get as high prices as at home. We are SO held up, however, by our supply people that to most of us there Is very scant profit in foreign business.
 "When congress gave us 45 per cent, we needing only 20 per cent, they gave us congressional permit, if not an in- yitation, to consolidate form one great trust and advance our prices 25 per cent, being the difference between the 20 per cent needed and the 45 per cent given"
 How will Mir. Taft explain to the av- craze man the benefits of protection? He can easily convince trust that 1t profits by the tariff, but what about the victim of the trust?
 The second step in the reduction of the tariff is material reduction upon the necessities of life, especially upon goods competing with such American manufactures as are sold abroad more cheaply than at home." At present the articles used by the poor bear higher rate ad valorem than the articles used by the rich. This statement can be verified by an examination of any of the schedules. A tax upon consump- tion, even when laid with absolute i'm partiality, bears heaviest upon the poor because our necessities are much more uniform than our possessions. People do not eat in proportion to their in- come; they do not wear clothing in pro- portion to their income; they do not use taxed goods in proportion to their income. As all taxes must come out of ones income, no mat ter through what system levied or collected, they are, in effect, income taxes, and taxes on consumption are really graduated income taxes, the lar gest per cent being collected from those with the smallest income and the smallest per cent from those with the largest income. It is only fair, there fore that in an attempt to relieve the people from the iniQuities of a high tariff the poor, who are oyerburdened, should be given first consideration. Then, too. reduction in the tariff on the necessities of life brings benefit to all the people, while reduction in the tax upon luxuries would benefit but a portion of the people.
 The third proposition which the pro- tectionist must establish-namely, that the tariff asked for is necessary-is still less considered. Ss Is true that we pay higher wages per day than are paid elsewhere, but that does net nec- essarily mean that the actual labor cost of an article is higher here than abroad. On the contrary, the rule is that high priced labor produces a cheaper article than low priced labor. Protection Doesn't Make Good Wages.
 Protection does not make good wages. Our better wages are due to the greater intelligence and skill of our workmen, to the greater hope which free institutions give them, to improved machinery, to the better con. ditions that surround them and to the organizations which have been formed among the wage earners.
 A revenue tariff will not bring panic. It will not inaugurate indus trial depression. It will not reduce wages. On the contrary, it will stim- ulate business and give more employ ment, and larger demand for labor Vill be guaranty against the reduc, ton of wages.
 The whole aim of our party is to secure justice in taxation. We believe that each individual should contribute to the support of the government in proportion to the benefits which he re- ceives under the protection of the gov ernmcnt We believe that a revenue tariff. approached gradually, accord ing to the plan laid down in our plat form, will equaliZe the burdens of tax alton and that the addition of an 1n- come tax will make taxation still more