The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-04-21
Revising the Tariff.

Revising the Tariff.
The Republicans. if4they control
the next Congress, will not need the
advice and assistance, Of a tariff
Commission; for all they need do is
to call in the experts and attorneys
of the Trusts. That is what they
did in 1897 when the present tariff
law was fixed up What is the use
of deceiving the taxpayers, as Con-
gresham Payne does, by declaring
that tariffs have always been made
without anything like adequate IN
formation" Mr.. Payne and the
other members Of the ways and
Means Committee were fully advls-
ed, when they were considering the
Dingley tariff law, that the high
rates demand by Mr.. Carnegie and
the Steel Trust people would breed
monopoly. When they allowed the
Standard Oil Trust attorney to write
the proviso to the oil schedule they
knew they were protecting the trust
and adding at least SO per cent to
the price of kerosene to the Amerl-
can people and the poorest people at
that.
{ When they accepted the Beef
Trust schedule on hides they pre-
tended to be protecting the Ameri-
can farmer, but they knew they were
helping the Leather, s, and Beer
Trusts. When they accepted the
wool schedule of the Wool Growers,
Association they knew they were
adding rs per cent, at least, to the
cost of wooden goods to those people
of Northern States, who from necess-
ity have to buy them and instead OF
helping the farmers, it was the
flockmasters Of the great Western
plains that were mostly benefited.
When they wrote the schedule that
protects the Paper Trust they must
have known the newspaper owners
would have to pay the tariff duty in
increasing profit to the trust. Not
schedule, but was carefully con-
sidered and all with the same in
tent and purpose of adding to the
burdens Of the people for the bene-
ft Of the Trusts. ,G ~
The Trusts were well acquainted
with the facts and: in. return have
been most liberal contributors to
the campaign fund Of not only the
Republican National Committees,
but also to the committee who man.
ages THE election Of Congressman.
Millions have been paid by the trusts
and protected monopolists to secure
the election of presidents and Con-
gressmen, both of the Senate and
House who were sound on the tar
| iff.." And now the same old show Is
to be played again with a different
title and the excuse that there must
be added maximum schedule rates
to protect us from the pauper- labor
of England whose workingmen are
now in better circumstances than
our workmen are because their cost
of living is so much less.
The English workingmen has low
er wages, but the world to draw up
on for his necessities, for every
country, including the United States
sells him it's surplus products in COM
petition with each other, with no
tariff duties to speak Of to add to
the price. Here everything import
ed that is manufactured is taxed and
the trusts profit by adding the
tariff rate to their own natural prof
it. The only difference being that
the government collects the tariff
tax on the goods imported and the
trusts collect the tariff tax on their
products produced here while the
tariff protects them from foreign
competition. 1t is now proposed to
promise the people to revise the tar
/ if, "after election" but whether the
tariff is to be revised lower or high
er is left to the imagination of the
voter; As the Republican leaders
now declare they must enact a maxi
mum tariff as well as minimum tar
Fiff, itiseyident that some ofthe trusts
want still higher rates and no doubt
they will be accommodated by their
friends, the Republican politicians.