Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-11-20
The Sort of Revision That, Does Not
Help the Consumer.


Congressman Boutell before the
house ways and means committee the
other day said:
1T is the height of folly to expect
that tariff revision will benefit the
consumer. No matter what the tariff
is, the consumer will pay just as
much. The only classes that would
benefit by the reduction would be the
Importers and jobbers.'
Yes, such revision as We are likely
TO get at the. special session of con-
gress to be called soon after the in
auguration of President-elect Taft is
likely to result in no benefit to the
consumer. The cut of 81 a case on
champagne, which was made after the
French threat of retaliation, was
wholly appropriated by the importer
There was no reduction in the price
of this article The reduction of duty
on Cuban sugar of 20 per cent was of
no benefit to the public, for the en-
tire amount was absorbed by the
trust. So long as the trust is suffi-
GENTLY protected from competition to
enable it to fix prices, it alone will
profit by any small lowering of the
| tariff on sugar; for while it maintains
a monopoly it can readily add the
amount of the reduction to enhance
| its own profit. But suppose the tariff
is removed or reduced enough to al
low German exporters to enter the
market, does any one imagine that
the trust could. as it now does, con-
troll the prices and make the people
pay S70,000,000 more for this artic.r
alone than it is worth?
| And so it is with every other tariff
protected product. Sweep away the
system under which the American
people are being spoilated and robbed
for the enrichment Of a comparatively
| few men who have banded them
selves together to keep up prices by
excluding foreign products, and max
ing the people pay for what they con-
sumo to the full extent of their earn.
ing capacity and then from the con
sumers will be taken the burden of
tariff taxation under which they are
now bending.
Taft is reported to have said that
if the consumers want their interests
protected, they, too, must have rep
Iresentatives appear before the ways
and means committee to present theil
claims. Perhaps he did not phrase
his statement in such words, but he
said something that was so reported
The consumers constitute the mil
lions for whose benefit presidents ant
the members of congress are elected
and all the machinery of government
is kept in operation. Why should
the consumers send special agents t
!, Washington to argue for their RICH
to live free from extortion of trusts
What are the senators and represent
| president and his cabinet for, but t,
act in the interests of the whole pee
/ pie of the United States? Why ar
the people. the millions of all classe
and occupations, compared with littl
, lotteries of individuals. of self-seekine
2 predatory character who appear be
: fore committees to secure Legislation
f that shall help them to make S. wher
t they can legitimately make only s.
. who aim to enrich themselves by II
t directly taking money from tn
+ pockets of the millions, thereby NAL
ing it harder for the millions in thi
0 republic to live in comfort to fee(
/ clothe and educate their children an
prepare them for the duties and n
1 II
zens? Is it the masses or the classes
is it all the people or the few VIII
seek government help in maxim
money, that should receive consider;
ton of the men we send to Washin.
ton?