The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-11-29

| Hon. Tul1o LAFrinA8A, HehluenI CoIh- missioner from Porto Rico, said to the tariff hearing: T am for stariff, too." But Representative Fordney did not embrace Mir. Larrinaga and hall him as a brother protectionist; on the con- trary. he hurled at the Porto Rican the most cruel retort that can be passed among the faithful: You talk like a free trader" Mir. Larrinaga's talk" caused rattling of the dry bones generally among the stand-pat members of the Committee.
 The trouble was that, as a protec- tionlst, Mir. Larrinaga Is too naive, too frank. too consistent. He has not ac- qulred the power of repression which comes SO natural to the American statesman; he should be coached by hls colleagues in Congress before he makes another public appearance. But } tarln literature has been enriched for . all time by the chiid-like faith of this son of the tropics. Ills island once had coffee e-raising as It's leading indus try but of late years it has not pros pered. Now that Porto Rico is under the American flag. he wants cents per pound of protection for this Amer lean Industry. The stand-patters on the Committee would not have object- ed to the making of this request, but
 
 port of 1t, they were alarmed.
 Mir. LarrInaga referred to the high cost of living that has come in Porto Rico as a result of annexation. and gave the specific example of over IT, 100000 bags of rice Bought annually by rural Porto Rlcans from Louisiana and Texas planters. costing them about $2,500,000, more than they would have to pay to Japan, British India or Spain, if it were not for the protective tar int." Five cents a pound on coffee. he said would fecompense his people for this increased expense only to the ex- tent of about t1,500,000 annually.
 Said he: When Porto Rican planter has to replace his boiler, or any part of his machinery, he can no longer buy 1t in England, Belgium, or France. as he did before. Today he orders 1t from the American n1anufac- turer. to whom he has to pay a higher price than our neighbors from Santa Cruz or any of the other foreign is- lands have to pay at the same fac- tory" The reason was, that in the foreign Islands" the American mafu- facturer was brought into competition ! with Europeans. He assured the Com- mittee that this statement was 'equal- ly true of all other articles" used in Both the majority and the minority members immediately sat up and took strict notice, and the oross-exanaina- ton which followed was lively. But MT. LarTinaga could not be shaken in his testimony; he insisted that the pay ment of higher prices in Porto Rico. was well known fact, which could be proven by any number of afiidavtts that the gentlemen Of the Committee might desire;" and that this applied to anything, from a boiler to q bolt" Mir. Fordney was so diseoncerted by the uhexp6cted revelation that he asked this question: why do you not buy 1t in the neighborins islands and ship it to Porto Rico" Mfr. Larrinaga re- piled: we would have to pay the duty, coming into Porto Rico" Amid the laughter ocoassfoned by this Fetort, Chairman Payne asked for specifications as to the kind Of machinery referred to. The witness mentioned boilers coifee hullers, sugar mills, "and all su- gar and coffee machinery" and under took to furnish to the Committee the names of the particular manufacturers concerned and the amounts of the dis- criminations sn prices. It will be in- of this Information.
 The PooF sgan,a. BFeakfass.
 With refafente to the argument that a duty on coffee would be a tax on the "poor mans breakfast table, he said that when be considered that every thing eiss on the hrealxfast table of the poor man Is already taxed, begin- ming with the sugar that he puts in his coffee and including hls cake, pies, beef and everything that he uses." he could not see what difference 1t could make to the poor man whether you take his money through coffee or sugar, his shoes or his shirt" In or- der to solve the mystery, for which he thought there might be some secret religiohs reason, he went and looked over the Ten Commandments to see if there was anything stated about not putting 8 duty on coffee" but found nothing. He said the proposed tax would represent only one-tenth of cent on every cup of coffee, and he thought this tax might prove just as great blessing to the poor man as any of the other protective taxes which had so greatly benefited" him.
 Taking up the argument that "It would not be fair to tax eighty mill lion people to protect one million" he asked: Docs the whole of the United States produce rice, sugar. tobacco. chicory, or wheat? Are watches, shoes etc, manufactured in every State in the UnionT' He added: If you want to take of the tariH, take 1t ofe from everything else; then We will not ask for any protection on coffee."
 |, Thus is the protective theory unwit- tingly refuted in the house of its friends. ..-...,
 There is nothing smalla about Call fornla. She evidently believes that the chief purpose of the rest of the Uni ted States is to make a market for California products California Is of- tended if she cannot sell her goods right up to the waters edge on the Atlantic coast. If water transporta- ton gives to Europeans an advantage in the matter of freights to New York, the tarIm must be raised so as to de- be the effect of the demands of the Californian delegation, which, headed by the San Francisco Surveyor of Gus toms, appeared before the Ways and Means Committee, stated It's wishes in no uncertain way, and felt quite at liberty to talk back" to the minority members It was openly asserted by a California representative that she could never hope to raise oranges without the aid of a protective duty; yet she insists on the Atlantic States paying a l high price for her oranges sent by | rail across the continent. when Import. | ed oranges could be procured at less | cost if 1t were not for the practically | duty of 1 cent per pound; With the same duty on lemons, Cali | fornIa has not yet driven out foreign | fruit, but one-half cent more of pre- | tection is demanded that she may com | plete her monopoly of the lemon trade. | To the same end. an increase of duty | Is asked upon olives. olive oil. hops, l