The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-03-13
AWKWARD TARIFF QUESTION.


AWKWARD TARIFF QUESTION.
Herr Herman Ridder. publisher of
the New York Stats Zeitung and pres
ident of the Newspaper Publishers as
ISOLATION has caught the Paper trust
and Director of the Census North in
about as cold a bunco game as could
be imagined-even in Washington
Moreover Herr Ridder has made few
remarks about it that have sent chills
down the trusts spinal column and
brought out a feeble explanation from
North.
1t happened this way: The Paper
trust, being in need of money for the
payment of dividends on watered stock.
concluded to make the newspaper pub
fishers pay it. Accordingly. the trust
raised the price of print paper to the
tune of about 500. 100000 a year and
calmly told the publishers TO produce
the cash. Being in no position TO re-
fuse, the aforesaid publishers have
been producing all right. but they have
made noise that would silence any
grand hailing sign of distress ever
heard before
Unkind as il may seem TO lovers of
the tariff for trusts, the publishers as
ISOLATION appealed to congress to take
the tariff off of paper and wood and
pulp amounting to Sc per ton; and
showed that even with this tariff
against them. the Canadian. mills are
able to compete with the American
mills and still make money. Further.
in letter to the attorney general, the
publishers offer to prove the existence
of a combination among the American
mills the purpose of which is to pre-
vent competition, limit production,
raise prices and otherwise violate all
the laws, statutory and moral, which
relate to trade.
In this emergency, Representative
Dalzen of Pennsylvania rushed to the
defense of the tariff and the paper
trust. Being a Republican, that was
natural for Dalzell. He asked North
to furnish figures as to the price of
paper for a period of years. North
furnished them-but they were bogus.
His prices didn't come within Sc a ton
of showing the low price in effect be
fore the trust got into action: and they
failed altogether to show the prices
for three years, from 1897 to 1900. when
paper dropped to SIS a ton less than
the present price fixed by the trust.
Mr.. Ridder exposes this deception in
letter to the president, and North
explains that he got his figures from
another man, who took them from
trade paper published in the interest Of
the trust
The beauty of this situation is that
it affords perfect example of the way
a trust robs its patrons by grace Of
the tariff. Ostensibly the tariff on
paper was designed to protect Ameri-
can labor and an infant industry: in
reality it has been of no benefit to
American labor, as the trusts own bat
ties with labor show; and it has only
served to entrench a criminal monopoly
in power so firmly that it defies court
orders, organizes in defiance of law.
laughs at the suggestion that Il can be
reached by legislation and calmly goes
on lifting the price of paper and the
scalps of the newspaper publishers.
This isn't a partisan question, since
the Republican papers are hit so hard
they make quite as much fuss about
being robbed as do their Democratic
associates. 1t is just a plain question
whether one of the greatest industries
in the country shall be held up, the
people compelled to pay more for news
papers and literature. or whether Ii
censed thieves are to pursue unmOlest-
ed their gladstone occupation Of foster
ing an infant industry and saving
American lab0r-fOr the small consid-
GRAFTON of $50 100000 every twelve
months
The question is an awkward one for
congress TO have raised just at the
opening of a presidential campaign. but
it can't be lodged much longer Not
while Herr Ridder retains his vigor
with the pen and has his ordinary
turnverein fighting clothes on.