The Detroit times., 1908-08-19

My busine SIS is inJuilously affected
10y the taIin. The CLtles on hides.
leather. thread. machinery, Goa. anu
building materials increase the cost of
making shoes in this country an aN-
erage o. something iike 10 cents a
pair OF S30,000,0O0 year FOR he en-
tire country.
OF course We manufa turerS do not
finally pay all OF this tarin tax On foot
wear. We collect fully nine-tcnths OF
lit from those who wear shoes. But
We cannot Collect ttrr-tax- shoes
sold tor export. This comes out of
our own pockets. This tax, by forc
ing US to pay lO per cent more for
leather than is paid hy our foreign
competitors. increases the cost OF MAX
ing shoes In this country about .
per cent and thus greatly hanGiCaps
us in foreign markets. With free
leather and other materials and sup
plies we would perhaps soon lee eX-
porting $l00,000,000 worth OF shoes a
year instead OF the S1O00,000 or SS..
100000 worth now exported.
IL is, then. mainly in the export bust,
ness that the tarinN shoe pinches us
manufacturers. Ii plnches MS very
mnch also because of The fewer pairs
OF shoes worn by the oyertaXed peo-
PIE. III. rs | believe, tariff trust taxes
increase the cost OF living by 10 per
teeHt-it=is ,t.s.t=lheso taxes
diminish the number OF shoes WOTA
about 10 per cent
| favor tariff reduction, then, both
for selfish and for humanitarian rea-
Nv. b.a rin nf
he protected trusts-Ihe greatest OF
all graft would increase the pur-
chasing power OF the wage and salary
earners' dollar and thus virtually in
crease wages 10 per cent. | am not
certain that, had the trusts been
Curbed by the removal OF unnecessary
tariff duties in 1904 or 1905 we
would have had the severe industrial
depression through which we are now
assing. | have never Leen a believer
~ the now exploded theory that a
nation could tax itself into prosper
/ ity. Protection and prosperity are
not. in my vocabulary. synonymous
! words. To me protection" rs We
know IL means unnecessary land un-
Just taxation. and this means frequent
periods OF business depression, re-
duced wages idle workingmen. adver'
sity disease and crime, such as We are
now experiencing.
! have no faith in the Republican
tariff expert committee plan of revis
ing the tariff. In my opinion IL is pc
litical maneuver To hoodwink the PEG
| pie and tide the Republicans over
the presidential election. II is Eartly
a scheme 10 have the tariff experts ~
the various departments provide cam
paign material for the high tariff party
These experts are now compiling sta
tistics OF cost OF production in different
counties and OF export taxes ant
bount.es levied by foreign countrie.
on goods going abroad. We may be
certain that II any material is fOunC
THAT will aid the protectienis's anc
stand-patters IL will be put into Tho
hands OF all Republican speakers next
tall. Other material will be kept un
der cover.
The New York Journal OF Commerce
OF May 20 made an even more serious
charge against the tariff revision plans
OF the senate and house committees
II said that these plans were merely
intended as basis for political CAPT
tai and that the whole tariff lnvesti
CATION now pending has n direct rela
| ton To campaign funds"
That the Republicans do not serious
| IL intend to revise the tariff down