The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-04-17
l GREAT PROTEST
The Women Attack Increased
 Glove Duties
ALDRIcH SEEMS TO YIELD

Conference Committee Has Acted
 Payne's Attempt to Add to Littauer's
 Millions Littauer's Glove Scandal,
 His Work For Cannon and It's Re-
 ward.
 Women are patient and will suffer bng in silence, but they have been lroused all over the country by the outrageous increases in the Payne tar H bill on important necessities of wo- mems and children's wearing apparel, Tuch as gloves and hosiery. A mass meeting of women under the leader ship of the Federation of Women's Clubs has been held in New York city to protest against these increased bur lens, and important meetings of pro- test have been held in other cities, while petitions from indignant women have been pouring in upon congress- men and senators from all sections of the country.
 Tho Astute Aidrieh.
 Apparently impressed by the great sutburst from indignant women all sver the country, Aldrich in the sen ite now reports the tariff bill with tho rates on women's gloves and hosiery put back to the same figures as in the Dingley tariff. But these rates will be finally fixed by the conference com nittee, which will adjust the differ snces between the house and senate After the bill has passed the senate. rt Is a common trick to make an ap- parent concession in rates and have he conference committee quietly put them up again.
 Typical Tariff E,etortion.
 There is not the shadow of an ek- suse for the imposition of these higher iuties. It is fragrant case-and there are many others like 1t in the Payne bfll-of robbing the public of millions more in order to still further enrich | tariff fattened and already rich pri- rate interest, composed of very few manufacturers in a very few localities. The chief of the benehciaries of the proposed enormous increases on wo- mems and chfldren's gloves Is L. N. Littauer, the most prominent manufac turer of gloves in the United States, Eho has become many times a million lire through this industry and was for number of years . member of con Eress from New York state.
 Littausr's Government Contracts.
 This is the same Ldttauer who came Into national prominence in 1908, while he was a member of congress, by the sxpcsure of what was called the "glove BcAndAl" It came to light that Lit Auer's- firm was interested in . con- ract to supply gloves to the United States army and to the marine corps. This was declared to be a violation of the federal statute, but Ltttauer e. raped prosecution through the statute Bf Limitations under an opinion by tho then Attorney General Knox. After that he was frequently nicknamed HLimitntions Ltttauer'' in congress. His partner in the government con tracts testfned that the profits to the Littauers. in these transactions were about $9o 900.
 Iittauer Hsips Cannon.
 It is the direct Influence of this same Littauer, and nothing else, which brought into the Payne tariff bill the surprising increases in the glove sched- ule. 1t is openly charged and gener- ally believed that the action of Chair man Payne and the committee on ways and means was part of a bargain under which Mr. Littauer agreed to nse his influence with the independ- ent Republicans who were opposing Spoo Eox nnor,o fir, rot11vr, for higher protection to his industry. This charge was made by Representa- live Pou Of North Carolina in a speech ln the house on March 26; also by F.. ". Larom, a member of the well known firm of Mills & Gibb of New York, in an interview in the Journal of Commerce of New York on March 20 and it has not been denied.
 His Political Reward.
 If the rates fixed in the house can be carried through the conference~com- mittee, Littauer's reward for serving Cannon and his man Payne will be very great His wealth will be in- creased by millions. He will not need any more government contracts. The official statistics show that the average rate of duty collected on the classes of gloves, chiefly imported during the ten years from 1898 to 1907 was 52.65 per cent Under the rates provided for in the Payne tariff bill the duty on Ihe same classes of gloves, based on the average value of the tmportations for period of four years, would be 92 per cent On the cheapest gloves worn by the masses the rate would be from 117 fo 133 per cent.
 The Revenue Will Be Much Less.
 The revenue to the United States treasury will be lessened by the in creased duties. They will not and are not intended to add to the income which the government SO sorely needs. They will prevent 1mportations, of course, just as the increased duties on mems gloves granted by the Dingley tariff for Littauer have done. That is what they are for. They will all make Littauer richer and more powerful. The losses to the people and the gov ar-pruorf coyTnt for nofhipO It navS