The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-12-29
Advanced Cost of Living Is
Charged Up to Payne
Aldrich Measure.
PRICES AFFECTED
IN INDIRECT WAY
Senator Clapp Thinks There Must
Be Reduction and a Com
mission.
By 7. c. WELLIVER.

mlll1OnS OF dollars, IN increased cost or
living" vigorously declared Senator
Moses z. Clapp of Minnesota today.
The Senator had been asked for an eS-
preston of some views about the eternal
question of advancing cost of living,
and he launched into a tariff analysis
without any delay or uncertainties.
And II the Payne-Aldrich tariff bill
had been beaten, those millions would
have been saved to the people, he con-
tinued.
why do I say that? Because It was
generally understood that the tariff was
IN general an increase. The increase did
not affect everything. of course; but
when the prices were raised Ivy the
people whose rates had been increased.
other people were compelled 20 raise their
prices in keeping The thing started
with the tariff increases. and is going
ell along the line, apparently.
Raise the price Of one necessity OF
iife-of a mans coat. shoes. food-and
the man who Is compelled to pay that
increased price must get more for what
he has to sell. I'm order that he may
pay It. Therefore It necessarily af-
fects the price of what he produces. He
must either take less profit or else
raise MS Price
Reaches All Along the Line.
You will hear It said constantly, with
reference to something on which the
price has been advanced. o. that isn't
IN the tariff at all. That increase has
nothing TO do with the tariff But the
fact is that the tariff reaches all along
the line You can't raise the cost of
living to a man who is producing some
thing 20 sell. without forcing that man
TO raise corrcspOndinEly the price of
what he has TO sell
Then there is the relation OF combi-
nations. They reach now to almost
everything. When we had real COM
petition. il was wrong 10 say we hal
a high tariff: the tariff was merely pro
tective. and while il kept out foreign
goods competition among home pro-
ducers kept the prices from becoming
excessive But that Is no longer the
case. because Of tho working OF the
combinations TO kill competition al
home
ct used 10 ne said that there was
~ consumer. What was meant, Of
course. was that everybody got his
share Of the benefits OF the protection
20 the American producer. everybody
was better OF for that condition. no
one class got all the benefits. and no
other class paid the bill for all Of them.
Combinations End Competition.
But when we come 10 the era OF
combinations. behind our tariff wall. 10
prevent competition at home while the
tariff prevents competition from abroad,
then we find ourselves facing this con-
dtion OF constantly increasing cost Of
4
Queer and consumer at once become
two different classes.
Then there is the tendency OF om
people 10 more extravagant living. They
have more necessities. or think they do,
than formerly. Look at the automobile
business. We have made hundreds OF
thousands OF automobiles. and people
have bought them; a good many people
who couldn't afford them. Now see
how that affects the price Of leather
Every automobile requires a lot or
leather. The new and sudden demand
Tor AL this. coming from the auto
mobile manufactures Of the whole
world. added TO the former demands
for leather. makes the supply short, and
the price goes M. The automobiles
make shoes cost more in that way
And the illustration is merely typical
Of many other cases that could be
cited.
The remedy That's a great ques-
ton. To answer IL reminds ono Of the
case OF the young preacher who took
for his subject God and the Universe
He said he would COnCeie tho universe
and devote himself 10 the argument to
prove that there is a God. That 7yss
rather 4 large therae. so is this one
We NAV CouCedc the increase Of the
cost II living. but how 10 cone with il
is another question.
Remedies Suggested.
For one thing. we must have no
legislation that will re-enforce the
com binations. I mean. that tariffs so
adjusted a to protect combinations
1T home against competition abroad.
must be lowered. The combinations
are eliminating competition Just as
Sherman and Blaine twenty wears
ago saw that they would. II Is now
problem Of how to save our market
from being controlled by the domcs-
tic com biuation, just as formerly i'll
was problem OF how to protect 81
Queer
we can al least go ON fighting for
2 IN adjustment Of duties that will
save US from the imp0ritfans of those
domestic combinations. The truth is
IS / haze said before. that but for
the preteNt which this new tariff ar
Ipfued. TINS increase an along the
line would have been avoided Let
me illustrate.
- lady i'm Washington told mo Of
going TO crOckery store and pricing
a SET Of dishes. II was $50 ana the
tariff bill hadn't been reported vel
Later, when u had become generally
known that the revision was befue,
made upward rather than downward
she went back and asked about those
same dishes. The price had gone uU
to 379.
Prices Arbitrarily Raised.
But she protested, ii was only
go few weeks ago when ! came in
! understand; but don't vo, nm
derstsnd about the tariff? They're re-
vlsing ii. and things Ike this are going
20 be higher
II looked up that description Of
goods. II wasn't increased IN the tariff
measure. But the understanding was
cut that manufacturers were increasing
prices because OF the changes I'm the
duties. everybody knew that cottoDs
and woolons were going up on that ac-
count; and 50 the tendency was TO push
up the prices Of other things. The
tariff gave the excuse for that move
ment III the bill had been beaten, Is