The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-07-22
GAME OF BLUFF
President TAFT and the Republic
can Leaders
EO0L.ING TIE PEOPLE

Meanwhile the Public Protests, and
the President to Appease 1t Tries
10 Check the Clamor for o Time,
But tho Cost Of Living VIII Go
Up When the Tariff Bill Passes.
gack McGhee, in his Washington
letter to The State about sizes up
the game of bluff now being played
by President Taft and the Republican
leaders in their attempt to fool the
people. Zack says Washington
seems all expectant and excited about
Mr. Taft's Ajaxing, and from mouth
to mouth, and from Washington pa
per to Washington paper, it Is COM
municated that the tariff is to- be re-
yised downward in spite OF appear
ances, and that the people are TO
come into their own.
Ajax cuts an impressive figure THIS
morning and again this afternoon IN
the afternoon papers. And Mr.. Aid
rich is just going TO be compelled TO
come under, they say. The press as
sociations have been given to under
stand that Mr.. Taft will just not put
up with any foolishness about this
thing, that he is committed to re-
vision downwood and revision
downward there must be. But Sen
ator Gore remarked the other day
that the way for you to tell whether
the promise has been kept Is when
you go to q store and find out II the
price Of, your sugar, your cotton
cloths, your gloves. your stockings
and the various other articles you
buy are any cheaper than they were
last year.
Last year, and ever since the Din
gley tariff law been been in force the
articles you have been buying was
exceedingly high. The people pro-
tested against the high prices caused
by the Dingley tariff for many years.
till at last the Republicans could
withstand no longer the clamor and
promises to revise the tariff and re-
duce the exhorbitant rates OF bounty
the people have been paying TO the
extortionate protected interests. II
they had kept their promise, or II
yet they keep it..if Mr.. Taft COM
pels them by this AjaXing OF his TO
keep this promise made to the peo-
ole in the last campaign, why then
the prices will be cheaper than they
were last year.
Members of congress are getting
by every mail prepared statements
from merchants and merchants as
sociations, showing now rates have
been raised, and how, If the rates as
fixed in both the house and the SEN
ate bills. which bills are now being
harmonized in conference are en-
acted into law the people will have
to pay higher prices for their arti-
cles Of clothing, especially cotton ana
wollen cloths. MIR. Taft himself has
been clrcularized and IN various ways
has been made to feel the weight OF
this showing up.
Every dry goods merchant in this
country almost Is already an active
agent for the Democratic party. The
importers IN New York and elsewhere
slong the, shore have been circulariZ-
ing retailers all over the country, the
merchants associations and the var
ious representatives Of those concerns
which have all to lose and nothing to
gain by the raising Of duties have
been sending out letters and c!rcu-
lars to the men and concerns which
they deal with in the small towns
and the merchants of the whole coun-
try are studying the tariff ss they
have not studied it before.
was In little town In the South
the other day and to my great sur
prise I found small dry goods mer-
chant who had never before been
known to take any interest In ma
tional politics talking tariff. He took
me behind his counter and showed
me gloves that he sold forS2.25, but
which, IL the proposed Payne rates
on gloves go into effect, he would
be compelled to sell for SO. He
showed me ladies' hose, which he
was now selling for Is cents pair,
the kind the greater number OF wo-
men buy, and he had figured out that
if the proposed Payne duties on
stockings go into effect he would
have to sell those stockings for 3a or
40 cents. And he took me all about
his store and showed me cotton and
woolen goods of various kinds which
would have to be raised in price.
No it does not make any differerce
whether a man IS Republican or
a Democrat, If he IS dry goods mer-
chant he Is going to raise the price
of his goods so sure as this bill goes
through, as 1t seems now destined
to do. Mr.. Taft has been told this,
and he has been made to realize l..
That's the reason he Is AjaXing s"
marvelously. He hears a rumbliAg
Of the political earth in America and
he must bestir himself.
Seeing how unpopular just at this
time Mr.. Aldrich and Mr.. Cannon