The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-03-07
SOLVING THE
 TARIFF PUZZLE. Jack and Janet Endeavor to Find Answer
 .4ts- A PERPLEXING QUESTION Fathers Replies Are Not Sufficiently EIucidating and the Younger Generation Is Still In
 Doubt.

"Wonder," said Jack looking up from the New York Herald, according to Tu-
 dor Jenks, what this old tariff is, any
 how?'
 What old tariff?' asked Janet.
 "Oh, the one that we are going to
 change this year.
 Why do you care about it if it is going
 to be changed right away?"
 But I want to know about both of
 them," her brother replied.
 Take one at a time,' said Janet
 wisely.
 You don't know anything about it,"
 said Jack scornfully.
 And you said you didn't!' she re-
 joined.
 Jack could think of no good answer to
 this and kept quiet. But he was still thinking, and when his mother came in
 he asked her. Mother, how do they make tariff?' What kind of a tariff" she asked. "Oh, just a-plain tariff" he said, pug zled
 They don't make it; they just put it on," she replied. 'On What? Why, on all sorts of things-on luxu- ries, for instance. But what is it for?'' Jack inquired It's a tax, and is put on to raise money" was her answer.
 q thought Jack remarked, after a moment, that it was to protect Ameri- can industries" Mrs. Townsend looked at Jack absently. She was wondering if it were worth while to turn an old dress of Janet's. So she said, uncertainly Well, so 1t is, 1 Jack-so it is l But he was not satisfied. He was out 1 to acquire information "If you don't know, mother, I wish you'd say so! That way of saying Yes, I dear without a notion of what you're l talking about, gives me pain! i Mrs. Townsend heard this, and under 1 stood it only too well. 1 "John," she remarked, severely, that 1 is not the way to talk to your mother.
 I certainly cant explain the tariff to you 1 just now, and it's not a woman's busi- l ness, anyway If you are curious why l, don't you ask your father?' That was why the tariff formed the l topic of discussion that night after din- | ner.
 l Father" Jack began, "I am afraid I l don't quite understand all about this tar | if business" 1 That wouldn't be strange his father ] said. laughing, 'I am sure there are a ] few others that do not altogether under stand 1t, either" i Well father, I think you might tell me about it. What is the good of it?'' 'It Is way of making foreigners pay for the right to sell their goods in this country. They must pay Uncle Sam if they want to sell things to you and me- But why?' "So they'll have to charge high prices, ' his father explained. We could pay high prices without having a law about it." Jack remarked But people don't like to pay high prices,' said his father. smiling. Seems queer that we make law to make ourselves do what we don't want to dov Jack returned. I've don't. We do it to help American industries-to keep foreigners from selling things cheaper than our merchants can" It's puzzlng," said Jack. The tariff makes foreigners pay tax to get in, then we pay more for their goods, so we can pay more for our own things, so we can help our merchants to make money. Where do I come in?' "You?" MT. Townsend asked.
 'Yes-or the people like me" ''Why, it makes good business for us In America It keeps all our people at
 work and makes wages high But why do we want to work? I've
 always heard that Americans work too
 hard as it is" Jack objected.
 Some do but others don't work hard enough
 Then I'd make law that people must