The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-10-12

@ They Are Burdened by Its Tx
actions
>(The American Aagazine.)

>(The American Magazine.)
The way the whole matter Of the
tariff bill was done shows that neither
Congress as a body nor the President
himself had a real understanding Or
feeling about what was at stake. We
didn't ask Or expect q perfect bill:
What we did ask, and felt we had a
right to expect. was that they should
give us q sign that they cOmprehended
and were stirred by certain big in
Justices: as it stood. and that they
were willing to fight to revise them.
Hut did you see any sign that III
the last year the Congress of this
country was stirred to it's depths by
the fact that the price of living has
so advanced that four-ffths of the
people Of this rich country had not
been able to live as well as they had
once lived Did YOU see any evidences
OF pain over the fact that the burdens
&C taxation were heaping up on the
$4,000, 900 families1of the country who
must live on an average wage of $500
a year. while a few hundred had SO
many millions a yea that they did
not know how to dispose Of them? /
did not. What interest did Congress
show in that person who, after all is
BOT the most important in the coun-
tTy-the woman who. as head of these
1000, 600 families on small income,
must feed and clothe and train the
boys and girls who are in a few years
to do the worlds work? Had she a
spokesman in Congress? Did that body
say: You Shall not make it harder for
her; YOU must make it easier? We
are her champion and her ~children's.
and the necessities Of her life must be
cheap and plenty and good in quality,
and any manipulating of duties which
preveDts that must be stopped? She
is our ward?
From all that Congress as a body
did, or said, YOU would not have
known that these l., 900, 900 women.
caring for families on these pitifully
small incomes, existed. Congress
thought of but one person-the manu-
facturer, who employed the woman
husband. / am not denying that she
is tangled up with this manufactures,
bu the whole burden of disinterested
ana cdltlu PROOF OleItu showed tndt
all hat q lowering Of duties would
do in the cases of many articles neccS-
sarN to this Ona would be to lower
their prices to her; that it would not
could nOt-preVent the I~n2nufac-
turer making a reasonable profit, OF
paying the market price Of labor tC
her husband.
There was a great human cause
easing the burden of our vast labor
ing ClaSs-knOcking at the door OF
Congress, and it was not needed
indeed it was heard. True, there was
talk Of economic manikin introduce
for convenience in demonstration
But that was not the flesh and blood
person I hoped to see introduced. ]
wanted to see there the American
workingWOman from whom high du.
ties have stripped wooden garments
and replaced them with cold and
clammy imitation-Whose bed nc
longer can afford a wool blanket, OF
even one Of honest shoddy; whose cot
ton goods hav grown dearer anC
dearer, as have her shoes and dress
goods and hose and cloaks. [ want
ed Congress to look this woman ir
the face. examine her budget. see
how she worked and skimped. fee
what she got out of life, what hel
husband got, what chances her chill
dren had. realize her Importance t
the country.-and then rise to hel
aid. felt as if the time had como
for Congress to say, For so years
have been fayoring your employer an6
your husband. 1t is time to take carr
of YOU" But. SO far as | am able tc
nudge. did not know she ex-
listed. or if it did. it took great care
not to admit her to its bar. The blood
less ultimate consumer was mucf
less disturbing.