The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-25
REAL ARGUMENT
Congressman Calderhead De-
tends the Payne Tariff Bill.
Some Duties Too LOw-WOOlen
Schedules Not Raised.
LOGIC OF SITUATION.
Canada Profits From Reductions
of Lumber Schedules.
South America Enjoys Profits
With Hides on Free List.
A Wonderfully Clear Exposition
and Defense of Same.

Lawrence, Dec. 25.-The Lawrence
Journal prints this Afternoon the letter
below from Congressman w. A. Cal
derhead of the Fifth district to T.
E. Every of Lawrence. The letter Is
of general interest at this time from
the fact that it makes clear and con-
else corrections of certain popular
misconceptions of the Payne bill. MI
Calderhead discusses the schedules
frankly and fearlessly and especially
calls attention to the fact that there
was no raise made in the wooden
schedules.
This letter. which follows. is of es-
pecial weight and entitled to more
than ordinary consideration. because
Mr.. Calderhead was one of the con-
ferees who brought in the bill in its
final analysis and form as adopted by
congress and signed by the president:
Mr.. p. E. Emery, Lawrence. Kan:
Dear Sir: Your letter of November
IS. addressed to me at Washington
returned to me here. 1 will go to
Washington next week.
Payne Bill Too Low, il Anything.
1 have not time to write much con-
cerning the new tariff law. but I know
1t is a better revision of the tariff
along protective lines than the coun-
try ever had. There is no occasion
to be afraid of the operation of it,
unless it be that in some places we
made the tariff too low. The fact is,
that our imports for August Sep
tember and October, this year, are
many millions greater than they were
the same months last year. when the
tariff was the Dingley bill. When the
tariff is too low, the imports on thai
thing increase. The general charge
made by the Kansas City Star and
Times, and the Topeka Capital, that
the tariff was not a revision downward
is false The law is not a club in
~. hands of our enemies. The real
club is the ease with which our
friends believe these falsehoods with
out making any effort to ascertain the
facts.
WooIen Schedule Not Raised.
For instance, we did not touch the
woolen schedule except to reduce it
in a few places; yet the clothing deal
ers have advanced prices and they
say it was the tariff. There was not
the slightest increase of any item in
the woolen schedule. Possibly. the
jobbers are taking advantage of the
ignorance of their customers.
Except upon the articles mentioned
below there was no increase in the cot
ton schedule above the rates charged
originally in the Dingley law, and
which were collected during the first
four years of that law. At that time,
some cases were appealed from the ap-
praisers to the courts, and the courts
held that the appraisers must admi.
certain high class cotton goods upon
the basis OF the countable threads to
the square inch, counting the threads
of both the warp and the woof. This
had nffpOf n rAdII0iy1c 70
these high class cottons from 20 cents a
square yard to cents, and on other
grades of high class cottons from As
per cent ad valorem to 2 per cent ad
valorem. Wherever we could, we
changed the duties from ad valorem
duties to specific duties, but these
duties were not higher in any case ex-
cepting the hosiery, than in the origina,
Dingley law.
In the hosiery we increased the rates
as follows: On hose valued at not more
than 81 per dozen pairs, from so cents
per dozen to 20 cents per dozen, and on
hose valued at more than 81 and not
more than $1.50 (per dozen). from 60
cents to 85 cents per dozen pairs, and on
hose valued at more than S1.50 and not
more than 81 per dozen pairs, from 40
cents to 80 cents per dozen. All hose
above these values remain the same as
before.
Reasons for an Increase
The reason for this was that a large
of heavy importing houses, like
Marshall Field & Co. of Chicago. during
recent years went to Germany and
bought the raw material, took it to the
factories and contracted for the output,
then took the output of their own fac
tories in Chemnitz. and sheared off the
nap, finished them up, folded them, and
labelled them with the name of what
ever house they We're selling to, and
shipped them to themselves in this
country. The wages in Germany were
from 20 cents to so cents a day while
the wages in the Philadelphia mills for /,
making the same class of goods, for
making the same class of goods, were
from 81 to $4 a day. They could lay
Gown the imported hosiery at the doors !
OF the Philadelphia mills for less money
than the Philadelphia mills could make
them, and so most of our manufactures
were closed up. while they imported 20
million pairs in eight months, ending
November first, 1908
Upon mems and boys cotton gloves !
valued at not more than s6 per dozen, |
the duty was changed from As per +
cent ad valorem to so cents per dozen |
and 40 per cent ad valorem and on
bleached cotton cloth not exceeding
six square yards to the pound. valued
from cents yard plus cents per !
square yard, to 5X cents per yard
plus cents per square yard.
These are all the increases in the !
cotton schedule. We put specific
rate which was new upon mercerized
goods, because the process has been
discovered since the Dingley bill was
enacted.
Iron and Steel Reductions.
In the iron and steel schedule there
were great reductions that are never
mentioned. For instance, we reduced
the rates on iron ore from 40 cents