The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-04-06

What sense is there in greasing
a fat hog?" asks Champ Clark.
THAT is what this tariff on shoes
amounts to. The shoe industry
does not need the tariff to monop-
Ollie the home market or to take
the markets of the world. II is
merely a tax on the consumer
what Mr.. Boutell calls the 'ulti-
mate consumer.
A lobby headed by Mr.. Samuel
H. COwan of the Cattle Raisers' as
ISOLATION Is in Washington-has
been for many weeks-working to
have the tariff put back on hides
|
The vice president of the gyp-
sum trust, with headquarters at
Fort Dodge, Iowa, wrote to Chair
man Payne, when the tariff bill
was under consideration, to say
that Mr.. Mcconnell, solicitor for
the treasury department and vice
president of the gypsum trust,
would supply information as to why
the trust desired tariffs retained
Mr. Roberts, lately director of the
mint, was also commended to the
| ways and means committee, as rep
resentative of the gypsum interests.
The Payne bill retains the duties
| on gypsum. Ut Is from this min
eral that stucco used in building is
made.)
Clandestine methods have been
freely employed in framing the
Payne tariff bill. The cotton
schedule Is a good sample. When
this schedule was reached In the
hearings" the cotton people said
they had nothing to say. They
did not seek any changes. Say
ing which they went home. But
after the public hearings were
over, the cotton manufacturing
people wrote to Mr.. Payne and ask
ed that a certain paragraph be add
ed to the law-just few lines
purporting to define" thread.
This was done and the effect was
an increase of the duty on every
square foot of cotton woven in the
United States. Nobody knows just
how much the increase will amount
to- but 1t is considerable
The poor mans blankets are one
of the worst taxes imposed by the
Payne tariff bill. It will surprise
some people to learn that the tax
on wooden blankets amounts to
1916 per cent. In practice this is
eign blankets do not come to our
| country. Last year the total i'm
ports of blankets was LIS pounds.
This means that the poor who buy
blankets in the United States are
left to the mercy of the greedy
trust, which finds refuge behind the
tariff wall.
And this applies to wooden under
wear, and all sorts of manufactured
| wool.
The tariff on women's and chill
| dren's dress goods in the Payne bill
is 1869 per cent. This means cot
ton warp-the ordinary cheap mate
rails which go to make the poor
woman's or child's everyday cloth
| ing.
This is what Mr.. Payne calls a
tax on Injuries"
How much need Is there for high
err duties on wool?
This question is well answered by
| Champ Clark, who tells story
about one of the witnesses who was
examined when the Payne bill was
| being prepared. Mr.. Clark de-
| To- ole
| der, sinewy man, with a hawk-bill
nose and a clear, gray eye, fine
sample of pioneer" The man had
come in from Wyoming and told
the committee that nothing would
do but the wool growers would
have to have the tariff on wool
doubled.
when the man was being cross
examined by the chairman" said
Mr.. Clark, 81 made up ply mind that
he was pretty good natured citi-
zen, and when the chairman got
through with him l told him to wait
a minute while l asked him three
questions.
"'How long have you beeen in
the cheep business?' was the first.
He replied: Fourteen years. How
much did you have when you went
in? l asked. Nine hundred and
sixty dollars he replied. Are you
worth more than a hundred thous-
and dollars now?' l asked. Yes
said he, L am
81 have always been sorry that
| did not place the figure higher.
l just happened to strike that fig
ure."
The Hon.. Nicholas Longworth
has contributed to the tariff debate
the following letter. 1t came, he