The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1909-04-03
THE TARIFF ON COFFEE,


arms. because the father Of the bill
and his confederates have taken the
people to be fools. They have revised
the tariff with a vengeance and neither
Republicans nor Democrats are salts
fled with 1t. As it now stands, it can
not get enough Republican votes in
the House to pass it. The trainers
of the bill are tricksters Of the first
water and entitled to no consideration
from honest men. The country de-
niands a real, genuine revision of tariff
schedules and must have it in spite
Of the Eastern manipulators.
1t is pleasant to note that the lead
ing Republican papers Of the country
are opposed to the Payne tariff. The
Tribune Of this city calls it a bill for
the manufacturers. and declares that
the Western interests are ignored for
the benefit of the East. The New
York and Chicago papers are outspok-
en- in their opposition, and for the first
time in the history Of protective tariff,
the women of the land are loud in pro-
testing against the provisions Of this
bill. With such an outcry against the
Payne bill, 1t is sure to fail Of enact
ment.
The Payne bill is said to hide some
"jokers," like the rate on imported
coffee. 1t contains a provision for
imposing a tariff on foreign coffee
equal to the export duty imposed by
the producing country. The United
Suites receives the most Of its coffee
from Brazil. That country places an
EXPORT tariff on the coffee shipped
from it's ports, and the Payne bill, I'M
dor the maximum rate, places the same
tariff on 1t by way Of retaliation. Some
see big grab in the coffee tax. The
Chicago Tribune calls it the coffee
jugglery," and says that the export tax
idea in the Payne bill originated with
a syndicate of capitalists who want the
millions of coffee drinkers in the Unit
ed States to be taxed for their hene-
tit. A st. Louis importer of coffee
corroborates tho charge Of the Tribune
as follows:
IF coffee was taken from the free
list and q tariff placed on it it would
cradle two Of the three largest cof-
fee syndicates in the United States
to clean I'D from $2o.ooo,ooo to $780,
100000 within 90 days after the law be-
came effective. A New York syndi-
cate, composed of three Of the greatest
importing corporations, is active for
a tariff because 1t will gain them mil
lions. Between them they now have
in New York, or enroute from their
warehouses in Europe, nearly 100000
bags Of coffee, which is more than
52s.ooo,ooo pounds. The result of
tariff will be that other United States
importers cannot get coffee from Bra
ziI without paying the regular export
tariff, the special tax and the tariff
for entrance to this country Opposed
to them Is this vast supply in New
York in the hands Of these syndi-
Gates
This man, who is at the head Of one
Of the biggest importing firms Of tea
ard coffee in the middle west, under
stands the arrangement thoroughly.
If that provision in the Payne bill
stands, and imported coffee is taxed
4 per cent on the invoice price, this
syndicate makes millions Of money. at
the expense Of the consumers and not
cent goes into the almost depleted
treasury Of the United States.
If the committee on ways and means
Of which Mr.. Payne Is chairman, was
ccgnizant Of this fact, or influenced by
the coffee syndicate to tax the peo-
pie and swindle the treasury, the mat
ter should be made known. Mr. Payne
denies that the American consumer
would be compelled to pay both taxes
on oohse. the export and import duties
combined. and declares that the other
South American countries are rivals
Of Brasil for the coffee trade in the
United States and do not impose any
export tax, and therefore would under
sell Brazil and compel it to remove
its export tax. But Brasil produces
80 per cent of the worlds production
Of coffee and this country consumes
nearly twice the amount Of coffee pro-
duced by all other countries excepting
Brazil. The opposition between South
American countries, therefore. would
not affect the American consumers Of
coffee to any appreciate extent. Cof-
fee must be kept on the free list
WHAT ABOUT FREE LUMBER7
After all the talk about putting lum-
Der on the free list, the people Of the
Northwest are taking things philoso.
phically and letting their congressman