Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-07-22
DUTY ON IMPORTED HIDES
Senator Pages Speech in Rela.
ton to Free Hides.
A Comprehensive View Of rndustries
and Conditions ATordcd--Why
Vermont Farmers are
Not TIT.

United states Senator Carroll s. Page
IN his speech which has won for him
marked recognition in WASHINGTON and
elsewhere conducted running debate
With various western senator's after
Which he continued "a follows:
Mr.. President believe that coming
from the State I do. do not need TO
apologize for my republicansm. do
not believe the senator from Wyoming
ana the senator from Montana have ever
discovered In any vermonter a disposi-
ton to withhold from the farmers Of
the West any fair rewnrd for their labor
II has been stated here by the senator
from Wyoming that the packers have not
entered upon the business OF tanning
hides That is the statement Of some
ono think. hailing from Chicago. and
the senator from Wyoming afflrms that.
In his judgment the statement Is true.
They have deluged those who favor a
duty upon hides with very large NUM-
her Of statistics showing how the tam
ner prospereh prior to the passage Of the
Dinglcy thrift act
want to say. Mr.. President that II
they are correct. II the situation to-day
Ia es It was IN 1897. II the packers are
not entering into the business Of tanning
leather In competition with the "indc-
pendent tanner SO called, then will
waive all I have 10 say In favor of free
hides. and II DO not convince the eena-
tors from Wyoming and Montana that
nm right about that, I will accept their
verdict about the matter and withdraw
my opposition and vote for the Is per
cent. duty
But II I am rIght-if the packers hav-
ing control OF large percentage Of the
hides Ut this country are entering into
the business Of tanning leather In compe-
tition with the independent tanner. nnd
If the percentage, from year to year.
which they control Is increasing very
fast, as believe It to be SO that within
a few years they are liable to constitute
the greatest trust that this county has
ever seen--then I believe tho senators
will agree with me that we should be
very slow to put up this tar,H wall which
the IL per cent duty provides.
I start upon the theory that no line Of
trade, DO not care what II IT, no man
! Ufacturing industry Of this or any other
country, can succeed If the manufnctur-
er Is handicapped In the purchase ~ hts
raw material That this Is one Of the
fundamentals OF business economics
Let me go with senators. In fancy II
may. over to Liverpool. There is an
| urea there larger than this room by three
or four times DO not know but It
contains half an acre, and standing
around At different points In that area
you will see groups OF men. n you In
quire what they are doing. they will tell
you this group here handle sea-is,and
cotton; that group over here handle
Egyptian cotton: another group handle
American cotton. can not tell the
| names OF all the different kinds OF cotton
handled there but the men standing
there have kilograms and letters from all
over The world about tho kinds Of cotton
which is there bought and sold When
| they have concluded their brief confer
epce OF an hour the cotton market Of
the world FOR that day is fixed. and tel
eErnms eo therefrpn to our friends IN
the South, and indeed everywhere that
cotton IS sold, telling what price has been
nxed ON the different kinds Of cotton for
that day.
What I want to emphasize Is the ab-
soiutefy equitable system which prevails
there IN the transaction OF business One
cotton spinner can buy his cotton Just
ae cheaply as any other cotton spinner.
Go with me acrces the channel TO Ant
werp. win show you there G similar
nrea, but instead Of being devoted en-
tire,y to cotton. you will there see ono
group OF men that deal IN grain; another
group that deal IN pork and lard; an
other that deal In hides, and SO on.
Antwerp has come 10 control the MARK
ct for South American hides. and the
49, ~ d, 49, ~,