The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-06-04
I.In|EH JOKER
Smother illustration Of Tariff
 Ways That Are Dark
ALDRIcH HELPS HIS FRIENDS

The Sort e Thing That Comes From
 Secret Hearings = More Favors to
 Powerful and Wealthy Cotton Goods
 Manufaeturers =. More Burdens on
 Che coNsun,ers ef the Cheapest Linen
 Artielss ef Nseessity In Every House
 hold.
 It must be Remembered that the Aid rich tariff bill, which Senator Aldrich snd his Finance Committee are now asking the Senate to kindly pass for them, was framed after, a number of secret hearings before this Committee of representatives of certain interests which enjoyed this especial mark of favor. In spite of all the strong crid- cisms directed against this ugly policy of .-star chamber" secrecy thrown around the statements of those who seek special privileges of taxing and plundering the American people. the Senate Finance Committee persistently refused to make their hearings public, although the Ways and Means Com mittee of the House had public hear ings.
 It is not at all surprising, therefore, that the Aldrich bill is found to be crowded with .jokers" Of course, these sprout most abundantly in dark ness and secrecy. And they come into the light only by slow degrees. The linen trade awoke one day very re- gently to fnd, much to their surprise, n little joker. that was loaded for them and their customers
 SA Quiet Littis Trick.
 ! This trick, like all the s.jokers," was done very quietly while the bill was in the hands of the Senate Finance Com mittee, So quietly that none of the newspapers reported any change in the linen schedule over the rates fixed In the Payne btlI But when Aldrich's bill came to be carefully examined it was found that one little word had been introduced in just the right place to carry the effect of substantially in- .rreasing the duty on q long line of linen articles of neeesstty in every household
 Effsot Of We'll Piaeed Word.
 
 ls plain" Being carefully introduced duSt before the word s'wovenn in line 2z Of paragraph S52, it has the effect, h connection with paragraph 353. of carrying from 35 per cent to a 45 per cent duty almost all the cheap grades of damaSh1, snapkj jns, s(1nmaek crash, huck-. abacks and all figured linens which have been paying 35 per cent duty un- der the Dingiey law. this rate being ronsidered an extreme protection
 Harder to Get Linens.
 Here is sly increase about 30 per cent on the existing rate of duty It appears that this was done as a spe- cial favor for certain manufacturers or ptt6h goods, who Seek in this way to drive the American people to use more of their cotton goods and pay more for them, by making it much more expenzive and dtnicult to get the real linen articles which, for sanitary and other reasons, are most suitable and necessary, and which, for climatic and other reasons, are not mAde inz thia country szs ssl
 Tho Revenue aaerisesd.
 The revenue for the government has no consideration here It is sought to restrict if possible prohibit, inporta- tons in this line The cotton goods have already received increased and most extreme protection in the sched- ule covering goods in their own line. Tho outrageous increases in the cotton goods schedule, concealed and other wise. have been openly exposed and denounced In the senate by Senator Dollfver. of Iowa, long . Republican leader iu the senate and a high pro- tect1on1st, who has been driven into open revolt by Aldrtch's high-handed demands for unlimited plumber for his favoritest
 Moro Wealth For the Wealthy.
 The cotton goods manufacturers have grown very rich and powerful under the existing protection. Less chan two months ago the Troy Cotton and Woolen Manufacturing Company, of Fall River, Mass. was reported in the New York Journal of Commerce" to have Issued to it's stockholders $SO0.o00 bond issue as dividend, this being equivalent to 100 per cent on its capital stock. The man who is be- lieved to have. been the active repre- sentative of the cotton goods manufac- turers before the Senate Finance Com mittpe is q commission merchant and smanufhcturer who, beginning with almost nothing, is said to have be- come . millionaire He is a great entertaiuer and is said to have a wonderfuI influence with the Senate Finance Committee. He seems, in fact to be man very much of the type of L. N. Littauer. who has be- come famous because of his wonderful influence with the Ways and Means Coumittee of the House in making up the glove schedule One of the manu- facturing concerns of which this pow erfu cotton goods manufacture is selling agent and in which he is said to have a large interest, Is what Is known as the Stevens Mills at Fall River MQaa Concerning ffliS enter