The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1909-09-23

off because il was thought that it was not
necessary to the man who raised cattle
and that the profits of the cattle business
We're sufficient without imposing a duty
on IT, and that the duty imposed was
likely to throw the control of the sale of
hides into the hands of the meat pack
ers in Chicago. In order to balance the
reduction on hides however. there was a
great reduction in shoes, from 25 to 10
per cent on sole leather from 20 TO
per cent, on harness from 20 TO 10 per
cent. SO there a reduction in the
duty coal of SO Is per cent. All du-
ties We're removed from oil. naphtha. gas
oline and its refined products. Lumber
was reduced from 81 to Sl.25. And these
all articles of prime necessity. 1t IS
said that there might have been more
But there were many business interests
in the South. in Maine, along the border,
and especially in the far Northwest, which
insisted that il would give great advan-
tage to Canadian lumber III the reduc-
ton were made more than I5 cents. Mr..
Pinchot, the chief forester. thought 1t
would tend to make better lumber in this
country il a duty were retained on IL.
with respect to the wool schedule: l
agree that ii is too high and that il ought
To have been reduced, and that II prob
ably represents considerably more than
the difference between the cost of produc-
ton abroad and the cost OF producing
here When it came TO the question of
reducing the duty in this tariff bill ON
wool. MIR. Payne and Mr.. Aldrlch found
that in the Republican party the interests
of the wool growers of the Far West and
the interests of the wooden manufacturers
in the East and in other states were suf-
nciently strong to defeat any attempt To
change the wooden tariff and that lad il
been attempted it would have beaten the
bill reported from either committee.
sorry About Wool Defect.
Il sorry this is so, and / would wish
that il had been otherwise. 1t is the one
important defect in the present Payne
riff in he taFfn a
the promise of the platform TO reduce
rates TO difference in the cost of produc-
ton with reasonable profit to the manu-
facturer That it will increase the price
of wooden cloth or clothes, | very much
doubt. l am quite willing TO admit that
allowing the wooden schedule to remain
where Il is, IL is probably not comph-
ance with the terms of the platform as
| interpret il and as ii is generally un-
derstood.
Its the Best Tariff BILL"
ION the whole. however. l am bound to
say that | think the Payne tariff bill IS
the best tariff bill that the Republican
party ever passed; that in il the party
has conceded the necessity for following
the changed conditions and reducing tarin
rates accordingly. This is a substantial
achievement in the direction of lower tar
if and downward revision and it ought
TO be accepted as such. Critics of the DILL
utterly ignore the very tremendous cuts
that have been made in the iron schedule,
which heretofore has been subject to crit
icism in all tariff bills.
The high cost of living, OF which %
per cent is consumed in food. % per cent
in clothing and 20 per cent I'm rent and
fuel, has not been produced by the tariII.
because the tariff has remained the same
while the increases have gone on. Ii is
due TO the change of conditions the world
over. Living has Increased everywhere In
cost-in countries where there is free
trade and i'm countries where there Is pro-
tection-and that increase has been chief
~ seen i'm the cost of food products. |
am not saying that the tariff does not
increase price in clothing and i'm build
ing and i'm other items that enter into the
necessities of life, but what / wish 10 en-
phasize is that the recent increase in the
cost of living in this country has not been
due to the tariff.
Higher standard Seen.
Eve have much higher standard of
living in this country than they have
abroad. and Il is is among the working
man, the farmer and all classes. Higher
wages have been made possible by the
encoura cement of diversified industries.
built up and fostered by the tariff
Now. the revision downward of the
tariff that / have favored will not. | hope.
destroy the Industries of the country.
IF the co Intry desires free trade and
wishes the manufacturers all over the
| country To go out of business. and TO have
| cheaper p.iccS at the expense of the sac
rifice of many of our manufacturing in
| terests, then IL ought 10 say so and ought
| to put the Democratic party I'm power If
il thinks that party can be trusted To
| carry out any affirmative policy in favor
| OF a revenue tariff.
Certainly in the discussions in the Sen
| ate there was no great manifestation on
| the part of our Democratic friends in ia
Vor of reducing rates on necessities They
| voted to maintain the tariff rates on