Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1909-08-13
CHARLES j. MADDOX.
NO HELP FOR CONSUMER.

NO HELP FOR CONSUMER.
The extra session of Congress called last
spring for the purpose of revising the tariff
in accordance with pledges made by the
Republican party during the campaign of
last year, adjourned last Thursday after
passing tariff law which is said to over
top the Dingley bill in the matter of high
protection by general everage rate OF 2
per cent. The new measure does not seem
to be satisfactory to any one except the
special interests which have so long been
fattening at the expense of the general
population of the country.
If the Aldrich law is a revision down
ward, as President Taft CONSTITUTES it to be,
the lowering Of duties is not such as the
consumer will detect. The general average
of the bill is greater than that of the pre-
sent law, and such specific reductions of
duty as are made are generally of char
acter to increase the already high protec-
ton of manufacturers without any benefit
being put in sight for the consumer.
Even in the case of the leather schedule,
where the raw material is put on the free
list and the duty on the finished product
is reduced, there will be, in the opinion of
experts, no benefit to the consumer in lower
prices of shoes and leather goods. In the
case of the higher grade of leather goods
that enter into the ordinary daily use of
dress and travel the bill makes an increase.
In the admission of crude oil free of duty
it appears that the benefit will accrue sole
ly to the great oil refining monopoly in Civ
ing it an additional free source of supply
of raw material, while it controls the re-
tail trade.
No concessions were made to the con-
sumner in cotton or wooden goods, clothing
and wearing apparel or in anything that
enters into the daily consumption unless.
perchance, experts are mistaken as to the
leather schedule. and shoes and harness
may be to a slight degree cheapened. That
the bill is any better than the present law
or presents any advantage over it, except
to manufacturers getting cheaper raw ma
terial does not appear.
The statement issued by President Taft
in which. with reservation, he indorses
the bill, is regarded as an apology for Civ
ing it his approval. and the reserve with
which the Endorsement is given is regarded
as an equivalent to confession of the
inadequacy of the law as a relief measure.
Arefusal to sign the bill and vigorous de-
nunciation of the course of his party in
Congress in failing to keep faith and fulfill
its promises to the people would have
placed President Taft in better position
toward the public. but probably would have
made no more evident the failure of the
promises than does his statement that the
bill is not a perfect tariff bill or a complete
compliance with the promises made. strictly
interpreted"
The justification for the Presidents sig
nature appears to have been found in the
addition of raw material to the free list,
the corporation tax and the Philippine
tariff section. 1t appears to have been this
latter section, which the President says
gratifies his efforts of ten years, that most
strongly influenced him to overlook the gen.
eral and dominant defects of the measure.
The principal argument for the bill is
that the increases made are not of such a
character as to encourage very large in
crease in the cost of articles to the con-
sumner, since a demand which would make
a great increase possible might overreach
the prohibitive rates and encourage impor-
tation. There is nothing found in the bill
to justify the expectations of lower prices
to the consumer with respect to any arti-
Gle. and the most that can be said in favor
of the measure is that it may not materi-
ally increase these prices.
Where any reduction is made along lines
which might be beneficial to the consumer
it is so little as to be entirely insignificant
too small to be extended beyond the dealer
to the individual purchaser. For instance,
in earthenware and elassware-articles of
household consumption-the reduction is
stated at about one-fourth of per cent.
While this might work some profit to the
dealers in large quantities, it is too small
to be apportioned among the purchasers of
single articles. The reductions in the metal
schedule are not sufficient to affect prices
to consumers and do not benefit the house.
hold.
Cottons and woolens-going into the
clothing and comfort Of the entire popula-
tion-have not been reduced in duty, but
in the aggregate show an increase. Senator
Bristow. making a careful analysis of these
schedules. says that on the face of the
bill is shown an increase of nearly 6 per
cent in the duty on cotton manufactures
and cotton textiles of every kind and that
in fact the increase is very much greater
than this through the manipulation of the
trainers of the bill in making new CLASH
6cations. He estimates that the reclasslfi-