The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-04-07
SOME !., !AS! 4!5 FACTS 81,


WASHINGTON, D. O., April IL
WHAT sense is there in greas-
ing a fat hog?" asks Champ Clark.
THAT is what this tariff on shoes
AMOUNTS to. The shoe industry
does not need the tariff to monop-l
oiize the home market or to take
the markets of the world. 1T is
merely tax on rho consumer
what Mr.. Boutell calls the ,.'ulti-l
mate consumer" eN
A lobby headed by Mr.. Samuel
HI. Cowan of the Cattle Raisers'
association is in Washin gton has
been for many weekB-working To
have the tariff put back on hides.
The vice president of the Gyp- |
sum trust, with headquarters at
Fort Dodge, Iowa, wrote to Chair
man Payne, when the tariff bill
was under consideration, to sayl
that Mr.. Mcconnell, solicitor for
the treasury department and vicel
president OF the gypsum trust, /!
would supply information as toi
why the trust desired tariffs rel
VI.
rector of the mint. was also COM
mended to the ways and means
committee, as representative of the
gypsum interests.
The Payne bill retains thel
duties on gypsum. ct is from
this mineral that stucco used I'M
building is made,)
$50
Clandestine methods have been
freely employed in framing the
Payne tariff bill. The cotton
schedule is a good sample. When
this schedule was reached In the
hearings" the cotton people said
they had nothing to say. They
did not seek any changes. Say
ing which they went home. But
after the public hearings we're
| over the cotton manufacturing
people wrote to Mr.. Payne and
asked that a certain paragraph be
added to the law-just few
lines purporting to "define"
thread.
This was done, and the effect
was an increase of the duty on
every square foot of cotton woven
in the United States. Nobody
knows just how much the increase
will amount to, but it is consider
able.
The poor mans blankets are
one of the worst taxes imposed by
the Payne tariff bill. 1t will sur
prise some people to learn that
the tax on wooden blankets
amounts to 1915 per. cent. In
practice this is prohibitive. It is
so high that foreign blankets do
not come to our country. Last
year the total imports of blankets
was 1116 pounds. This means
that the poor>who buy blankets in
the United States are left to the
mercy of the greedy trust, which
finds refuge behind the tariff wall.
And this applies to wooden UNI
derwear, and all sorts of manufac-
tured wool.
The tariff on women's and chill
dren's dress goods in the Payne
bill is 1863 per cent. This means
cotton warp-the ordinary cheap
materials which go to make the
poor woman's or child's everyday
clothing.
This is what Mr.. Payne calls a.
"tax on luxuries."
| How much need is there for
higher duties on wool?
This question Is well answered
by Champ Clark, who tells a story
about one of the witnesses who
was examined when the Payne bill
was being prepared. Mr.. Clark
describes the witness as tall,
slender, sinewy man, with a
hawk-bill nose and clear, gray
eye, a fine sample of a pioneer. :"
The man had come in from Wyom-
ing, and told the committee that
nothing would do but the wool,
growers would have to have the
tariff on wool doubled.
when the man was being
cross-examined by the chairman,
said Mr.. Clark, II made up my
mind that he was pretty good
natured citizen, and when the
chairman got through with him Il
told him to wait minute while 1
asked him three questions.
How long have you been in
the sheep business?' was the first.
He replied: fourteen years. :
How much did you have when
you went in?' asked. Nine hun
dred and sixty dollars he replied.
Are you worth more than hum
dred thousand dollars now?' Il
asked. Yes. said he, 4 am
II have always been sorry that
I did not place the figure higher.
/ Just happened to strike that fig
ure."
The Hon. Nicholas Longworth
has contributed to the tariff de-
bate the following letter. 1t came.
he explained, from one of his re-
publican constituents, q manufac-
turer of wooden goods:
AS manufacturer of clothing
for a period of almost so years, i
can truthfully state that never
handled cloth of so inferior a
quality for the price as / do now
The masses, consisting of laborers,
mechanics and farmers, the reafl
users of ready-made clothing, are
lra xsonefo,rf.~ -.~r..-