The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-06-18
FAVOR FREE HIDES
Congressman Foster and PiumIey Ex-
plain Their Attitude

burlington. June 16.-The following |
statement by Congressman ID. J. r'os-
ter and Frank Plumley on the hide
schedule of the tariff bill brought out
by a letter from ex-Gov. John L. Bars
tow. of Shelburne, on the subject is
printed in the Burlington Free Press
this morning;
our attention has been called to
Goernor Barstow's communication in
your columns asking for information
as to how we voted on the hide scned-
ule and the boot and shoe schedule.
Since his inquiry was made through
your columns we assume that he in
vites a public answer, to which we
are not av6rse. especially as in this
he is unquestionably a representative
of many of our constituents. Through
your courtesy. therefore. we reply that
we voted for free hides, free coal, free
oil free iron ore free tea, free coffee,
for reduction of 40 per cent in the
present tariff on boots and shoes and
for a reduction varying from 20 per
cent to 70 per cent in the leather
schedules. While the bill was pend
ing i'm the House We We're in receipt
of letters from some of the largest
boot and shoe manufacturers in the
country; from botn East and the Cen
trail West, urging that hides and boots
and shoes be placed upon the free list
and our personal judgment was that
this was a correct solution. These
manufacturers insisted that with free
hides a tariff on boots and shoes was
not required.
Whether there shall be a tariff on
| a given article or not is rarely sim
pie question II is usually complex
and often the indirect, collateral re-
suits are tne more important Illus
tratively, take hides and leather The
evidence was clear that the beef trust
is taking over rapidly the tanning in
terest of the country, and if aided by
the tariff on hides it could soon elm
mate the Independent tanner and be
come the sole master of the industry
! As such, being the only purchaser of
the hides, it could establish the price
| to the producer and as such, being the
only seller of leather, il could name
the price to the shoe manufacturer
| 1t is safe to assume that the trust
would put low value on the purchase
and a high price on the sale. Hence
a tariff on hides would assist in effect,
to depreciate, not enhance, their val
ues With free hides and indepen-
dent tanneries the farmer as a pro
Queer would fare better as to his hides
and as a consumer with others, would
reap the benefits Of reasonably com
petitive prices in leather.
In our votes upon the schedule
named as we'll as upon other schedules
where we had an opportunit for sell
ective voting, we acted upon our best
Judgment to apply the system of pro-
lection as defined by tae national Re
publican convention of 1908 which, as
we interpret it. would assure to the
worker the American wage, to the cap
italist fair profit, and to the ultimate
consumer a reasonable scale OF pri-
ces.
we understand that when an inter
est or industry has thus provided for
the wage Of the laborers and fair
profit for the employer, the right of
that interest or industry to protection
ends and tae right of the consumer
to be protected Immediately begins.
This question of hides and leather
is much simplified from the fact that
calf skins and all hides weighing less
than rs pounds have been on the free
list for many years and that to place
all other hides on the free list would
not affect appreciably the Vermont
farmer except by way of indirect ben
efits in the manner above stated
''As we have received many re
quests from the people of Vermont rel
alive to the subject permit us to say
further that we did everything in
our power to secure reduction in the
present prohibitive tariff on refined
sugar We believe that a reasonable
reduction could be made without in
any way interfering with the develop
ment OF the cane and beet sugar in
dustries, that such a reduction would
save from the voracious man of the
sugar trust millions of dollars of the
peoples money, and that the correct
Interpretation of our platform requires
the reduction.
Thanking Governor Barstow for his
inquiry and the Free Press for its
kindness, we remain,
Faithfully yours, =
| ~