The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-04-21

items that need Immediate correction. In
portant amongst these ID LUMBER: Desplle
the popular demand that this article be put
on the free list, the Payne bill leaves the du-
ty on IL, reducing 1t slightly. It's, OF course.
bad policy to throw obstruction in the way OF
the home builder, and this objection Is gen.
orally urged, but, in my judgment, tnls IL
not the most urgent reason Tor puttlng luu-
Der on the free list.
The rapacity with which the saWmlll mas
devoured the American forest indicates ceT-
tainly, and 1t has been so stimated by ex-
perts, that within q decade practically al! or
our forest lands will have been ~denuded.
The gentleman from Michigan(Mr. Fordney),
a yerltable Gamaliel on the QUESTION iof PR
tected lumber, states that near MS homet oW na
sawmills; and that they cut q billion feet or
lumber IN q single year. He says today there
isInot u single foot of pine timber beingicut In
bought it at 25 and 50 cents per thousand
feet, on the stump, the little white pine NV
left would easily bring SIS on4he stump.
Now II thisw anton waste OF lumber, acSel,
the condition described will be the condition
all over this land. II Canada wishes 10 ex-
haust her forests at cut-thloat prices for our
accomodatiop why not let her do Ill? III
there is no profit in the business now In the
United States without protection, then the
cure for the evil is 10 curtail~ production IN
I'll Canada with wasted resources must leave
US without q rival.
IT, seems that even with q tariff OF ~ per
thousand the business lately has not been pros
pervus. THIS same gentleman 10 Whom 1 nave
past year his firm ,old 100000 fleet OF lum-
Der; cut In the State OF Missrssippi, at q ioss
OF so cents per thousand feet. This. waste OF
timber without profit to the manufacture Is
fee millions OF dollars that the future could
hold for the paltry thousands OF today.
have no sectional interest In THU ques-
ton. The gentleman from Michigan. whose
statement l shall not question on this point,
| admitted in response 10 q question from tle
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. kltchen)
that The tariff Was not worth q cent 10 the
south Atlantic States. There Is mo better
authority, and especially when the testimo-
ny was SO reluctantly given. But II 1t dld
affect my state. the other and higher con.
sideralion ola reasonable preservation OF our
forests would determine me.
Another interesting item In this bill Ia
hides, which ;have been placed onstne lree
list, thanks TO the pressure OF our RepuolNan
friends of Massachusetts. Free hides are
desirable, II we might also have free products
Of leather. But does anybody think that If
the duty on shoes is not reduced that free
hides will lessen the cost OF shoes g. cent! IL SO
they should not deceive themselves. That
price that the tariff fixes on imported shoes,
graded according TO the quality will be the
price of the home product. The proposition is
this: Cut of entirely from foreign ompe,l
tion, Twill the home man throw away the
ex4a bounty that the Government giVes
hlmt IL IT human nature? 1t 10 not hides
that he sells ps, but shoes, al the Dest price
that be can obtain.
am prepared 10 assert that the shoe man
uiacturers do not need this protection. l
know. incidentally. one large shoe manu-
featuring .establishment-one OF the largest
In this couptry-whose stock Is worth some
thing like $40 for each 81 originally invested,
and II has been paying, as well as ! can re-
call, an annual dividend OF something Ike
rs per cent. I have received numerous lei
tiers from shoe manufacturer ~icandidly ad
hitting that they no longer need protection.
I will ase leave to print just one as a speci-
men: ooo
Hon. Wyatt Aiken,
Washington, Dc
Dear Sir: AS one of the largest manufac-
turers Of shoes In the country we urge you TO
lend your influence TO place shoes on the
The American shoe manufacturer needs no
\ protection. With free hides and cheap raw
material the American shoemaker can shoe
the world.
The Wolfe Bros. Shoe Co.,
R. T. Wolfe. President,
A similar letter, even In stronger terms
and Means Committee from A. E. Little &
Co., OF Lynn, Mass, and yet, with SUCH evil
dence In the commlttee's hands. the tariff Cd
shoes was very slightly reduced. There is no
not even in the mind. ofan uncomprising pre-
tectionist.
There has been some slight reduction on
steel and articles manufactured Of steel. but
the reduction is not sufficient. The same
principle that is applicable TO the shoe bust
ness isapplicable also to the steel Industry.
All Of those products used In the maniac
ture OF steel nave been materially reduced.
and iron ore has been put on the free list.
And why was Iron ore put on the free isl?
II has been positively n openly asserted
mere. and I believe 1t TO be true, that IT. was
done for no other purpose than 70 give aavan.
tage 10 the iron industry on the Atlantic
coast. II Is said that 1.-THE steel trust owns
practically all the iron deposits in CUBA, and,
OF course. II must be shipped In free OF duty.
With ~cheapeped raw material. the tarln
should be 80 reduced on the flushed product
as TO admit some Of the foreign product,
thereby increasing the government revenue.
l believe that q highly protective tarin, be-
side. oHI sn6r, ,Es down E TsTsn9e 1 ike iG sGVSaInIsS
buy very largely where they sell. The ship
that can carry freight both ways can give the
cheapest rate 10 the shipper. where q ior.
proceeds of this produce established Its credit,
there 1t will 90 TO buy, even II the same goods
may be had at the same price In another
market. Estate this positive fact that. ~
yards iof cloth were shipped from England
for every l yard shipped from this country
Ia q single year In the recent past. I do not
Just now recall the exact year. Without un-
dertakiDg TO explain this myself, I would ask
II it is not ust possible that the law OF bar
ter, hampered, and in many cases quite pro-
hibted by our exclusive system. affects the
freedom Of our foreign market? I do not
mean by this that the old rate on cotton
goods, and especially coarse goods, Ia higher
than is consistent with raising revenue for
the United States Treasury, but the trade IN
cotton goods may be hampered by our excel
sive rales on other articles.
There is just one other item TO which I will
refer. I notice that oil paintings and other
works Of art have been put on the free list.
Now. the Dingley law permitted the importa.
L @F~Il ~r1 nrl the lilo rrhnn q
tined for public art galleries. This Is all we'll
enough.
hope I am not unappreciative OF the beau.
tiful In art or in nature. 1 am sure that !
would do nothing to lessen the culture and
refinement of my people,. But l can not do
inconsistent thing when l know that no real
advantage 10 society Is derived thereby.
Stop for one moment and think just who gets
pictures from across the water. Are they
hung in the cottages OF the poor, or even OF
the moderately wealthy? No.; tho men who
have them will have them despite any tariff,
and they are able TO pay for them.
Duty on tea, duty on coffee, duty on sugar,
duty on iron, duty on steel, duty on flannel,
and all high, and free pictures. There is a
sam pie Of the consistency Of the bill.
have mentioned a few Of the inconsistent
Giles of this bin. have not done tin a cap
tious spirit, but in the effort honestly to d.
rect attention 10 the inequality and Injustice
found there. l am not opposed to a reason
able tariff 10 raise revenue necessary to sup
port the Government, and, as l have said on
| q previous occasion, the extravaganza OF the
of the dominant party makes q pretty stiff
tariff necessary. But let the burden be dis
tributed. Do not lay It on the shoulders Of
the poor mainly.
That glaripg injustice would be found In
this bill might reasonably be guessed, know
ing the sentiment of the Republican party,
holding that everything, from a tiny stalk
of barley 10 a steel-rail factory, should be
propped with government bounty.
Somehow, this whole theory o protection
starts AT the wrong end OF the proposition.
1t assum es. az did the royalists OF old, the
divine right" 10 plumber the masses. In the
past the American people have too nearly