The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-20
TARIFF AND THE SOUTH

tariff which has made possible the amazing progress of America, it is al- most supinely sitting down doing noth- Ing when 1t ought to be aroused to the most vigorous action to save itself The struggle has begun to put on the free list, on the ground that they are raw materials, the things which the south produces, such as ore, coal, lumber and other products of this region, but to re- tain on the highly protected list the things which the south buys of other sections, and many southern congress men will no doubt quietly yield instead of making a ceaseless fight Iron ore is no more a raw material to the man who produces it than is the watehspring to the maker of watchsprings; lumber is no more raw material to the sawmilI owner than are the finest products Of furniture factories raw material to the makers of furniture. If for the benefit of the two or three great manufactur- ing concerns who would be benefited by the importation of free ore from Cuba. If for the benefit of the great iron and steel interests in the central west and on the lakes, and for the benefit of American owners of Canadian ore prop critics, the tariff on ore be lessened or taken off, the south will be the one to suffer. If for the benefit of the manu- featuring interests of New England and for the benefit of the New England own CTS of coal lands in Nova Scotia coal be- put on the free list. 1t will be in order to cheapen the cost of manufacturing n ,Io If the tariff on pig Iron be reduced, it will be for the purpose of giving a lower cost to the consumers of pig iron on the Atlantic and the Gulf coast to the great injury of the south, whose ironmakers must now look for market not only in the west, but in Philadelphia, New York and New England. So one might run down the entire list of southern products which are in danger of being put on the free list or of having the rate of duty largely reduced merely to bene- fit other sections. If the country is to have tariff for protection, then let that protection be impartial and deal with equal and exact justice to the man who mines the iron ore, as well as to the man who makes the final use of iron and steel in the watchsprfng; let 1t deal with equal justice to the maker of pig iron as to the user of pig iron in the manufacture of machinery.
 If the tariff is for revenue only. Ii n it could not justly protect one interest to the injury of another. The south has a right to demand that it shall receive absolute justice. and not be sacrificed Co., t,,a hanaAf of others
 The Manufacturers Record would like to suggest that the south shall demand that if iron ore or pig iron be put on the free list, or the tariff be reduced, that the same shall apply, whether it be free trade or lowering of the rate, to every form of manufactured product into which iron enters. That = lumber be put on the free list or the tariff on it be reduced, that the same shall apply to every product made out of lumber. If coal be put on the free list, then let us have free trade on the machinery for every power plant where coal is needed. If hides are to be put on the free list. then let us demand free trade on every form of leather goods, whether they be shoes, harness, trunks or satchels.