The Penn's Grove record., 1909-07-02
The Women Attack increased
Glove Duties
ALDRIcH SEEMS TO YIELD

ALUhlCH SEEMS TO. YIELD
But the Fight Is Not Won Until the
Conference Committee Has Acted
Payne's Attempt to Add to Littauer's
Millions = Littauer's Glove Scandal,
His Work For Cannon and Its Re-
ward.
Women are patient and will suffer
long in silence, but they have been
aroused all over the country by the
outrageous increases in the Payne tar
If bill on important necessities of wo-
mems and children's wearing apparel,
such as gloves and hosiery. A mass
meeting of under the leader
ship Of the Federation Of Women's
Clubs has been held in New York city
to protest against these increased bur-
dens, and important meetings Of pro-
test have been held in other cities,
while petitions from indignant women
have been pouring in upon congress-
men and senators from all sections of
the country.
The Astute AIdrich.
Apparently impressed by the great
outburst from indignant women all
over the country, Aldrich in the SEN
ate now reports the tariff bill with the
rates on women's gloves and hosiery
put back to the same figures as In the
D~ingley-tariff. But these rates will be
finally fixed by the conference com-
mittee, which will adjust the differ
ences between the house and senate
after the bill has passed the senate.
1t is a common trick to make an ap-
parent concession in rates and have
the conference committee quietly put
them up again.
Typical Tariff Extortion.
There is not the shadow of an ex-
cuse for the imposition of these higher
duties. 1t is a fragrant case-and there
are many others like it in the Payne
bill-of robbing the public of millions
more in order to still further enrich
a tariff fattened and already rich pri-
vate interest, composed Of a very few
manufacturers in a very few localities.
The chief of the benefciaries of the
proposed enormous increases on wo-
mems and children's gloves is l. N.
Littauer, the most prominent manufac-
turer of gloves in the United States,
who has become many times a million
aire through this industry and was TO,
aNnumber of years a member of o
gress from New York state.
Littauer's Government Contracts.
into national prominence in 1903, while
he was a member of congress, by the
exposure of what was called the <sglove
scandal" 1t came to light that Lit
tauer's firm was interested in a o n
tract to supply gloves to the United
This was declared to be a violation of
the federal statute, but Littauer es-
capped prosecution through the statute
of limitations under al opinion by the
then Attorney General Knox. After
that he was frequently nicknamed
Limitations Littauer" in congress.
His partner in the government con
tracts testified that the profits to the
Littauers in these transactions were
about 100000.
Littauer- Helps Cannon,
1t is the direct influence of this same
Littauer, and nothing else, which
brought into the Payne tariff bill the
surprising increases in the glove sched-
ule. 1t is openly charged and gener-
ally believed that the action of Chair
man Payne and the committee on ways.
and means was part of a bargain
under which Mr.. Littauer agreed to
use his influence with the %independ-
ent Republicans who were opposing
Speaker Cannon's reelection in return
for higher protection to his industry.
This charge was made by Representa-
tive Pou of North Carolina in a speech
in the house on March %; also by f.
W. Larom, a member of the well
known firm Of Mills & Glib of New
York, in an interview in the Journal of
Commerce of New York on March 20,
and it has not been denied.
His Political Reward.
If the rates fixed in the house can
be carried through the conference com
mittee, k~ittauer's reward for serving
Cannon and his man Payne will be
very great. His wealth will be in
creased by millions. He will not need
any more government contracts. The
official statistics show that the average
rate of duty collected on the classes
of gloves chiefly imported during the
ten years from 1898 to 1907 was 52.65
per cent. Under the rates provided
for in the Payne tariff bill the duty or
the same classes of gloves, based on
the average value of the importations
for a period of-four years, would be 90
per cent. On the cheapest gloves worn
by the masses the rate would be from
1T to 1873 per cent.
The Revenue vii Be Much Less.
The revenue Il the United States
treasury will be lessened by the in
creased duties. They will not and are
not intended to add to the income
which the government so sorely needs.
They will prevent importations, of
course, just as the increased duties on
mems gloves granted by the Dingley
tariff for Littauer have done. That is
what they are for. They will all maxi
Littauer richer and more powerful.
The losses to the people and the gov
eminent count for nothing. 1t pays
Littauer best to serve Cannon aud his
man Payne.
WINS WITH THE NEWS,