Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1909-04-22
THURSDAY. APRIL %, 1909.
AS WOMEN SEE THE TARIFF.

booklet the following clever stoFy
Of a women's club discussion of the
tariff:
At Yesterdays meeting OF the Hes
perian league, after English litera-
ture was disposed of and Cordelia
Kiljoy had poured, Mrs. speekup
brought up the little matter Of the
Payne bill.
II think Congress is horrid," she
began. "Have you heard what they
are going to do? Fifty cent stock
ings will cost eighty-five cents and
dollar gloves will be $3.50 when the
new tariff law is adopted. ! always
thought the tariff was nice. l re-
member reading somewhere that the
tariff is the handmaiden of Prosper
ity,' and that sounded so sweet that
I decided right then to be for 1t. But,
mercy me, / am beginning to find out
things about the tariff. / would
like to pull some of Scenario Payne's
hair out"
'Tf the treasurer of the United
States needs the money l think 1t is
our duty to pay it," ventured Cor
della Kiljoy.
"You are a dear to say that" re-
sponded Mrs. speekup, land the SEN
timent you express Is more credit to
your patriotism than to your under
standing. So many women think ad
valorem is something like nux vom-
lea. You must get rid Of the Idea that
when you pay an exorbitant price for
goods you are doing Uncle Sam a
favor. The government may take
out white seed for the kitty, but
the jackpot goes to the trust. Take
stockings for example. If the tariff
on foreign stockings is advanced to
point where no stockings can be i'm
ported, the government collects
nothing, and the only result will be
to enable the American stocking
manufacturers to charge whatever
price they want to charge, and you
can take 1t from me that what they
want is plenty. In the matter OF
fixing prices the trust managers sue
ceeded in overcoming all their diff
dence several years ago.
"The hateful thing about this new
tariff on stockings is that the great
est increase is on the cheaper kind.
The tariff on fine silk stockings is
not disturbed, but that Is no COM
fort to those of us whose constant
struggle is to make weeks salary
last a week. The only silk stock
ings / ever had we're those In my
trousseau and the ones Gertrude
sent me a year ago last Christmas.
We have no recourse but to pay
eighty-flve cents for our fifty cent
stockings and try to make them last
a little longer; and goodness knows
darn them now until they're a solid
patch from the ankles down. / am
very much afraid that Grandma
Speekup is knitting pair OF red
yarn stockings for me and will insist
that | wear them. They we're consid-
cred the right caper back in Brattle-
boro, Vt, about the time Of the Mis-
souri, Compromise.
Personally, don't care a rap
about the higher price of puffs and
switches and toilet articles, because
my hair, as you all know, is natural
ly fluffy and / have so much Of 1t;
and my complexion is my own, II ]
do say II myself. don't use a
thing on It except face cream and
two or three other things. But the
increased cost Of these toilet art-
cles is going to be real hardship to
a great many women-to most wo-
men, indeed. Take Mrs. Pozozzle,
for instance-becaus she isn't here.
The tariff Of go per cent on peroxide
Is going to keep her broke. And
there's hardly a week goes BY that
she doesn't get a new set Of elusteEi
puffs or ehignon knots or Billie
Burkes. And you all know how many
kinds Of cosmetics and 'prepara-
tons she uses. She has twenty var
isties Of goo on her dressing table
an the time. am afraid dear Mrs.
Pososale win have to cult keeping
a girl, or else tell the installment
man 70 come and set the piano.
mot satisfied with innicting this
extor,ion upon the women, the Payne
bin also puts q heavy tax On evsfy-
thinr ~ tshy wsntA Dolls ano ioll
81 tsnfr ern rIrtn 4 rro1IlltlF1