Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1909-02-25
A SENSITIVE PEOPLE.


It purports to be q reply TO a little
squib in The Gazette a few weeks
ago relative to the tax OF peanuts.
It was said by US that the tariff or
peanuts would in the end benefit the
trusts. that It was for and by the
trust. We are sorry our friend is
50 sensitive about the matter. as we
certainly meant no insult 10 him or
TO anybody else. He says:
The peanut growers would doubt
less be very grateful to this tariff ex-
pert from the classic shade of VIII
lam & Mary. if It were not so insult
ing. They have held meeting TO dis
cuss the tariff on peanuts. elected
delegates 10 represent them before
he tariff committee Of Congress but
haven't given moments thoughtto
How could they while the editor
Of the Gazette was absorbing all the
surplus tn ought Of the peanut belt
n writing peanut editorials? Accor-
ding TO this tariff expert. the higher
the tariff the lower the price. If the
tariff is high the trust sets the price.
and we presume under the present
ow tariff the grower sets the price
anywhere in reason. and under free
trade they could get any old price
they choose 10 ask. OF course we
haven't the matter a moments throu-
ght. but We imagined the facts were
and the results would be somewhat
different.
No. brother, we 90 not pose as
an expert on the tariff question.
The editor Of The Gazette is a Dem
ocrst, believing in al that that name
stands for. He would not stulhfy
himself for all the peanuts in Amer
lea and has consistently opposed the
principal OF protection for sixteen
years and IS more bitterly opposed
TO il today than at the beginning.
Ask Us why, brother. and We point
you 70 over two hundred vicious
trusts that are not only crushing the
producer. but the consumer also.
+ The peanut trust can be Just as bad
as the beet trust. the steel trust, et
oetera. considering opportunities.
Il has been demonstrated that
protection does not benefit the pro-
Queer. nor the laborer that turns
the raw material into the finished
product. Andrew Carnegie has ad-
mitted that. others nearly as high
have admitted Il. II The Standard
is Democratic newspaper. il must
have argued that point last summer.
May We say 10 oar benighted and
wsywsrd Democratic friend that in
abandoning the principle Of low tar
1 IF Cor no tariff except for revenue )
ne has abandoned the strongest ten
et Of his party7 II a high tariff is
good for peanut growers and potato
growers. It IS good hing for tim.
Der growers and incidentally the
paper trust. But how about the
consumer Has he no riehts7
This country does not produc,
enough peanuts to supply the de
mand just as il does not produce b,
two-thirds enough sugar to sweetei
our coffee. Yet 10000. 900 consu
mers are paying the sugar trust
royalty Of 80 per cent Oh over 2.
100000 tons Of sugar. Shall III
American consumer pay a peanu
trust ROYALTY of a few Millions
This is from the point of the consu
mer.
Now. as We can only judge fror
experience about how the TART
helps the producer. we will refer Z
another protected article. beef. Hs
the high tatff built up the cattle. O
stock industry in this country; ha
Il increased the price 70 the Virginl
producer9 Not a dollar. The bee
trust dic.zfeS the buvino s,i se,I;,.