The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-08-14

different meaning. These are SOCIAL
ed "jokers," of which so much has
been said in the press. 1t will be re-
membered that when the Dngley law
was passed, 1t was thought that oil
was on the free list. when in fact the
Act carried prohibitive duty on oil,
known as cOuntervailing duty, and
which was discovered only about two
years ago, which gave to the Stand
ard OIL Company an absolute monop-
oily Of the oil business at the expense
OF the, American consumer Similar
efforts. as I have said. were made
during the progress of this last Tariff
Act. A number of jokers were dis
covered. and 1t is not altogether sure
that there may not be more hidden
away In the hundreds Of pages which
make up this Act When the Payne
bill was introduced In the House it
was heralded to the country that cof-
fee was on the free list. but it was
soon discovered that coffee was real
ly dutiable at the rate of eight cents
per pound. The exposure was made
In time to save to the people Of the
country this tax upon their breakfast
tables.
"Then there was the fertilizer jok-
er. which was discovered in time to
save to the people of the South two
millions annually upon their fertilizer
bills.
There was the lumber joker, also
which sought to maintain the Ding
ley rate OF 81 per thousand on un-
dressed lumber. but this joker was
exposed upon the floor of the House,
through the vigilance of its Demo-
cratic members. and as the bill was
finally sent to the Senate from the
House the Dingley rate was reduced
so per cent. or 81 per thousand on
undressed lumber. In other words,
the prOhibitive feature Of the Ding
ley rate was destroyed and a purely
revenue rate was substituted.
Boots and Shoes.
There was the leather joker. This
was heralded by the Republican press
as great victory for the President.
who. 1t was said. in consideration Of
the fact that hides should be put
upon the free list. agreed that the
tariff on boots and shoes would be re-
duced 10 per cent. ad valorem and
on other leather articles to 20 per
cent. ad valorem. and it was not
known for several days that this re-
suit had NOT been Accomplished. This
joker was exposed and the indigna-
tion at the New England shoe man.
ufacturers In manipulating the
scheme was so great that the Aid
rich-Cannon crowd. representing the
very worst there Is in tariff legisia-
tion. were forced to put through a
concurrent resolution removing this
attempted fraud--a thing unprece-
dented in tariff legislation in this
country.
What Taft Did.
president Tafts friends and ad-
mirers claim a great victory for him
In forcing a downward revision. That
idea is ridiculous. If the President
had succeeded In getting reductions
in everything u which he seemed in
terested. the saving to the consumer
would have been practically nothing.
president Taft made his fight upon
the non-essentials Of the bill and in
favor Of free raw materials-the pro-
ducts primarily OF the farm and
mines In the interest OF the Eastern
manufacturers. The Presidents
whole attitude in this tariff fight has
been in the interest of the manufac-
turer. He was not heard to raise his
voice Tor any reduction on woolen
and cotton fabrics--the vital neces-
stiles of every home in the land. for
everyone must wear clothing, either
woollen or cotton. The woollen
schedule remains the same as il was
under the Dingley law, and the rates
on cotton goods have been increased
from 10 to 113 per cent-the greater
increase being upon that class of
goods which goes into the most gen.
eral consumption and is used most
largely by the poorer classes of our
people. No. this is a New England
tarin law put through by New Eng
land Representatives, backed by the
President OF the United States him.
self. or has himself deliberately at
tempted to bunco the American peo-