The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-04-12
MORE INTERESTED IN PRESENT
TARIFF REVISION THAN
ANY FORMER BILL.
Petitions Sent to Congress by One Mil
lion Women Were Unheeded in
House of Representatives.

WASHINGTON, April 1.-THE wo
men of the nation have become more
interested in the Payne tariff bill than
perhaps any other piece of legislation
ever under consideration by congress
The hosiery and glove schedules, to
which over 100000 women have pro-
tested by actually signing their names
to petitions, interests them particularly
They are also aroused to a high pitch
of indignation at the prospect of pay
ing higher prices for millinery. The
tax on toilet articles is increased from
so to 60 per cent as the women will
find out in a practical way soon after
the measure is enacted into law. WO-
men are interested in the price of gro
ceries and in children's clothing, all of
which will be more expensive when the
Payne law gets around.
Many of the largest republican news
papers have denounced the increased
duties on gloves and hosiery, while the
democrats are putting up fight for
the women never before equaIled.
Petitions signed by the women are
coming into Washington on every train.
signatures attached to these documents.
| The department stores of the larger
cities of the country have placed petit
| tions in their stores which are daily be-
| ing signed by thousands of shoppers.
| Five hundred thousand women signed
petitions in Chicago in one week
against the glove and hosiery para
| graphs of the Payne bill. Within a
| period of less than 10 days a similar
record was made in New York city.
From the villages too, are coming pro-
tests.
| II has taken some time for all the
| real significance of the Payne bill to
be fully understood in all sections of
the country. 1t is not believed here
that the climax in public resentment
has even vet been reached.
One of the most criticised features
of the PAYNE bill is schedule K, In
| which the heavy hand of the taxgath-
erer is chiefly raised against the wo-
men and children The charge is made
| by men thoroughly acquainted with the
lntricacies of the trade, that this part
Of the bill constitutes one of the most
unreasonable series of advances in the
whole measure 1t may be worth while
to set out graphically the comparative
duties imposed by the Dingley bill and
the Payne bill:
Duty Per Dozen Pairs.
Dingley Payne
Cotton stocking, hose and
half hose, valued at not
to exceed 81 per doz pr. 5 so ~
Same, valued at 81 to $1.50
per dozen .oO 90
Same, valued at $3.50 to 81
per dozen ...........:: ~ i'oo
Same, valued at 81 to 50
per dozen 1lV LOU
Same, valued at SO to IS
per dozen pairs. 1.5O 2Oo
An advance all along the line, 1t VIII
be observed but heaviest on the cheap
err grades-the ones the poor must use
| The class Of stockings bought by the
rich valued at more than SIS per doZ-
en- pairs, are in both the Dingley law
and Payne bill under 55 per cent duty
That is. the socks of the poor man pay
IS per cent tax; those of the rich man
those illuminated ones with the open
work effects-pay only 90 per cent TAX
1t is charged the hosiery manufac-
turers needed no more protection. In
1890 the United States imported from
Germany $6,O16,000 worth OF hosiery
and made $19,162,000 worth. The I'M
norris were then little over tnlrd
of the home product In 1908 we 1p-
ported s6,545,0O0 worth Of hosiery, and
made s5O,O0O,O0O worth. The imports
were little over one-eighth the nome
product, which, it is being pointed out
is striking illustration of the fact that
the American manufacturers are not
being run out of business.
Yet the American manufacturers OF
the New England district went perore
the ways and means committee, COM
planned that their present protectlon
which averaged IS per cent, was not
sufficient, demanded that they be given
20 per cent more. They said they were
on the verge of ruin; the Germans were
driving them out of business in ene
home markets. In contrast to this /slt-
uation the figures show the American
manufacturers are driving the Germans
out of our markets.
| The manufacturers also told the
committee that hosiery mills IN THIS
country are generally closed down or
| working three or four days a week. the
New England Dry Goods association
declares that at the time that pathetlc
appeal was made the mills Were all
running with full forces
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q ACCOUNTABILITY NAI EMnAR =