The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1909-08-06
THE TARIFF DEBATE.

Ithas been a long and tedious
fight.
We hope the bill when finally ad-
justed will not do any great violence
70 American interests. There were
several Republicans in each branch
of congress that seemed consdera :
bly, imbued with the Democratic
idea of free. trade and they made
several onslaughts on some of the
schedules.
The agreements reached materially
lower the general tariff according to
the reports-of experts who have fig
ured on the general results.
Yet, we hope the reductions are
not sufficient to intimidate capital
or severely cripple any industry.
President Taft seemed to get hold
of the wrong end of the string at last
on two or three schedules and force
reductions that do not seem to us
for the best interests.
We have always been Of the opin.
ion that the duty on hides was ia
the interest of the farmer and stock
raiser and should be maintained. !.
vet the President thought differently
and forced hides on the free list. We
do not think the President iRtended
by this to favor the trust interest as
against the interest of the farmer but
that will surely be the result. AL
ready local butchers are making
this free hide clause an excuse for
cutting ia the price offered for beef
cattle.
The oaly argument we ever heard
offered for tho free hide theory was
that the great slaughter houses got
the bulk of the benefit from this
duty as they marketed most of the
hides. Directly this is true. but if
they can. get a few cents extra on
t:.eir hides by reason of tariff they
are very svre to psy the farmer lit
Ae more for his cattle. They seem
to control prices en- their products
about as they please and are bound
to have their agreed per cent OF
profit.
The shoe men of the,east were the
fellows that urged the free hide
proposition.
The duty on hides amounted to
about 4 cents on common pair of
shoes, from the best information we
can gather on the subjsct. Now we
hardly expect a three cent cut by
the manufacturer on the price of
shoes by reason of free hides.
Should he make it the retailer will
add it to his profits.
But the cattle buyers will make it
an excuse for q IA of a cent cut on
the price of steer and the farmer
gets it In the solar pleYus.
The independent oil refnsrs who
have about all they can do to hold
their own against the Standard oil
monopoly are fearful that the Stand
ard will food this country with the
cheap oil that they can produce In
Old Mexico in almost unliuited
quantities and at ruinous prices and
asked for duty on crude oil but
Pres. Taft said, no, and free oil it is
to be. Possibly the President from
his vantage ground can see further
in the future than some of his simple
subisc,s but it does seem like the
struggling Independent re ii liners
should have been accorded this pro-
lection thsy SO earnestly asked.
We can not tell exactly the re-
suits of the workings of this bill till
it IS tried out. We can only hope
that the paid attorneys of the cor
nor.t,ons who make eur tariff aud
other laws, in lAs scramble for The
protection of their clients have not
allowed many cuts that will be very
ssrious menaces to the great pros
perity this country mas always en-
loved under a wisely framed pro-
..c,ive tariff law.