Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-23
OPPRESSIVE TARIFF

IL ANNAlIt'1C ID approaching Il NGlldln
political party sometimes called
Grand as we'll as Old. Thousands
of keen, honest, intelligent, capable
members of this party are facing a GER
tain crisis in their political lives. They
may be tempted to break away and
form new party. But we hope good
counsels will prevail and that the tariff
reform Republicans will flock to the
tariff reform banner and unite them
selves with their fellow tariff reform
ers who are Democrats in the common
effort to rid this country of the priv
ilege" incubus which is smothering
Americanism stealing the education of
school children, driving thousands upon
thousands of our best citizens into
Canada and abridging the opportun-
tiles Of life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness for our boys and girls.
President Taft is a decent, whole
hearted, clean, respectable and re-
spected man, but not one of these desir-
able attributes could possibly have
qualified him to explain in a satisfac-
tory manner the oppressive and deceit
ful tariff. 1t would have taken an An
anias to do that. Thank heaven, our
worthy president is the soul of candor
and forthrightness, consequently his
explanatory speeches have supplied
very little debatable matter, simply be-
cause they didn't explain.
Everything with regard to the tariff
situation is in statu quo ante the Taft
explanations, excepting for the fact
that in his later speeches the presl-
dent washed his hands of any share in
duplicity or "slimness9 by saying
frankly his wishes with regard to tariff
schedules had not been carried out
This absolves the president from par
ticipation in the tariff crime. but it
leaves the unhappy plunderbund in
sorry case, for they seem to be a party
without a president excepting in de-
fense or apology. a mere blundcrbund
instead of a plunderbund.
Now that the president has done his
best and the tariff spectre is still un-
laid, but awaits the wage-earner and
the citizen with fatoful promise Of
biitlI nov Ntdl VI lllNIGdSGu tA ItllotS
and expenditures without proportion
ate increase in earnings. let us look
at one tariff item alone, that of
CLOTHING.
Most of the people Of the United
States have not big wardrobes, but the
clothes they have are good. our peo-
pie have the reputation of being the
best dressed in the world both in outer
wear and underwear. Many Of them
buy ready-made clothing.
on account of the Republican high
binder tariff, the price of ready-made
clothing will be increased to the
amount of S120, 100000 in the aggregate.
This includes neither the increase
on other kinds of woolen goods, nor
the increase heretofore made because
of the tariff on wool.
An enormous tribute is being col
lected from the people because Of the
50 per cent tariff on woollen manufac-
lures. The tariff collected on wool
amounts to about $16OO0,0OO, and the
TARIFF COLLECTED BY WOOL
GROWERS BECAUSE OF THE TAR
IFF ON WOOL AMOUNTS TO $780,
200, 900.
Any legislation which tends TO
make it more difficult for the people of
the United states to support life in
comfort and out of their earnings TO
feed and clothe their families is vicious
and outrageous legislation, and Of this
type is that monstrous Republican
misuse of taxation which is neither
tariff revision nor tariff reform, but is
cold weather crime of a piece with
and as iniquitous as the infamous hot
weather crime of Gouger Morse, the
disgraced ice man.