The San Francisco call., 1909-09-18
Sharp Rebuke to the Critics Of the
Tariff Uttered by the President

lumber because / did not think thal a.,
If the tariff was taken off there VII WILL :.
be much suffering among tne Iuinp5e te q
interests In the con r,,iS5le Il course.
titled?
WOOL SCHEDULE TOO HIGH
With respect to the wool scnso4is;, sl I
l agree that it is too ds,eed ndgn i'ia and that
it probably represents consluei AL ~ J ;,
more than the difference belWG,en ast est
cost of production abroad ana ,itss,If,, LIS liz,
about the Wool schedule is that there
were two contending factions early IN III
the history of republican tarflis; ,a,S Muo'
growers and WOODEN NAM man uiarou a@o they ht "
settled on basis by Whlen ,,ts wo1t ~, y
the grease should have IL cents
pound and by which allowances siiouf AZ e
be made in the shrinkage IN lhe I'LL I'LL
ferential upon wool manufacturers,
The percentage of duty vas eel
heayy-quite beyond the ON. olileieiiee en- ~ ~
then regarded as a necessary +ias -. piopOi
limitation on productive duties
OPPOSITION roo STRONG
When ii came to the question OF re-
ducing the duty on wool, MI. fdylie ep, allo -
MIR. Aldrch found that IN .he lepupll I,,aol
lican party the interests OF tue VIZ
growers in the far west ana the ihtoi
ests of the wooden manufacturers a al
the east and in other states We're sun -
GENTLY strong to defeat any aletslitptb -, -
change the woolen tariff ana no II thhe hea ter teu
it been attempted it wouid nave ;atea pGa .
the bill reported from either coIlhuItec1cz
1 am sorry this is SO and l couie =
wish that it had been otherWlSe. II =
the one inportant defect in the pres
ent Payne tariff bill and the perform pi a.
ance of the promise of the platform le
reduce rates to difference IN the cos -
OF production with reasotid sIsot - viii in.
crease the price of wooden clotn oi
clothes. I very much doubt; ~ .t.
There has been increase os liz, .iae "a the
ural increase in the price OF, Wool tne
world over as an agricultural prouucl
but this was not due to the tarin, ,s' re :
cause the tariff was not chaIlSeu -, -,
increase would, therefore, nave avs "a =, =,
place whether the tariff changed VI
not The cost of woolen clothes, De
hind the tariff wall, through the eIec' iec'
of competition, has peen 6IeseiS 80
than the duty. II added TO the piioe
would have made IL
COMPLAINT OF CLoTHIERs
There is complaint now by 5ne 5e
wooden clothiers and by the carueo
wooden peopIe of this wooden scaedule
They have honored me by asking III
circulars sent out by them lhdt GEL - "a - :,
questions be put to me III rcspe.sl " ~,
!
in view Of the fact that the Wooiei
schedule was not made IN accoru Will
the present form "a;
l ought to say in respect TO .llls
point that all of them in previous tar
iffs were strictly in favor OF 'daintaiL a.,
ing the wooden schdeule as II WAS. 1 ~ it
carded Woolen people are hndins liid'
carded woods are losing their safes 's pe
cause they are going out OIL s.sie
People prefer worsteds.
oil
so much circulariZing were contenl -
let the wooden schedule remain as
was until very late In the tarif1 discus
sion long after the bill had passed tht
! house and indeed they did not grow
very urgent until the bill had passet
the senate. This was because IneS
found that the price of wooden clott
was going up and they desired ts
secure reductions in the tariff whlcf
would enable them to get cheapeI ma
! terial. They themselves are pfotecl:e,, :,
/ by a large duty, and can not VIII
! Difference to them ascriDe their ntens'
! interest other than to a deep sympathy
with the ultimate consumers, so caiiea
! But / am quite willing to admit ina
allowing the swoolen schedule 10 re
main where it is is probably not Z
compliance with the terms OF the plat
| form.
THE BEST TARIFF BILL
on the whple, however, | am boun'
TO say that / think the Payne tafli
/ bill is the best tariff bill that the re
/ publican party ever passed, tnat III
the party has conceded h the cnedIfGan nedfss,o
| and tariff rates accordingly !;
This is a substantial achievement
/ the direction of lower tar1Hs an
/ downward revision, and 1t ought 10
taccepted as such.
| critics of the bill utterly ignore tn
/ tremendous cuts in the iron schedule
which heretofore has been subject |
1 criticisms in all tariff bills. From iro
pre- which was cut 20 per cent, 10 q
1.-THE ether items as low as 20 per cen
I,vith an average of about 40 or 90 pc
cent that schedule mas been ieduceu :
that the danger of increasing price
through a>monopoly of the business
! very much lessened. and that was TN
chief purpose of revising the larl
downward under republican protectlv
| principles. -.
i SHEER OF CRITICS
The severe critics of the bill pas
/ this reduction in the metal schedul
with a sneer and say that the cut I'll
not hurt the iron Interests. Wen, {
course it did not hurt them. II wa
NOT expected to hurt them. 1t was eN
pected only to reduce excessive rate
so that business should be conducted 2
profit, and the very ,n enaraeter nc Oh ,ar "a
eral Injustice of the attitude OF thos
who make it, assuming that 1t was II
promise of the republican party
hurt the industries Dy tdrlH IeuuClioii
whereas it expressly Indicated as plair
ly as possible in the platform that a
industries were to be protected agalns
injury by foreign competition.
HIGH COST OF LIVING
The high cost of living, of which
4 per cent is consumed in food, 20 pc
cent in clothing and 20 per cent in rel
and fuel. has not been produced by. til
tariff because the tariff has RENAME
the same, whNe the increases have gor
on 1t is due to the change of cond
tions the world over. Living has in
creased everywhere in cost--in couf
! tries where there is free trade and
, countries where there is protection an
J that increase has been chiefly in til
cost of food products.
In other words, we have had to pa
more for meat, for grain. for every
thing that enters into food. Certainl
, no one will contend that protection he
increased the cost of food when the fat
: is that we have been the greatest e,
! porters of food products in the worl
t It is only that the demand has il
! creased beyond the supply that far
lands have not been opened as rapid
/ as the population and the demand hay
increased.