The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1909-03-31
COST OF LIVING
VIII be Increased by the Payne
Tariff Bill The
DEMOCRATS CLAIM

The Farmer Would Get No Relief
Should the Bill Be Passed. 1t Is
Alleged, While the Standard Oil
Trust and Other Trust Interests
Are Looked After.
Washington, March 22.-That the
Payne tariff bill would increase the
cost Of living; that it is crude, snoe-
snite, sectional and prohibitive, and
that It is an open challenge to
trade war with every other nation on
earth, are some of the criticisms OF
that measure made by the Democrat
ic members OF the ways and means
committee ia the minority report
submitted to the House by Minority
Leader Champ Clark today.
The report is severe arraignment
of the revision which the Payne bill
proposes. The countervailias duty
provisions for coffee and petroleum,
the maximum and minimum features,
the Cuban reciprocity clause, the
woolen, glass. agricultural and sugar
schedules are bitterly attacked.
There are many changes-for the
most part minor changes" says the
report, "oS the Dingley rates. some
ND and some down. Most Of the
changes IN downward direction are
reductions more apparent than real,
the Payne rates being as prohioitiVe
in their results in many cases as
the Dingley rates"
Declaring that tariff is tax
paid by the consumer, and that the
only function of tariff law is to
raise revenue to supply the needs
Of the Government, the minority
members of the committee insist that
instead of an increase Of taxes or
new issue Of bonds, the correct
remedy for the growing deficiency IN
the revenue IS the cutting down OF
the expenses OF running the Govern
meRt.
"The bill is in many respects crude,
indefinite, sectional and prohibitiVe.
It seems to Us from our examination.
which was necessarily hasty, that on
the whole It increases the cost OF
living. For example, It will increase
the price Of hosiery about 80 per
cent, and certainly nobody will claim
that hosiery Is a luxury in this day
and generation. In numerous in
stances the protection exceeds the
entire labor cost Of production
The report maintains that the tar
if arrangement with the Philippines
should be considered in separate
measure and not in the general tariff
bill. The claim that the bill is a
sectional one, made by the Demo
cratic members Of the committee. is
based largely on the cotton schedule.
The report contends that the bill does
not lift any burdens from the shoul-
ders Of the Southern farmer, al
though the manufacturer OF cotton
goods is protected by heavy tax, II
claims.
"The treatment Of the farmer by
this bill is along the same lines as
have characterized Republican meth
DDS in the past" says the report
'tEe gets practically no relief, and
tho laborer and producer have great
er burdens imposed upon them
Every article Of food the laborer
must have to live comfortably is
heavily taxed; even the salt on his
table is not exempt. This schedule
agricultural produets) was evident
ly prepared by the same mind which
has dominated this bill-s mind GER
tainly not unfair to the great trusts.
THAT the bill is sectional one
is shown by the failure of the ma
iority Of the committee to lift any
burden whatever from the shoulders
Of the Southern farmer. The grower
Of cotton must sell his product in
the open markets OF the world. In
order, however, to benefit the manu-
facturer Of cotton the Republican
party makes him pay heavy tax on
every pound Of it that is exported
and comes back into the United
States in the shape Of manufactured
goods. Thus he sells in free trade
markets and buys in a protected
market. Not only have these
burdens not been lifted, but addition
al ones have been placed upon him.
BY an lately discovered process, a
fabric known as tmercerized fabrics"
is now being made. This is very
much like silk, and is largely worn.
In order to further enrich the manu-
facturer and to further tax the mass
es of the people tax has been laid
On these goods.
Cotton hose has fallen under
their greedy gaze and the tax on it.
already too high, has been greatly
increased. Cotton goods are more
generally used than any other class
of goods by the masses Of the Ameri
can people, and every cent Of duty
laid on such fabrics IS an additional
tax on the people least able to pay
it.
"The Standard Oil Company is as
handsomely cared for in the Payne
bill as in the Dingley BILL" the re-
port continues, land by reason Of the
provision in Paragraph s37. popular
ly known as the 'joker,' continues
TO be protected by tariff duty Of
80 per cent, which enables it to
dominate and exploit the American
market and to levy trouble upon
the public, thereby piling up millions
Of dollars Of ill-gotteo gains