The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-08-16
In Turn, Tariff Is Re
sponsible for the
Trusts.
REMOVE TARIFF
SOLVE PROBLEM
Minority Members Of Senate In
vestigating Committee Make
Report Of Their Findings and
Show How Cost Of Living
May Be Brought Back
to Normal.

to N ormal.
washington, August 15.-'rhe tariff
trusts, combines and monopolies and
an Increased money supply are the
three substantial cauaes for the ad-
vance In prices in the United states.
according to Senator'S Johnston. OF
Alabama. Clarke, OF Arkansas. ana
Smith. OF South Carolina, minority
members OF the seleo< senate commit
d tee, appointed during the last session
OF Congress to Investigate and make
report on wages and the prices OF
commodities.
Vigorous attack Is made in the mi
y nority members report on almost al
the reasons given by the majority in
ifs report, submitted some time ago..
as to the causes for the advance IN
prices. 81
I'VE are without sufficient data"
Z say the minority members In their re-
port Just completed. ito apportion the
degree OF responsibility between these
three causes. but thas the two tirat
are the chief maiefactors we have no
doubt; and they are OF our own area-
ton or permission.
After attacking, one at tine, tho
tlttccn principal causes contributing
according 10 the majority report ta
ma high cost OF living, the minority
members take up the tariii. DECLARING
that when the Payne Aidrich biii was
framed champagne WAS put on the
schedules at from 81 to 81 per cent
whilst wearing apparei was .aaeo
from so 10 % per cent.-dr!nkins
,.nan,,,arnel was to be encouraged and
wearing ysoolen clothes DISCOURAGED
So with hats they add. those nrinS-
ing no, over 3i.5D per dozen were
Stn.ed II per cent, and those salueu
nj more than SIS per dozen \. per
cent
Fortunes for Few.
The result OF protection. they de-
clare. Is great fortunes for trs lew
and great suffering for the many we
st,e,ieva5"4 they say, ..that the amount
of the tariff is added TO the price ana
taxed to the consumer; that. but for
Ia. tartff the commodities We BUY
y ,,non which that tax Is laid would be
cheaper. approximately TO the extern
Of the tariff; and that when we 90 90
not buy tho imported article the pro.
tccted manufacturerer puts approx
mately. the amount OF y on the the sooos ssslt
produced by him"
st is dirncult to understand now
any one can favor high rates OF duty
5Rs Il no does not honestly believe that
4, VIII increase the prices to De
realized by the manufacturers produc-
ing the article auected. by ol!nlnlsh- :
ing or destroying competition, ano
thus necessarily increasing the cos. @
Ia the CONSUMER Then we We're many
times mournfuiIy warned that any re-
auction in rates would Hood our coun-
try with lower-priced German prod
ucts. and that the smoke OF American
manufactures would disappear from
the heavens Now we are informed
that the tariff has not Increased the
cost OF these articles entering into
every household and administering 70
the health and comfort OF every ram
gi ily.''
showing the effect of the tariff on
prices. they instance sugar. on when
the New York consumer. they Nay,
pays more than the London consumer
by the difference between the sugar
tariffs In the two countries, plus II
cents per hundred pounus.
ut is scarcely necessary. they
add, ito mention the tniquitous Toolen
" schedule. where the aalt tariff rates rates are are
SO high on these necessities OF our
people as, to practically preclude any
foreign compe tition with the American
manufacturer, except on high-priced
good 8 purchased by the Ewealthler cons
sumer, who can. to some extent, dis
& regard prices. III
Could Not Survive.
Taking up the subject OF trusts
combinations and monopolies. thoy de-
clare that there are few trusts that
could survive revenue tariff They
flourish only under the shadow ol
sis rirl& protective walls. Standing be-
hind those walls that shut of foreign
competition and destroying domestic
competition by consultations and alb.
sorptions, they are limited only To
selling at q fraction less than the for,
H Ign price plus the protective duty
That they reduce cost of production
seems certain, but IT. is in raro cases
that the public or the laborers en-
s4a Moved by them participate In the en-.
larged profit. So enormous have
been their profits that we find organ
s izations springing up all Il over the
u country like the Elgin Board Of
4 Trade, the wi holesale grocers, lumbei
lsS d dealers-association that have con.
.tributed largely to the advance II
Il prices and the frauds perpetrated bS
manufacturers OF certain goods In re.
ducing the weight Of contents O
nackages from 20 to 4 SO per cent. and
maintaining the same price.
S'rrhe methods OF the meat trust,
u they declare, "seenn to be admirably
4 adapt ed to taking from the consumer
and \ the producer the &largesL. =, amour ,l,''l
@ that the traffic will bear, Their de-
g structi on OF local competitors canno
be improved upon As what they cal cal
gSs q :. ample OF the working OF our COM
btnes.' they say that while every ever
/ + where else In the egworld the price 9
Harvesting machinery has been appre
sciably reduced since 1900. "a tn
United 4 States 1t hal been mat er1all!
increased. The increase. they add
started early a confer porafn q q 90 q y:
with the Dingl eye tart Y, = ri tS
VI Fear Not OtNyarranted. sgi
As to wa ges, tn ey say that y he feal
vi that wages woald fall II the tarl Il Wer'
rsmoved and he ta II IN prices wouif " "
ssF not be "a ar gain to tn egco onsurneF.i \
no warrant ed by he N exr rlenoeSSo q
SsSs Continued 8on second Page,A Us, Il,