New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-08-16
BLAME LAID ON TARIFF
Minority Report of Wages and
Prices Committee.
WHY THE TRUSTS FLOURISH
Result of Protection Is Great
Fortunes for the Few and Great
Suffering for the Many,

Suffering for the Many.
Washington. Aug 15.-The tariff. trusts
combinations and mouopoles and an IN
creased money supply are the three SUD
s+.,+ie1 causes for the advance in prices
in the United States. according TO Sen
a+o-e Johnston. of Alabama: Clarke. OF
Arkansas. and Smith. of South Carolina,
minority members of the select Senate COM
,77ir-ee appointed during the last session
of Congress to investigate and make re
,,o,t on wages and the prices of com
mcdities.
vigorous attack is made in the minor
i+v members report on almost all the fea-
sons given by the majority in its report
submitted some time ago. as to the cause
for the advance in prices
We are without sufficient data, say
the minority mem bers in their report. Just
COMPLETED. ito apportion the degree OF re-
sponsihiIity among those three causes
bnt that the first two are the chief male
factors we have no doubt, and they are
OF our own creation or PERMISSION
After attacking. one at time, the NJ
teen nrincfpal causes contributing. accord
ing 70 the majority report TO the hlgh
cost Of living the minority takes up the
A1drich bill was framed champagne was
mt on the schedules at from 81 TO 66 per
cent while wearing apparel was taxed
from, 50 TO 90 per contributing champagne
10 he encouraged and wearing woonen
clothes. dfscoura ged So with hats 1t
odds. those bringing not over 81 %
dozen were taxed Il per cent and those
,-ol,,ed At more than SIS a dozen Il per
cent"
The result of protection. they declare, is
e-as+ fortunes for the few and great SUI
ferinp for the many. We believe, they
saw that the amount of the tarlH Is
added to the price and taxed to the con-
surner: that but for the tariff the com
-rndities we buy upon which that tax Is
laid would be cheaper approximately TO
-be extent of the tariff: and that when We
do not(buy the imported article the pro
rected manufacturer puts approximately
+ta amount of II on the goods produced by
him"
Say Protection Increases Prices.
ct * difficult to understand how any one
can favor high rates Of duty if he does not
honestly believe that It will increase the
prjces TO he realized by the manufacturers
r-ca15cing the article affected by diminish
ing or destroying competition. and thus
nacessartlv increasing the cost 10 the con-
e-5r7e- Then we were many times mourn
fully warned that any reduction in rates
would food our country with lower priced
German products 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 those articles entering into every house
hold and administering to the health and
comfort of every family
Showing the effect of the tariff on prices,
they cite sugar. on which the New York
consumer. they say. pays more than the
London consumer by the difference be
tween the sugar tariffs in the two coun-
tries. plus L cents per 100 pounds.
1T is scarcely necessary they add ito
mention the iniquitoUs woollen schedule.
where the tariff rates are so high on these
necessities OF our people as to practically
preclude any foreign competition with the
American manufacturer except on high
| priced goods purchased by the wealthier
! consumer. who can 10 some extent disre-
gard price
Tariff Makes Trusts Possible
| Taking up the subject OF trusts. combina
/ tons and nonopolies, they declare that
| there are few trusts that could survive a:
: revenue bdtlII 1!SN LDui-SLi OtlIy uLlAcL
! the shadow Of high protective walls. Stand
/ ing behind those walls that shut off for
! eign competition. and destroying domestic
| competition by consultations and absolp-
/ tons they are limited only TO selling a.
! q fraction less than the foreign price. plus
! the protective duty. That they reduce
/ cost Of production seems certain, but It Is
| in rare cases that the public or the laborers
! employed by them participate in the en-
/ larged profit. So enormous have been their
/ profits that We find organizations springins
up all over the country like the EIgin Board
| Of Trade, the wholesale grocers and the lum-
| Der associations that have contrib
uted largely to the advance in prices and
| the frauds perpetrated by manufacturers
| Of certain goods in reducing the weight Of
| contents OF packages from % to 20 per cent
| and maintaining the same prices
| The methods Of the meat trust" they
| declare seem to be admirably adapted TO
| taking from the consumer and the producer
/ the largest amount that the traffic viii
/ hear Their destruction Of local competitors
cannot be improved upon" AS what they
| call sample nf the working Of our com
| bines" they say that while everywhere
else in the world the price of harvesting
nach inery has been apprectsbly reduced
been materially increased. The increase
the add started nearly contempora
neously with the DinElev tariff.
As 10 wages, they say that the fear that
/ wages would fall if the tariff were removed
! and that the fan in prices would not be a
/ clear gain 10 the consumer is not warranted
! BY the experience of Great Britain. Great
/ Britain Is a free trade nation, and IL Is the
most prosperous nation in the world except
ouI own Shoals OF emigrants from The
| tariff ridden nations of France. Germany.
| Italy and Russia eo /" England 70 work
/ But Enxllshmen do not emigrate ia those
countries because the standard of LIVING
4 IS lower. The general testimony Is that the
| rate Of wages for all mechanical trades is
substantially higher n Great Britain than
In those protectionist countries, while the
prices Of necessities are lower. leaving the
Englislman wider margin 10 live upon
Results of Eneland's Free Trade.
1T is about sixty years since Great Brit
ain adopted free trade. and during that