The Cairo bulletin., 1910-02-10
FOR ENHANCED COST OF THE
NECESSARiES OF EVERY
DAY LIFE.
SCORES REPUBLICANS
Declares Attempt cf Committee to In
vestqate Matter viii Be to
Hold Tariff Blame
less.

Washington, Feb. 9.-Apropos of
the consideration of the composite
Ellins-L Lodge -McCumber food prices
investigation resolution reported to
the senate from the committee on
finance and contingent expenses, Sen
ator Stone, of Missouri today ad
dressed the senate at some length on
the general question of food prices,
He undertook to show that the Payne
Aldrich tariff bill is largely RESPONSE
BILE fer the enhanced price of many
OF the neeessaries of life.
Contrasting the delay in reporting
the Elkins resolution with the dis.
patch in bringing in the Lodge meas
ure, Mr.. Stone declared that there
had been vast amount of monkey
business in connection with the con,
sideration of the subject.
Saying he had been greatly puzzled
to know the meaning of the method
OF proceeding he declared it had the
complexion of a purpose to conceal
rather than to discover" Ii not why,
he asked. did the Republican mem,
bers Of the finance committee come
rushing headlong into this business
and exhibit an over-Weening anxiety
substantiate Secretary Wilson's con.
. to take charge of the proposed in,
qury? If theNremakrable things done
here have given to this business the
sinister aspect Of a schemeon the par,
of certain senators to organize a com.
mittee that would start in primarily
to hold the Payne-Aldrich tariff law
blamelesss for, the evils the country
complains of, then the senator from
Massachusetts and his Republican as.
sociates on the finance committee
have only themselves to blame.
In all probability, Mr.. Stone con.
tinued, Mr. Lodge would head the
committee of investigation and Mr.
Stone expressed apprehension that
that senator would hesitate to follow
out any line Of inquiry which might
tention that American food products
are sold more cheaply abroad than in
the United States.
Mr. Stone quoted from letters and
newspapers to show a general in.
crease in the necessaries of life since
the enactment of the Payne-Aldrich
bill. Among the letters was one from
a st. Louis merchant saying that cot.
ton goods had increased in price from
I12h to SO per cent; linens 712 to 10
per cent, and on hosiery 10 per cent.
Every man of common sense ought,
he said, to know that the enormous
profits accruing to investors in these
industries are the result of artificial
conditions created by law"
Il don't see how it ean be con.
tended" he continued, that these al.
tificial conditions from which the con,
sumers of the country are, thank
Heaven, beginning to become the
patient sufferers, are chiefly for the
benefit of the American wage earners
employed in those industries. l as.
sert with the greatest confidence that
the tariff rates as q rule are far in
excess of any difference IN the labor
wage in America and the chief com.
peting countries of Europe; and | as
sert with equal confidence that the
benefciaries of this system are the
men who employ this labor as the
chief sufferers are the consumers who
are the victims of their monopolies.
| will not contend that the tariff
is the sole cause and excuse for ex.
orbitant prices, but do insist that a
practically prohibitive tariff, such as
we have, is at least one of the chief
causes that make eX,orbtafit prices for
| human necessities a possibility. 1t
may be that trusts and combinations
/ put up the prices; thing they do
But at the same time believe the oil
contention to be true that high pro
| 10 riff ic fhn n1ptba,, Of c -