The daily sentinel., 1910-08-23
CLYDE TAVENNER
TAKES A FALL OUT
OF SENATOR LODGE
(By Clyde II. Tayenner, Washington
Correspondent for The Daily
Sentinel)

Sentinel.)
Washington, Aug. The Am
erican people will recall that Senator
Henry Cabot Lodges price-investigat-
ing committee found that no part of
the oS per cent increase in the cost of
living in this country in the last 10
years was due to the tariff. Political
economists all over the land were
sorely puzzled at the report.
the phenomenon can now be ex-
planned The report Of the minority
of the committee, recently published,
shows that the republicans made no
serious attempt to ascertain whether
the tariff was responsible or not.
Listen 10 this extract from the minor
ity report:
In examining the witnesses we
| Cthe committeeJ scarcely touched
upon the territory OF the highly pro-
tected commodities"
Lodge, who helped frame the
Payne-Aldrich bill aud takes the posi-
tion that the ultimate consumer is a
myth, saw to it that the Investigations
were confined almost exclusively to
foodstuffs and cotton, and to the pro-
duction, distribution and cost to the
consumer OF wheat corn, beef. NUT
ton and hog products, of which COM
modities the United States produces
a large per cent of the worlds pro-
lduction, and which we export in enor-
nous quantities. As to these articles
it may be supposed that. when freed
from the influence of trusts and
monopolies, the tariff should not cut
large figure except that II increases
the cost of their production.
/ Do you see the paint, Mr.. Son
sumer? Lodge had been assibned by
| Senator Aldrich to make a report,
obviously for campaign purposes,
| which would absolve the tariff from
all blame in connection with the aw-
| full increase in the cost of living un-
der our system of excessive protec-
| ton Lodge evidently concluded that
the safest way to accomplish this end
would be to avoid asking any ques-
tions of witnesses concerning the ad-
vances in the prices of highly pro-
| tected articles, such as the products
of the sugar trust, the steel trust, the
| harvester trust and the lumber trust,
all of which contribute heavily to the
republican campaign fund.
I The Lodge report gave fifteen rea-
sons for increased prices, and found
that the tariff was mo material fac
tor" This report is being used by
the men who voted for the Payne
Aldrich bill in the hope il will pre-
vent them from being retired to pri-
vate life.
Tariff Increases Prices.
Senators Johnston of Alabama.
| Clarke of Arkansas and Smith of
south Carolina. the minority mem
RS of the Lodge committee. find
that the three substantial causes for
increased prices are:
1. Tariff.
2. Trusts, combines and mono
poles.
8. increased money supply.
Owing to the tactics of the republi-
cans in avoiding highly protected art
| icles. the minority members found
| themselves without sufficient data
to apportion the degree of respon-
sibility between these three causes,
| but state that the two first are the
chief malefactors we have no doubt;
and they are of our own creation or
permission"
| A Campaign Cauard.
Taft will no longer cooperate
with Cannon, Aldrich and Ballinger
is to be retired"
This is the gist of statements car
| ried by the Associated Press. ana oD-
viously inspired by republican cam
paign managers.
The information may be accepted
as nothing more than ruse. The
republican campaign managers play
ed the same trick on the public in the
/ last presidential election. The ru-
NOR was quietly started that Candi-
date Taft did not approve of Speaker
Cannon. The inference was strong
that Taft would not stand for Cannon
as peaker. This false rumor unmis-
takahly helped Taft in the insurgent
| districts.
Immediately after Taft was inaug-
urated an attempt was made to defeat
Cannon as speaker The combined
democrats and insurgents would have
accomplished this end had not the
president used all of the resources at