The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1910-01-20
WHO GOT FOOLED, OR THE MYs-
Terry OF 1910.

i
A great many people are puz-
zled what to make of President Taft. |
He is not dishonest, for he emerged |
from long career of office-holding a
poor man. He is not lacking in in
telligence, or he would not have been
chosen for the many important places
he has filled.
Yet at Winona he declared the new
tariff law to be a substantial re-
vision downward" and ''the best tar
if bill the country ever had"
To prove this he used some figures
prepared by the senate committee on
finance, of which Senator Aldrich lis
chairman, showing that the tariff was
reduced on necessary articles which
the country uses to the extent of
$4,000, 100000 year, and increased
only on necessary articles which the
country uses to the value of $780,
OOO, 900 a year. AS to the increases,
there should have been none at all;
and there were few because prac-
tically every greedy and powerful in
terest was already getting all the
tariff duties it needed.
1t sounds we'll to say that the tariff
was reduced on commodities which
the country uses to the value of $5,-
900, 100000 year, but it means
absolutely nothing. Take an article
which the country uses to the value
of 100000 a year, and on
which Tie tariff duty is prohibitive.
Reduce that duty trif1e, though
leaving it still prohibitiye. The
president could then say that the
duty had been reduced on an article
of which the country uses $1,000,-
100000 worth a year; but there
would be no benefit whatever from
the revision. And that is exactly
what the president did. Either he
was badly fooled by Aldrich, or he
deliberately sought to fool the peo-
pie.
Will Payne in the Saturday Even
ing Post analyses that $5,000,0OO,-
900 argument, and he doesn't leave
much of it.
Duties were reduced on petroleum
products, which this country uses to
the value of $26O,0O0,O00 a year.
| Yet this country is the great exporter
of petroleum products, and free
petroleum products would not lower
prices.
Duties were reduced on marble,
which is used to the extent of 1884,,
100000 year. Is marble sneces-
sary?"
| Metals and manufactures of metal,
which we use to the value of $780,
| 100000, were reduced, but prices
have gone up since the law went into
effect. This is because the duties,
combined with this country's suprem-
acy in methods of manufacturing are
prohibitive still.
Lumber was slightly reduced, and
that item amounts to $500,0O0,00
If the maximum rates apply to Can
ada, the duty will be enormously in
creased instead of being reduced.
The price of lumber has not been re-
duced by the reduced tariff.
Refined sugar represents $780,
100000, and the duty on that was
reduced so little that if the benefit of
| the reduction got to the consumer,
he would have to eat an even ton of
sugar to save dollar; yet the price
of sugar has advanced since the law
went into effect. The sugar duties are
still prohibitive.
Half billion is represented by
| food and agricultural products, most
| ly bacon, hams, pork and beef, OF
which we export vast quantities and
import little or nothing. These COM
modities have also gone up in price.
The reason: The duties are still too
high and the products are controlled
by a trust
Print paper represents $4,000
900. There was a very slight reduc-
ton on this duty, which still is prac-
! tically prohibitive, and if the maxi
mum duties apply, as they almost
certainly will, the duty will be multi
| piled several times instead of being
reduced.
Soft coal, another large item,
amounts to 5000, 100000, and the
| slight reduction in the tariff will
have no effect on the price except in
such localities as can be reached by
vessels from Nova Scotia. The price
of soft coal has not gone down since
the tariff went into effect.
These items amount to $4,000
100000 out of the presidents total
of $4,000, 900, 900, and from none of
them will the consumer get the
slightest benefit Other items too
small to amount to much in detail
consume the rest of the five billions!
Either the president was ridicu-
lousy fooled by Aldrich, or he
sought to fool the people. Duluth
Herald.