The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-10-07


TON. FRIDAY, OCTRER
High Cost Of Living
Not Due to Tariff
CONGRESSMAN Humphrey gave a
very interesting talk on political
matters at Odd Fellows hall Tues
gay evening, but owing to the de-
cldedly inclement weather only a
lew were out to hear him. Mr..
Robert Moran, of Rosario, met him
at Bellingham and brought him here
IN his launch. accompanied by Cap
tain Tuttle, of the revenue cutter
service, retired, and Mr.. Dwight
Kennedy, of Charlottesville, Indiana,
a friend of MIR. Humphrey since
boyhood. Chairman Gene C. Gould,
OF the Republican county committee,
presided at the meeting and first in
troduced Mr.. Kennedy who made a
few very appropriate remarks about
his personal relations with Mr..
Humphrey since they were boys to-
gether.
MIR. Humphrey followed and be-
fore touching upon political topics
took occasion to express his great
appreciation of the strong support
given him by the people of this coun-
ty whom he said he takes the great
est pleasure in serving individually
and collectively.
Referring to the matter of mail
service by rural delivery on this is
land, he explained the delay in in
augurating service upon the route
long since recommended by saying
that no new service has been inau-
gurated anywhere in the country ex-
cept in few instances where service
has been extended on old routes,
within the past year, on account of
the urgent necessity of retrenchment
in government expenditures, which
were very greatly in excess Of re-
ceipts. This condition has been
remedied to a large extent by the
new tariff law which has enormous
ly increased the revenue of the gov
erp6nent from duties upon imports.
HGexpressed the opinion that it will
be only short time until rural free
delivery will be ordered upon routes
recommended upon this island.
Referring to the military reserves
in this county, most of which there
is not the least likelihood that the
government will ever utilize for
military purposes, he said he would
do his best to induce the war de-
partment to relinquish its claims up
on some Of them at least, in order
that they may be opened to settle
ment, and he also said he thought
that some provision should be made
whereby the down timber, especially
cedar, on the reserves may be sold
and utilized.
Taking up the much discussed and
little understood tariff question, the
speaker gave his hearers much
better idea of the new law than
many, if any, of them had before
and showed very clearly that the in
creased cost of living cannot justly
be attributed to its operation. He
said the new law increases duties
upon only 22O of the more than 1000
commodities enumerated and that
material reductions are made upon
more than 800 articles, while the
duties upon more than 1000 articles
are left unchanged. Not single
increase was made upon any article
regarded as necessity which enters
into the cost Of living, while inn
portant reductions were made upon
a great many such articles. The
new law, the speaker said, has caused
the reopening Of hundreds of fac
tories and the closing Of none, has
given employment to over three mil
lions Of people and is fast convert
ing big government deficit into q
surplus.
The speaker paid fine tributes TO
Former President Roosevelt and
President Taft, speaking of the lat
ter as one Of the greatest statesmen
who has ever occupied the presi-
dental chair, and closed with an
eloquent enumeration of some OF
his reasons for being a Republican.
He left Immediately after the
meeting to spend the night and 9
portion Of Wednesday as the guest Of
Mr.. Moran at Rosario, going from
there to Blaine, where he spoke
Wednesday evening.
Little Marjorie Flynn, one year
and eleven months old, youngest