Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1910-08-24
ROOSEVELT AN lnSURGENr CANDIDATE.
Tariff, Trusts, and Increased Money Sup
ply Causes for tha High Cost of Living.

Tariff, Trusts, and Increased Msney Sup
ply Causes for tha High Cost of Living.
By Clyde H. Tavenner, special
Washington correspondent of this
newspaper,
Washington, Aug. p The
American people will recall that
Senator Henry Cabot Lodges
price investigating CO nm it 9 g
found that no part of the 5o 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 we're
sorely puzzled at the report.
The phenomenon can now be
explained. The report OF the
minority of the commistees re-
Gently published, shows thas the
Republicans made no serious at
tempt to ascertain whether the
tariff was responsible Or not. LIS
ten to this extract from the min
ority report:
"In examining the wisness We
(the committee) scarcely touched
upon the territory of the highly
protected commodities -
Lodge. who helped frame the
Payne-Aldrich bill and takes the
position that the ultimate con-
sumer is myth, saw to 1t that
the Investigations were conined
almost exclusively to foodstuffs
and c,tton, and to the production,
distribution and cost to the con
sumer of wheat, corn, beef, mutt
ton and hog products, Of which
commodities the United States
produces q large per cent. of the
worlds production, and which we
export in enormous quantities.
AS to these articles it may be sup.
posed that, when freed from the
influence of trusts and monopo-
lies, the tariff should not cut q
figure except that it increases the
cost of their production.
Do you see the point, Mr.. Con-
sumer? Lodge had heen assigned
by Senator Aldrich to make re-
port, obviously for campaign purs
poses which would absolve the
tariff from all blame in connection
with the awful increase i'll the
cost of living under our system of
excessive protection. Lodge evil
IDENTIFY concluded that the safest
way to accomplish this end would
be to avoid asking any questions
of witnesses concerning the ad-
vances in the prices of highly pro-
tected articles, such as the pro-
ducts of the sugar trust, the steel
trust, the harvester trust and the
lumber trust, all of which contrl-
butte heavily to the Republican
campaign fund.
The Lodge report gave fifteen
reasons for increased prices, and
found that the tariff was ''no ma
terial factor.' This report is
being used by the men who voted
for the Payne-Aldrioh bill in the
hope it will prevent them from
being retired to private life.
TARIFF INCREASES PRICES.
Senators Johnston of Alabama
Clarke of Arkansas, and Smith { f
South Carolina, the minority
members of the Lodge committee,
find ttat the three substantial
causes for increased prices are:
/. Tariff.
2. Trusts, combines and mo.
ncpolies.
8. Increased money supply.
Owing to the tactics Of the Re-
publicans in avoiding highly pro-
tected articles, the minority mem.
bers found themselves 'wlthout
sufficient data to apportion the
degree Of responsibility 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 CANARD.