The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-08-23
TARIFF
BOOSTED
PRICES
FINDINGS OF MINORITY
OF INVESTIGATING
COMMITTEES
COST Of lIvlNe HAS
INCREASED So PER CENT
= T
Trusts, Combines and Monopo.
lies Also Play |npoT-
tant PaIt


tor Henry Cabot Lodges price-inves'
tigating committee found that no part
OF the So per cent increase In the cost
of living In this country in the last ~
years was due to the tariff Political
economists all over the land were
soroly 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
jty report:
In examining the witnesses ",
tthe committee) scarcely. touched up
on the territory OF the highly protect
cd commodities.
Lodge. who helped frame the Payne
Aldrlch bill and takes the position
that The ultimate consumer Is a myth
saw TO It that the Investigations we're
confined almost exclusively TO food
stuffs and cotton and to the produc-
ton, distribution and cost to the con-
sumer OF wheat, corn, beef. mutton
and hog products. of which commod.
tiles tho United States produces a
large per cent OF the worlds produc-
ton, aud which We export In cnof-
nous quantities. As TO these articles
II may be supposed that when freed
from, the influence of trusts and mOn'
opolies. the. tariff should not cut a
large figure except that increases tho
cost Of their production.
DO YOU see the point. Mr.. Consum-
crg Lodge bad been assigned by Seu-
ator Aldrich 10 make report, obei
ously for campaign purposes. which
would absolve the tariff from all the
blame In connection with the awful
increase IN the cost of living under
our system of excessive projection
Lodge evidently concluded that the
safest way to- accomplish this end
would be TO avoid asking any qucs
tions of witnesses concerning the ad
vsnccs In the prices. OF highly protect
cd articles such as the products OF
the sugar trust, the steal trust the
harvester trust and the lumber trust
all of which contribute heavily to the
Republican campaign fund.
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-Al
drlch bill in the hope II will prevent
them from being retired to private
life.
Senators Johnson of Alabama
Clarke OF Arkansas, and Smith oI
South Carolina. the minority members
of the Lodge committee. find that the
three substantial causes for increased
prices are:
/. Tariff.
2. Trusts, combines and monopol
les.
8. Increased money supply.
Owing to the tactics OF the Repub
licans In avoiding highly protected
articles, the minority members found
themselves without sufficient data tc
apportion the degree OF responsibility
between these three causes but state
that the two first are tho malefac
tors we have no doubt; and they are
OF our own creation or permission
TAFT viii no longer cooperate with
Aldrich. or Cannon and Ba;ilnger Is
not 10 be forced out"
This Is the gist of statements car
ried by the Associated Press, aud OBJ
yiously inspired by Republican cam
paign managers.
The Information MAJ Dc accepted a.
little more than a ruse.. The Repub
llcan campaign managers played the
same trick on the public in the last
presidential elcctloo. The rumor was
quietly started that candidate TAFT
vas hostile to Speaker Caunon. The
Inference was strong that Taft would
be against Cannon as speaker. This
false rumor Enthusiastically helped
Taft in some insurgcnt districts.
immediately after Taft was iuaugu-
rated aD attempt was made TO defeat
Cannon as speaker. Tho combined
Democrats and Insurgents would have
accomplished this end had not Presi.
deut Taft used all of the resources al
bis command tp perpetuate Cannon rs
speaker. Taft Is not likely to try to
read Aldricb and Cannon out of the
Republican party, because Aldrich and
Cannon tapd the special interests they
reprosenD will not permit the presi
dent TO have denomination II nc
tries Il. Mr.. Taft knows which side
his political bread is buttered on.
| furthermore, there is no reason for
discord, Taft. Aldrich and Cannon
and BaIllnger, too. are all working to
tho same end. Their views on big
questions are harmonious.
II was only recently that Taft eu
loglzed Aldricb to the skies and REFER
ed TO Uncle Joe as being the Alb
raham Lincoln class OF statesmen.
Taft. Aldrich and Cannon. and par
tIcularIy Taft and Aldficb can have nc
break. they must sink or swim. They
must sink or swim together.