The Cairo bulletin., 1910-08-17
DENOUNCED BY MINORITY MEM
BERs OF CONGRESSIONAL
4, COMMITTEE.
CAUSE OF HIGH PRICES
Farmers Not to Blame as Per Capita
Production Now Is Greater
Than Before--Better
Ls.i
N in England.

Washington, Aug, l6.-The tariff.
trusts, combines and monopolies and
on increased money supply. are tire
three substantial causes for tie adj
vance In prices in The United States,
aGtol,.ng to Senators Joh..Aton tl
Alabama, Clark OF Arkansas anl
Smith, of South Carolina, minority
members OF the Senate committee,
appointed during the last session OF
Congress- 10 Investigate ami make a
report on wages and tie prices OF
commodities.
Vigorous attack Is made in the m-
the reasons given by the majority in
its report, submitted some time ago,
as the cause for tne advance In prices.
I'VE arc without sufficient data, .
say tire minority members in Their
report yirst completed, TO apportion
the degfee Of responsibility between
the three causes but that the two first
are the chief malfactors we have no
doubt; and they are Of our own ere
alton or permission
After attacking. one at a time, the
fifteen principal causes contributing,
according to the majority, report to
the aieh cost OF living, the minority
take up the tariff, declaring that when
the Payne-Aldrich bill was framed
champagne was put on the schedules
al from "a to 66 per cent. whilst wear
ing apparel was taxed from 80 to 80
per eent--drinking champagne was to
clothes discouraged. So with hats,
the add, these bringing not over s4.-
SO per dozen were taxed II per cent,
and those valued at more than SIS
per dozen AZ per cent"
The result of protection, they de-
clare is great fortunes for the few
and great suffering for the many We
believe, they say. that the amount
of the tariff is added to the price and
taxed to the consumer; that but for
he tariff commodities we buy upon
which that tax is lad would be
cheaper approximately TO the extent
OF the tariff; and that when we do not
buy the imported article the protected
manufacturer puts approximately the
amount of it on the goods produced
by him.
Showing the effect of the tariff on
prices. they instance sugar, on whicn
ho
pays more than the London consumer
by the Inference btween the sugar
tariff in the two countries, plus II
cents per hundred pounds
1T Is scarcely necessary" they
add, ito mention the iniquitous wool
en- sehedule-where the tariff rates
are so high on those necessities OF
our people as to practically preclude
any foreign competition with the Am
erican manufacturer, except on high
priced goods purchased by the wealth
Ter consumer, who can, to some ex
tent, disregard the price.
Tariff Produces Trusts.
Taking up the subject of trusts
combinations and monopolies, they
declare that there are few trust;
that could survive a revenue tariff
They flourish only under the shadow
of lngh protective walls. Standing
behind those walls that shut off for
eign competition and destroying do
mestic competition by consoidatios'
and absorptions, they arelisted on
ly to selling at a fraction less than the
foreign price plus the prospective dut!
That they reduced the cost of produc
ton seems certain, but 1t Is in raN
cases that the public or the laborer'
employed by them participate Is th'
solarged profit. SO enormous lav
been their profits that we find organ
cations springing up all over the coun
try, like the Elgin Board of Trade
the wholesale grocers, lumber deal
ers-Associations that have contril
rted largely to the advance in price
and the frauds perpetrated by mani
facturers of certain goods in redu'
inc the weight Of contents of pack
ages lIOIu Gu w OU PNi VIII uh
maintaining the same price"
The Meat Trust.
"The methods of the meat trust
they declare, seem to be admirabl
adapted to taking from the consume
and the producer the largest amour
that the traffic will bear. Their d.
struction Of local competitors cannt
be improved upon" AS what the
can a sample CT the working OF OF
combines" they will say fnat "whil
everywhere else IN the world u
price OF harvesting machinery ns
been appreciably reduced since 1870
in the United states II has been m
terially increased The increas
they add. started nearly eonter
noraneously with the Dingley ia