The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-04-06
INDICATED BY TIME.

The fact that Senator Snoot OF Utah
had considerable TO do with the favor
ing of the tariff law passed at the extra
session Of Congress, is generally well
known. He took a leading part IN all
the debates and defended his position
with the necessary facts and figures. he
has also consistently defended his
course ever since the bill became a law.
From time to time criticisms have been
made, and some of the Senator's asser-
lions have been called in question. For
instance, Senator Smoot declared that
the tariff had nothing to do with the
depression existing In the carded wooden
trade A great cry Immediately went
up. 1t was asserted with much vehe-
menoe that the Senator didn't know
what he was talking about or was de-
liberately misstating the facts. Recent
| ly there appeared in the Commercial
Bulletin an article concerning the pres
ent status of the wooden industry, from
which the following extract is taken:
The argument advanced some months
! ago by the carded wooden interests that
the present tariff on wool had caused
a decentralization in the carded wooden
| industry seems to have been very weak
| IL the present active condition of the
wooden mills of the country, without
| change in the duty ION raw material, be
considered. 1t was commended, and with
much seriousness. that the wOrsted
branch of the industry had all the adj
vantages of the Dingley tariff and the
wooden branch all the disadvantages,
thus paralyzing the latter so much that
the majority of the mills were idle. In
answer it was said by some Of the lead
ing worsted manufacturers that the
tariff on wool was not the cause of the
inactivity in the wooden branch of the
business, but rather the greater pOpu-
larity of the worsted fabric. In other
words, the popular tastes called for
worsted goods as compared with carded
WOolens, and the latter were cOnse-
quently in very limited demand.
But consider the great change in the
past six months. Today practically all
the wooden machinery of the United
States is busily employed on orders for
heavy weight goods, and without
change in the tariff, while the worsted
division of the industry is suffering to
such an extent from a lack of satisfac-
ufacturer dares to buy additional sup
plies of raw material now, when prices
are distinctly in his favor, simply on
account of the uncertainty of the
wOrsted goods market.
Thus, in a very short space of time,
the statement of Senator Smoot is am
ply proven. The tariff law has not been
in full force and effect very long, but it
is giving the greatest satisfaction to
those who framed it, to the administra-
ton and to the people Of the country in
general. One by one the roses of the
free traders are falling. The tariff act
has succeeded even beyond expectation,
and the trade papers are not slow in
pointing out the fact Senator SmOot
takes pardonable pride in his work, and
will be excused for quietly chuckling
over the confederation Of his statement
regaI ding the carded wooden industry.
In recent number of the American
Economist, the following interview
with the Senator is given by a CORE
spondent:
= 1 was severely taken to task when I
stated that the tariff had nothing to do
with the relative prosperity of the card
ed wooden and worsted mills. My
statement that the demoralized condi-
ton of the carded wooden Industries and
the prosperous condition of the worsted
industry were due to the styles and
preferences of the people, and were not
attributable to the tariff, was denied by
Senator Dolliver and certain publica-
tions. Among the latter was the Com
mercial Bulletin, a trade paper pub
lished in Massachusetts by Curtis Guild
& Co. I have taken great satisfaction
in reading the Commercial Bulletin of
March u, which corroborates in detail
the statements I made with respect to
the carded wooden industry.
The laugh is certainly on Senator Dol
LIVER and those who looked upon him
as an authority upon the tariff.