Tensas gazette., 1911-08-18
SENATOR FOSTER AND TnE
TARIFF.


In conversation with q native Of
the Emerald Isle, who is a resident
OF St. Joseph, he stated that when
he visited Ireland few years ago
he noticed a new Singer sewing ma
chine in his sisters house. He
asked her what she paid for it and
was told that the price was five
pounds. or $500 in our money.
The same grade of machine sells in
this country for $4,000. OF course,
our readers know that the Singer
machine was invented and is made
in the United States. why. then,
does the manufacturer sell his ma
chimes in foreign land for less
money than the same machine costs
in this country? Simply because
Great Britain imposes no tariff
duties on sewing machines and un-
der our tariff laws foreign machines
cannot be sold in this country, the
duty on them being prohibitive.
American made farming tools.
such as threshers, mowers, plows,
hoes, &C., are shipped by American
manufacturers to countries like the
Argentine Republic, (which levy
no tariff on them), thousands Of
miles away, and there sold at a
lower price, and considerably low
er price, than the American farmer
has to pay for them, although they
may be Manufactured within hun
dred miles OF his farm. Why is
this2 Because, the American duty
is SO great that no farming tools
made in a foreign country can be
sold in this country.
And these two cases, above cited,
are merely mentioned as illustra-
tions Of the monstrous iniquities
made possible by our tariff laws
s they are only two out Of hundreds
of articles for which the American
people have to pay increased prices
for the benefit Of the manufacturers
and the Trusts, which control in
most lines of manufacture. Mind
you, not one dollar OF revenue to
the government goes into the Treas
ury as the result Of the duties on
these articles, for no duties are col
lected, as none Of these articles car
be imported. Where does the tar
go then? Out Of the pockets Of the
American farmer into the pockets
of the American manufacturers and
Trusts. into steam yachts, marble
palaces and iveried servants and
the other luxuries which our priv
LEGGED classes enjoy at the expense
Of the toiling masses to degree
only excelled by the privileges en-.
ioyed by the MOBILES before the
French revolution.
This question Of tariff reform,
dormant during the earlier year
of the Roosevelt administration, be-
came vital and acute again in The
last years Of that administration
Other vital questions, like contro
and regulation of corporations and
Trusts, which occupied the public
mind and for time obscured the
tariff question, had been the sub
iect Of legislation, and there was {
disposition to postpone further &C.
tion as to these questions until tht
effect Of these laws could be ascer-
tanned. Then the people, suffering
from an era Of high prices. which
made harder the lot OF every fam
lily, turned their attention TO the
redressing Of another wrong. the
reform Of another abuse--the Pro.
tective Tariff--that develish instru-
ment devised by human greed to
enable one class Of the people to
fatten at the expense Of all other
classes. In the last Presidential
campaign the two great parties ad-
hersd to their old positions on this
Qnestion--the Republicans standing
for protection. the Democrats for a
revenue tariff. But even the Repub-
licans, in their platform. admitted
that existing duties we're too high
and promised revision and lower
duties. AS stated in our last issue.
President Taft. in his campaign
speeches, re-afirmed the pledges Of
the Republican platform. The great