Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1911-09-01
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE.
BY CLYDE H. TAYENNER.
Washington, D. c.. August 20, 1911.

President Taft's veto of the wool bill
means there will be no reduction this win
ter in the price of woollen clothing of any
sort for men. women or children, nor in the
price of blankets nor any other forms of
woolen manufactures needed for warmth
by the general public.
And just so much as the public would
have saved in cheaper woollens, together
with the amount the farmers would have
saved in cheaper agricultural implements
had the President signed the free list bill,
will be transferred unjustly to the Golfers
Of the woollen trust and the harvester trust,
two star contributors to the Republican
campaign fund.
What is the Presidents defense for re-
fusing to permit reduction in the cost of
livingY Let us see /: First, he makes the
point that the wool bill was unconsdered,
when as matter of fact the ways and
means committee put in three months of
sincere investigation and study before the
bill was framed. which is twice the length
OF time given to the consideration of the
Payne-Aldric bill, and which document
the President signed readily enough.
Second, the President asks that the peo-
pie continue to pay exorbitant prices for
woollens until he hears from his tariff
board, which is packed with men who take
the hieh-protection viewpoint. and whose
chief agents and alleged impartial" in
yestigators abroad are writing back articles
for American newspapers ridiculing and
belittling the crying demand of the con-
sumers for tariff revision downward.
Mr.. Taft's message against cheaper WOOL
lens will 60 down as a document of mis-
representation, false pretense and excuses.
The real reason the President vetoed the
various tariff bills was not stated in any
of his messages; 1t was because he was
under obligations to the benefcares of
the Payne-Aldrich law to serve their inter-
ests instead of the public interest. Mr.. Taft
was elected President with campaign
fund contributed by special privilege Then,
having done this, the great tariff trusts
extended further aid (and placed Taft
further in their debt) by frightening their
employees into voting for Taft with the
threat their factories and mills would be
closed down unless he was elected. And,
just as he was the candidate of special
privilege, Mr.. Taft is revealed in his veto
message as also the President of special
privilege.
Thus it is shown again how protection
makes politics business proposition. The
trusts contribute campaign funds to the
party of the high-protection wall with the
intention of not only recovering from the
public the amount of such contributions in
excessive prices, but stupendOus dividends
as profits. Mr. Taft proved an exception
ally good investment for the tariff trusts.
LET Us ALONE.
The trust officials who appeared before
the various investigating committees of
Congress- this summer, including G. W.
Perkins, complained because the Democrats
were too active in inquiring into their
business methods Let us alone" is their
favorite wall whenever a move is made to
determine in what manner they are exact
ing tribute from the people. THE ten
dency to distrust big corporations" said
Mr.. Perkins. lis hurting business. Bust
ness desires to 60 ahead unmoested."
The ''let us alone" policy would suit the
trusts exactly. Having gobbled everything
in sight, naturally they resent interference.
With the tariff so high that they have a
monopoly on all the necessities of life, and
the antitrust law so interpreted that re-
straint Of trade is not restraint so long as
it is reasonable" they are safe from COM
petition and immune from prosecution.
Hence their desire to be let alone.
In the meantime. how about prices Ten
years ago pair of five pound woollen
blankets could be bought for $375; today
they cost IS. At that time the price of
five yards of serge cloth, fifty inches wide,
was $3.75; the price now is $6.25. Ten
years ago twenty yards of unbleached cot
ton could be bought for $l.20; today the
cost is $3.50. Five yards of all-wOol fan
mel could be purchased then for $2.75.
the price now is $6.25 Flour sold for
$3.50 less per barrel during the Civil
War than it does now.
THE RICHEST BABY"
JudsOn G. Welliver, one of the very few
Washington newspaper and magazine
writer's who write what they think. has an
article in Hampton's magazine this month
which is of especial interest, now that
President Taft has vetoed the cotton bill.
This article is an account Of how the cot
ton millionaires keep up their fat dividends
amounting in some instances to one
hundred per cent annually and at the
same time continue to plead for high tariff.
without which they contend they will starve
to death. Mr.. Welliver begins his article
with photograph Of one James Nicholas
Brown, age eleven, whose wealth is esti-
mated in the hundreds Of millions, every
cent of which was made out Of the highly
protected New England cotton manufac-
turing industry. In 1908. the panic year.
Mr.. Welliver writes. the cotton trust calmy
paid its usual fat dividends. True, its
already undergrad labor had to suffer sharp
reductions true the wearers OF its pro-
ducts had to pay increased prices. But
that was unimportant TO the cotton mil
lionaires. They would have their dividends.
and they got them. They had the power
to extort them. They could pay as low
wages and charge as high prices as they
chose. The tariff wall held them secure in
their domination, Senator Lippitt predicts
this country will be plunged into the worst
sort Of panic il the regular flow Of profits
into the Golfers Of the richest baby Of the
world is shut off,