Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1911-04-28
FREE LIST BILL TO
AID TIE CONSUMER
So the Majority Report to Con.
eTeSS Asserts

me majority report of the ways and
means committee on the proposed free
, list bill, submitted to the house By
Chairman Underwood, is q merger Of
Democratic political argument and an
analysis of the proposed duty sxsmp-
tions.
The report shows that the bill would
reduce the tariff revenue $10,016,ls5,
based on the importations for the last
fiscal year, an amount described as
"inconsiderable as compared with tAs
great saving and advantages to all
our people from the additions to the
free list provided for"
Quoting President Taft's recent Ca
madam reciprocity speeches, the re-
port seeks to convey the impression
that the administration Is convinced
that protective tariff rates are too
high.
The reciprocity agreement, the COM
mittce asserts, cannot afford the Amer
lean people all the needed relief from
high prices.
The report takes up in detail the
classified list of articles included In
the free list bill. Regarding agricul-
tural implements 1t says their manu-
facture is controlled by trusts and
combinations that have sold in for
eign countries at lower prices than at
home, building up their foreign trade
from s3,S95,1S4 in 1900 to $2S,124.e3
in 1910.
Bagging and baling materials, essen
tial in the transportation Of agr1cul-
tural products, the report says, can
not receive benefits of protection in
home markets and duties on them
"have annoyed and burdened the far
mers to add to the profits of exacting
trusts and combinations"
Concerning hoops, ties and bands Of
iron and steel, barbed wire for fencing.
ETC., the report says that the high du-
ties make the people dependent upon
the giant steel industry which for
years has sold products abroad lower
than to the domestic consumers" and
declares that placing them on the free
list will be "a long delayed measure
of equality and Justice"
The placing on the free list Of all
forms of leather from cattle hides and
skins, together with boots, shoes, har-
ness, saddlery, etc., the committee ar
CUES, will be Of advantage in manufac-
turing and necessarily of benefit to az
ricultural producers as well as to all
the people.
The "beef trust" is assailed in dis
cussion of the free listing of fresh
meats and meat products. "The ex-
listing duties on meats and meat prod
| ucts," 1t is asserted, "are for the ad-
! vantage of this combination enly"-a
combination that Controls the mar
kets both in buying and selling, and
the result is a substantial addition to
the high cost of living from which
the people suffer"
Removal of duties on these products,
1t is argued, will place the farmers In
a free market as to food stuffs and
food products. For the reason that the
public desire "that no artificial shell
ter shall be maintained to protect alb
normally high prices on food articles
in any FORM" the bill also seeks ex-
emption from duty on wheat, flour,
semolina, rye floor, buckwheat flour
cornmeal and all prepared cereal
foods, biscuits, bread, and similar ar.
ticles not sweetened.
In discussing free lumber placed In
the bill, hardwood exempted, the re-
port maintains that the ownership of
timber in this country has become
practically a monopoly and has passed
for the most part into the hands of
great corporations and interests which
are specializing on the increasing
scarcity.
this sketch into play of the same H.
tie and toured the country with 1t for
a number of years Retaining the cen
trail character, Josh Whitcomb, he re-
| modelled this play into "The Old Home
stead" which was produced the FIRST
time in New York, Jan. 10, 1887, and
attained success Immediately. Mr..
| Thompson acted almost exclusively in
"The Old Homestead" for the rest OF
| his stage career.