The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-02-07
TARIFF ISN'T
GUILTY ALONE,
SAYS BERGER
Socialist Congressman Dis
cusses Reasons for High
Cost Of Living
Industries Lag Because
WorlSmen Now Have
Money for Their Necessi-
ties Only.
Especial from United Press.

Milwaukee, Feb. THE position o1
the Socialist party on the tariff ques-
ton and his own personal views as
to the causes for the present high
cost of living. are given in the follow
ing statement prepared for United
Press by Victor L. Berger. the first
Socialist elected to Congress.
Copyright, 1911, by the United Press
Ry. Victor L. Berger. Congressman
elect from the 9Th Wisconsin
District)
The Socialists are surely not friends
of the "high tariff" We consider IL
an invention of the capitalist devil
Mammon. And we know 1T is bene-
fitting the manufacturer onlyEthat il
is not protecting the workingmen In
any wav.
the tariff for the high price of the
cost of living in general. including
meat and agricultural products.
The tariff Is a factor in the high
prices but 1t Is only one factor.
Only a short time ago dispatch
reported that around Boston there are
about $4,000 textile workers out of
pany-the wool trust-which controls
thirty big factories in New England
and usually employs $4,000 hands. has
stopped about 40 per cent of It's ma
clinery; Other woolen factories
which do not belong to the trust en-
Conditions are very much the same
in the cotton factories of the South
and Pennsylvania and New Jersey
, The reason for this is that the peo-
pie must spend so much for bread and
meat that they have no money for
factory products.
There is also comparatively little
fight now left in the workfngmen.
The economic movement, last summer.
was very languid. Strikes for higher
wages were tried only in a few cases
and in most cases workmen had lit.
tie chance for winning them. Or
course. the railroad companies made
some advances to their men. This
was with the expectation that the
public in general would have to repay
double through higher freight rates.
In fact. the railroad unions went into
petitioned the Interstate Commerce
Commission.
But the railroads got left because
the ruling party-the Republican par
ty-looked upon the high prices as a
very dangerous enemy at the Congress
why President Taft interceded with
the railroad presidents. He told them
If they persisted in raising freight
rates there would be strong ten
dency toward naturalization Of the
railroads. This might lead to great
at least to what Taft understands as
Socialism. The railroad presidents
saw the point and postponed their de-
mand until after election.
Otherwise. the labor movement in
this country. last summer. simply
Mt f4I iv. xrif
cipitated by the mine owners who
wanted to reduce their surplus-and in
small strikes in the building trades
here and there. And. in most cities.
there has been an overproduction Of
houses during the last two years. AS
usual. capital went into building. be-
cause 1t could find no more profitable
business elsewhere. This meant a
depression Of prices.
Therefore. it would be nonsensical
If the Democrats of the country should
try to put all the sins Of the capitalist
tariff issue their only war cry and
sole issue.
A good many Of the articles used
under a high tariff have not gone up
in price during the last 10 years to
any considerable extent. as. for in
stance, cotton goods. clothing and
furniture. But articles which we ex-
port and are not befogged by the tar
iff. like flour. meat. butter and eggs,
have gone up tremendously.
The only way this rise of prices Of
foodstuffs could be checked would be
by putting a tax on everything that
is exported as was done in olden
times. But. of course our farmers
would not stand for that.
In some respects. we have to suffer
for the sins of wasteful capitalism
during the last thirty years. This
is surely the case with the lumber
industry. In other instances we have
to suffer from the fac THAT our farm
ers still proceed with the old methods
and that they produce less foedstuffs
per acre than the farmers of England.
Germany or France.
There is still another reason pecu-
liar to this country. Farmers asso-
Citations and associations of agricultur-
lists have voluntarily agreed to limit
the output. This is the case with
cotton, tobacco and wool Such as
socfations may not be trusts de facto
because these industries have not been
nal tya =