Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1911-07-13
SOME TARIFF FACTS.

| ITf '---O------
/ From figures furnished by the CEN
sus of 1900 able statisticians like John
Graham Brooke and Charles B. Spahr
were able to show that by far the
greater part of all property in the
United States had passed into the
possession of about nine per cent of
the population. The census of 1910
will undoubtedly show continuance
of this tendency toward concentra-
ton. Yet the federal government
raises its revenues in such a way
that the nine per cent who own most
of the wealth need pay but nine per
cent of the taxes, if indeed they pay
that much; while the 81 per cent who
own the smaller share of the prop
erty pay at least 81 per cent of the 1
| federal revenue. Tariffs and internal
revenue taxs are taxes on coDsump-
| ton and it is impossible to raise reve-
nue. by such means without distribute
ing them in this ineQuitable manner.
| If fedora leVrenues would be raised
| through some form of direct taxation,
even if it were as unjust and inquitous
form as that through which most
taste and local revenue is raised, the
owners of the larger share of the
! property would pay far more equit-
: able share of the taxes than they now
+ do and the owners of the balance
/ would be relieved of part at least of
| the unjust share of the burden they
are now forced to bear. Does not this
show who really gets protection from
the tariff?
Congressman William G. Redfeld.
of Brooklyn, is a manufacturer of
machinery. His business experience
/ has made him familiar with the way
American products are sold abroad.
i In addition to this he has recently
taken trip around the world on
| which he took pains to gather infor-
nation. He has found that on the
railways of Japan are 720 American
| locomotives. He told how represent
tative Of American manufacturers
called on the head of the Japanese
Imperial Railways and was told:
eve can make locomotives much
cheaper than you can in America.
| We have American equipment and we
can produce them for less than you
can" "Can you?"1 answered the
| American, eff so let us get at the
facts. Hyou will tell me from your
cost sheets precisely what your loco
~otives cost, will tell you what ours
cost. And by. the way, what makes
| you think your locomotives cost less
than ours?" why" answered the
| Japanese, because we only pay one
fifth of the wages to our men that you
pay to yours"
/ So they got the cost books and they
found that the fact was that the labor
cost for locomotives on the same
specifications was three and one half
| times greater in the Japanese shops
than in the American shops.
What becomes of the yellow peril?'
1 Mr.. Redfield told about an expert
ence of one of his agents in Calcutta,
India. do you see these Shoes" said
his agent to him. Il paid $685. for
Istuese Shoes" why, that is an Ameri-
can SHOE" said Mr.. Redfeld, eyes"
answered the agent, thought it here.
1t is the regular American $500 shoe.
/ wore them to New York and went
into the store on Broadway where
they are sold and asked what the
price was there, and was told it. was
their regular $5.0O shoe.
Yet American shoe manufacturers
continue to cry for protection.
/ There is at least one organ OF stand
pat protectionism that is willing to
admit that protection robs the con-
sumner. That organ is the Ohio State
Journal of Columbus. In a recent is
sue it says:
i Heretofore the accepted theory has
been that rates of duty. so high as
practically to prohibit imports not
only serve to cut off all revenue but
Eexpose the consuming public to the
4 extortion Of private protected inter-
eSts."
| That is certainly one of the long
ago proven theories on which opposi-
ton to the protective tariff is based.
It is anew thing to see its correctness
| so frankly admitted by so staunch
Il standpat advocate Perhaps it did
/ not realize the full significance Of its
admission.
The object Of protective tariff is
primarily to shut off competition from
4 abroad Even if it is not altogether
prohibitiye it nevertheless exposes
the consuming public to the extortion
of private protected interests" to the
extent Inat IL is leFlea. a t6n PEI CenL
/ tariff will expose the consuming pub
lie to ten per cent extortion. a, hum
dred per cent tariff to hundred per
4 cent extortion and a prohibitiye tariff
: to whatever extortion the tariff will
Il bear.
The Cincinnati Times-Star "Broth-
Il er Charley's. organ, reproduced the
state Journals admission without any
i expression of dissent Is it possible
4 that the oft repeated denial Of the
robbery Of consumers through the
8 tariff is getting to be too heavy bur-
den on the conscience OF some stand
Il {E<s1n .