The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1911-04-22
REVENUES GUT
S|0,0|6,495
is lNcONsIDERABLE, COMPARED
WITH SAVING TO PEOPLE,
SAYS MAJORITY REPORT.
ON THE FARMERS FREE LIST BILL
Taft's Speeches Quoted to Show Ad.
ministration Considers Rates
Too High-Beef Trust
Raped.

Washington April 2O.--The majority
| report of the ways and means commit
| tee on the so-called farmers free list
| bill. submitted to the house by Chair.
, man Underwood, Is a merger Of Dem.
ocratic political argument and an an
alysis OF the proposed duty eXcmp.
lions. The report shows that the bill
would reduce the tariff revenue Sl0,-
016,495. based on the Expectations for
the last fiscal year. an amount de.
scribed as "inconsiderable in COM
parison with tho great saving and ad-
vantages to all of our people from the
additions to the freel list provided
for"
Protective Theory Broken Down.
Referring to the presidents state
ment that the Republican party had
modified it's tariff policy so as to limit
1t for purposes of protection to the
difference In cost of production here
and abroad with a reasonable profit to
the American producer, the commit
tee report says:
This is a confession, as was the Re
publican platform of 1908, that the
theory of high protective duties, as
put forth by the Republican party, has
broken down, that combinations and
trusts which prey upon the people
have been fostered by the tariff and
that under high tariff protection Amer
+! lean manufactures have forced I'M
reasonable profits from the people"
| Again the report declares:
"The Canadian reciprocity agree
ment now before the house is rec
Ognition on the part Of the administers
ton of the injurious effects of the cx-
long been imposed upon the country
and is an effort to mitigate it's effects"
Canadian Agreement Not Enough.
The reciprocity agreement. the com
nittee asserts, cannot afford the
American people all the needed re-
lief from high prices.
action on the agreement involves
! the necessity of further and immediate
action in removing a number OF duties
on imports from other countries in Or
der that Justice may he done to tho
great army of agricultural producers
wins, in the Canadian agreement, are
to have all the alleged protection re-
moved from their products without a
corresponding or reciprocal removal Of
the protective duties most burdensome
on the commodities they must pur-
chase as necessary to sustain their
| lives and industries"
The report takes up in detail the
classified list of articles included in
the free list bill. Regarding ngricul-
tural implements, 1t says their manu-
f%Gtllre is controlled by trusts and
combinations that have sold in for
eign countries at lower prices than
at home, building up their own foreign
trade from $3,S59,1S4 in 1890 to SIS.
1914 ,033 in 1910.
| Beef Trust Assaulted.
The Beef Trust is nssailcd in discus
sion Of the free listing Of fresh meats
and meat producers 1.-THE existing
duties on meats and meats products"
! il is asserted, are for the ADVANTAGE
Of this combination only" combina-
! ton that controls the markets both
in buying and selling, and the result
is a substantial addition to the high
cost Of living from which the pcople
| suffer"
| Removal Of duties on these products,
II is argued, will place the farmers in
q free market as to foodstuffs and food
products. For the reason that the
public desire that no artificial shelter
shall be maintained to protect alb
normally high prices on food articles
in any FORM the bill also seeks ex-
clnption from duty Of wheat flour,
scmolna, rye -four, buckwhcat flour,
corn meal and all prepared cereal
foods, biscuits, bread and similar ar.
ticles not sWeetened.
In discussing free lumber placed in
the bill, hardware excepted, the report
maintains that the ownership In this
country has become practically q
monopoly and has passed for the most
part into the hands of great corpora
f, tionS and interests which are speculat.
ing on the increasing scarcity. Presi.
dent Talf Is again referred to, the re-.
| port quoting from his speech of Feb.
| 26, 1911, in which he said:
"Ry giving our own people access
to Canadian forests we shall reduce
the consumption Of our own, which in
the hands Of a comparatively few own
i ers now have a value that requires the
enlargement Of our available tim
! her resources"
LINT Acted utAiEc