Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1911-08-31
VITAL WASHINGTON NEWS.

1 Dill means tnere Will De no ISIuctlOu
I this winter in the price of wooden
clothing of any sort for men, women
and children, nor in the prices Of
blankets, nor any other forms of
wooden manufactures needed for
warmth by the general public.
And just so much as the public
would have saved in cheaper woolens
together with the amount the farm
ers would have saved in cheaper ag-
ricultural implements had the presi-
dent signed the free list bill, will be
transferred unjustly to the Golfers of
the wooden trust and the harvester
trust, two star contributors to the
Republican campaign fund.
What is the Presidents defense for
refusing to permit a reduction in the
cost of living? Let us see: First, he
makes the point the wool bill was
unconsidered, when as matter of
lfact the ways and means committee
put in three months of sincere W.
vestigation and study before the bill
was framed, which is twice the length
of time given to the consideration OF.
the Payne-Aldrich bill, and which do
lcument the president signed readily
enough.
Second, the president asks that the
people continue to pay exorbitant
prices for woolens until he hears from
his tariff board, which is packed
ton viewpoint, and whose chief
agents and alleged impartial in
Ivestigators abroad are writing back
articles for American newspapers
ridieuling and belittling the crying
demand of the consumers for tariff
revision downward
Mr.. Taft's message against cheaper
woolens will go down as document
of Misrepresentation false pretense
and excuses. The real reason the
president vetoed the various tariff
bills was not stated in any of his mes
sages. 1t was because he was under
obligations to the beneficiaries of the
Payne-Aldrich law to serve their in
terests instead of the public interest.
| Mr.. Taft was elected president with
a campaign fund contributed by spec
| ial privileges. Then, having done
this the great tariff trusts extended
| further aid (and placed Taft further
| in their debit 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 can
didate of special privilege, Mr. Taft
| is revealed in his veto message as also
the president of special privilege.
Thus it is shown again how pro-
lection makes politics a business
proposition The trusts contribute
campaign funds to the party of the
| high protection wall with the inten-
tion of not only recovering from the
public the amout of such contribu-
] lions in excessive prices, but stu
pendous dividends as profits. Mr..
Taft proved an exceptionally good in
yestment for the tariff trusts.
'Let Us Alone.
The trust officials who appeared be-
fore the various Investigating COM
mittees of Congress this summer, in
Guiding G. W. Perkins, complained
because the Democrats were too ac-
tive in inquiring into their business
methods. Let us alone is their
|
made to determine in what manner
they are exacting tribute from the
people. 'The tendency to distrust big
corporations" said Mr.. Perkins, lis
hurting business. Business. desires to
go ahead unmolested
| The "let us alone" policy would
suit the trusts exactly Having COB
bled everything in sight, naturally
they resent interference. With the
tariff so high that they have mo-
nopoly on all the necessities of life,
and the antitrust law so interpreted
that restraint of trade is not restraint
are safe from competition, and i'm
mune from prosecution. Hence their
desire to be let alone.
In the meantime, how about prices
Ten years, ago pair of five pound
wooden blankets could be bought for
1918; today they cost S.. At that
time the price of five yards of serve
cloth, fifty inches wide was So Is; the
price now is $6.25. Ten years ago
| twenty yards of unbleached cotton
cloth could be bought for $1.20: today
| ttkC NOot 10 PI.AO. L 1NCss al Q0 vi OH
wool flannel could be purchased then
flor $2.75; the price now is 1925.
Flour sold for $3.50 less per barrel
during the civil war than it does now.
"The Richest Baby"
Judson c. Welliver, one of the very
flew Washington newspaper and mag
azine writer's who write what they
think, has an article in Hamptonis
magazine this month which is of es-
pecial interest, now that President
Taft has vetoed the cotton bill. This
Particle is an account of how the cot
ton millionaires keep up their fat
dividends amounting in some in
stances to one hundred per cent. an
nually-and at the same time continue
to plead for high tariff, without which
lthey contend they will starve to death
Mr.. Welliver begins his article with
Ia photograph of one James Nicholas