The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-10-17
TAFT M|SUSED
VETO POWER
REPRESENTATIVE UNDERWOOD
ATTACKS THE ACTION ON The
wool BILL.
GIVES SOME FIGURES ON WOOL
An Assumption That Congress Was
incapable When the President Wait
ed for the Board, the Democratic
Leader Asserts.

Chicago, Oct. 16.-The people OF the
United States pay q subsidy to the
wool industry of at least S1O4 100000
a year according to calculations OF
Oscar w. Underwood OF Alabama, the
chairman Of the ways and means COM
mittee of the house of representa-
tives. who discussed Schedule * be-
fore the Industrial Club of Chicago
here tonight. Mr.. Underwood said the
wool tariff was indefensible and crit
icised President Taft for his veto
of the wool bill
After relating the history OF the
tariff on wool, which he said had
been recommended in 1867 after P
meeting of the wool growers of the
west and the wool manufacturers
of the east, Mr.. Underwood under
took 10 show the actual tax imposed
on the individual through the tariff.
Some Figures on Wool.
An illustration of the extent or
the burden Is afforded by a study OF
typical article of comparatively
cheap cloth such as enters into the
ordinary mems suits worn by the
great masses of the people he said.
THE article Isl an all worsted fancy
h.
per yard of which is seventy.seven
cents and the freight to New York
one cent.
THE compensatory duty is forty
four cents pound, or twenty-three
cents a yard: the ad valorem duty
80 per cent or thirty.eight cents &.
ward in addition, or IS per cent OF
the import price. 1t requires three
and one-half yards to make man
suit. There are at present 81 mil
lion persons in the United States.
II Is estimated one-fifth are men.
That makes 1S,4OO,OO0 such suits used
each year. There doubtless are an
eoual number OF women wearing wool
ems, making total Of 36,S00,OO0 suits.
the equivalent of 2S,$00,000 yards OF
such cloth, which, with the children
suits. makes a total figured at the
small estimate of one suit year
would total some Ill 100000 yards.
Unfair TO the Masses.
THE tariff tax of six cents \ yard.
to say nothing of any increase IN
tax as II passes to the jobber, makes
not less than $l04,400,000 paid each
year to subsidi2e the wool industry
of America. On the other hand, the
entire duties paid the United States
on all imports of woolens and worst
eds in 1916 amounted to total OF
less than l51k million dollars for the
use of the government and more than
100 million dollars subtracted from
the pockets Of the people.
Is it fair or just or right 20 main
tain these enormous taxes unduly to
foster the business of less than one
fourth of per cent of the people
and to require 90 81 per cent to
stagger under this enormous bur-
den do not believe the American
people will Justify the president i'll
is veto hof the wool schedule. He does
not say the rates of duty fixed in
the bill presented to him were 100
high or too low, but says that con-
gress was not informed and that
they must await the decision OF the
so-called tariff board. The congress
had ali the information it had when
il passed the revision Of the tariff
schedule that the ways and means
committee had when it drafted the
Payne bill. which the president signed.
Tariff Board Has Different Idea.
The chairman of The tariff board
does not seem to agree with the
president as to the ability Of thar
board to get facts that will aid con-