The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1912-08-01
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Special Washington Correspond
ent of The Times.

/ BY ClVde II. Tavenner.
| Washington, July %. - Face Il
face with the realization that Demo
cratic administration is coming int
control of the government, and know
ing that this will mean an end to tn,
tariff protective privilege un de
which they have plundered the PEG
pie for nearly a score of years, thu
tariff trusts are going to raise thu
prices again this fall. They are 60
| ing to take one final gouge into the
pockets of the people before they are
pushed away from the troughs Of
special privilege at which they have
grown fat.
The leather trust, which is owned,
for the most part, by the beef barons,
has announced that the price of leath-
er is to be increased 20 per cent.
This increase is attributed to the
great demand of the automobile man.
ufacturers for leather. This demand
is no greater now than it has been for
the last three or four years, and those
who are familiar with trade condi-
tons say the trusts excuse is only a
subterfuge. The increase will mean
another boost in the price of shoes,
which in turn will mean that hum
dreds of thousands, especially wom-
en- and children, who are unable to
pay more than they are now paying,
will have to use cheaper grade of
shoes.
The cloth manufacturers-which
means the wooden trust-also have
announced an increase in prices for
fall and winter deliveries. The price
of wooden cloth, it is announced, is to
go up all the way from to 15c a
yard. This increase is made neces-
sary, the trust managers say, by the
increased cost of labor, and by alleg-
ing shortage of wool, not only in
this, but in other Wool-producing
countries as we'll.
1t will be recalled that Immediately
after the Lawrence, Mass, strike last
winter the wool trust boosted the
prices of its products to meet the
slight increase granted the workers.
The mill men and women who had
been working for S., Sc and 81
week were given a per cent in
crease, which meant only few addi-
tional cents to them, and to meet this
increase the wool trust raised prices ]
Is per cent, which was sufficient to
meet the labor increases and to pay
for all the losses brought about by the
strike. By sticking on this increase ,
the trusts dividends were not inter- 7
fered with, and when the stock hold :,
ers came to clip their coupons they :,
found that as far as profits were con- +,
,erned there might just as we'll have :,
been no strike. r
Both Of these announced increases =
ire purely arbitrary. There isn't the r
slightest necessity. to increase the n
prices Of leather or clothing, and the =,
,nly excuse for either is the inordi- -.
freed of the trust owners. These "
men know that after next year they :,
will have to climb down from their =.
high perch, from where they have :, N
'een directing their wholesale rob- A
'ery of the people, and for that rea- I,
on they are preparing to get the last .
lollar possible for themselves before n
heir special privilege graft comes to
n end.
They're All Doing It Now. NJ
The trusts have found out that n,
othing pays so we'll as "dissolu- II
on." Following the decree of the
upreme court, which ordered the III
tandard Oil trust to dissolve, the At
alue of that corporations stock rose
apidly. The court decree, without K
hanging the trust except in a matter
administration, amounted practi- ~
ally to governmental guarantee to or
iolate the laws. After the decree f.
'as issued the trust owners discov- III
red that the monopoly stood in no III
lrther danger of prosecution, and as hf
lis always has been the great menace III
} the trust, it was a great boon to
ave it removed. Accordingly the mr.
alue of the shares went skyward. W
Eighteen Injured in Missouri ~ -