Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1912-09-26
STORY OF COTTON
IS A THRILLER
A Narrative That Concerns the
Welfare Of millions.
SHOWS EVILS OF PROTECTION,

Expert of the Tariff Board, Shows
That the American People Arc
MuIcted Of $ss. 100000 a Year.
New York. Aug. Did you ever
hear the story Of cotton?
1t is as thrilling as a narrative of
adventure. 1t is as interesting as a
notwithstanding particularly because
1t concerns the welfare Of millions Of
people who wear cotton goods. 1t is
interesting because it is the dress Of
the poor. the universal substitute for
wool and silk. 1t is interesting, fur
thermore, because it is true.
The story Of cotton is the story of a
protective tariff for the benefit of rich
manufacturers at the expense Of the
whole people who wear cotton goods.
It has been reasonably calculated
that because the cotton tariff is fixed
by the Payne-Aldrich law the Ameri-
can people are paying $8S,0oo,000 moro
every year thar they should pay for
their cotton goods and that a saving
OF this amount could be accomplished
by a reasonable reduction in the pres
ent duties.
The story Of cotton is told by an ex-
pert. Robert Kenneth MacLea, consult
ing expert of the tariff board, in a Sc
ries of articles published in the New
York World. Mr.. MacLea's views are
the views of a lifelong Republican, a
friend of the protective policy of the
Republican party, but at the same time
an opponent of tariff graft and favor
itism. To this work Mr.. MacLea has
brought a varied experience, covering
more than twenty years, in the man
ufacture and marketing Of textiles.
He first distinguished himself as an
advocate of honest tariff legislation by
finding the "jokers'' Of the Payne-Al-
drich act, when the agents of a few
New England mills were permitted to.
write their own rates to suit them
selves. He was chairman of the tar
iff committee Of the New York Dry
Goods Merchants association and in
that capacity conducted a campaign
which attracted the attention Of the
newly created tariff board. To accept
the position Of consulting expert to the
board he gave up the management Of
the domestic business of the New York
firms Of R. B. MacLea & Co. and Con-
verse & Co.
The story Of cotton is a companion
piece to the story Of Schedule K-the
wooden schedule-declared by Presi-
dent Taft to be infamous and indefen-
sible.
The findings of the tariff board with
regard to the wooden schedule were n
alyzed by Chairman Underwood Of the
ways and means committee and con-
demned as inaccurate, incomplete and
worthless as an aid to legislation.
When the tariff boards findings on
the cotton schedule we're made public
the World decided to make its own
Investigation concerning 1t, and Mr..
MacLea was selected for that purpose.
The World had the findings Of the
board on manufacturers of COTTON dis
sected from the practical point OF view
OF business. analysed in their relation
to the interest of the consumer and
the facts translated into the language
of the everyday man and woman
One hundred cloth samples purchased
In representative domestic markets
were made the basis of the tariff
boards findings on the cost of cotton
cloth produced in this country. Mr..
MacLea used the same cloth samples
as concrete illustrations Of the work
ings Of the tariff and from these ex-
posed the very generally perpetrated
fraud Of selling American made goods
as imported" and showed why the
excessive tariff permits and fosters
this imposition.
Recognizing that the tariff would be
q vital issue Of the campaign and that
controversy would center about Presi-
dent Taft's "nonpartisan" tariff board
and its work. the World undertook the
investigation Of cotton and sought an
swers to the following questions:
Has the work Of the tariff board JUS
tilted the delay in reducing the taritss
and giving relief from the high cost
of living?
What have the people gained in the
three years under the Payne-AIdrich
tariff IN RETURN FOR MORE THAN
$5,o00,000,00 0 TAXED OUT OF THEIR
POCKETS AND INTO THE Pock-
ETS OF PROTECTED PRIVILEGE?
How honestly, impartiaIIy and thor
oughIy did tho "nonpartisan" tariff
board undertake it's task?
Several months before the cotton re-
port was completed Mr.. MacLea de-
clares that he discovered sinister in
fuences in the tariff boards working
to eliminate findings most damaging
to the favored few in the cotton mill
industry. Such suppressed information
as Mr.. MacLea considers to be Of vital
Importance to the cotton industry and
the public has been presented in the
World. He has also explained what
the mass of figures Of the cotton report
signifies and presented some of the
most important Of the conclusions to
be drawn from that report, q work
which the board saw fit not to attempt.
The story Of cotton, as written by
Mr.. MacLea and published in the
World from time to time. forms one
- Ill.,