The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1912-01-18
WASHINGTON LETTER
BY Clyde H. TAVENER.

Washington correspondence OF The Times. !
Washington, Jan. To- President
Taft has just taken an action that Is
worth hundreds of thousands of dol
lars annually TO the paper trust, by
refusing to remove the tax from
print paper and wood pulp.
| When the Recipi ncity bill was
passed provision was tackled to it
| providing for the free admission of
print paper and wood pulp from Can.
ada. This provision became law
whether The reciprocity act was
| agreed to by Canada or not. There.
fore, although reciprocity failed,
print paper and wood pulp are now
admitted free from Canada.
Five nations which ship paper To
American-Sweden, Norway, Den.
mark, Germany and Austria-Hun-
gary-immediately demanded Of the
United States the right to also ship
print paper and wood pulp to this
country free OF duty.
1--WE have treaties with YOU" de
clared these countries 10 the United
states, "in which you agree to ex-
tend to us the same concessions you
extend to the most favored nations.
and wood pulp into your country
free of duty the same as Canada"
Obviously, this argument is IMAM
sWerahle
However, the President has an
nounced, through the treasury de-
partment, that tax will he collect
ed as heretofore on all print paper
imported from any other country
a A 4 N N OBI fnhA prapiA., ,.I,
the European nations to appeal to
the Customs Court Of Appeals,
which, il is declared. is only a sub
terfuge. President Taft has de-
clarcd he is willing To cunceic the
Justice of demands for cheaper pa
per, but when the opportunity offers,
his acts refute his words, and show
that he Is willing to violate treaties
with five friendly nations rather
than To give even slight cOnCes-
sion to freer trade.
The tariff on print paper is to all
practical ends tax on intelligence,
because in this day and age the great
mass of the people receive their edu-
cation on public questions through
the newspapers. With print paper
practically controlled by a trust, the
DlItt HAS bttil bObNl-
ed, so as TO work a hardship on the
prosperous publishers, and to make
| print paper nigh on to prohibitive to
many of the small, country publish
ers whose earnings are not any too
great ut best.
Meanwhile there is pending a bill
introduced by Senator Hepburn,
which proposes to repeal the Cana
"a. ~ L s.,aw
| rejected by Canada, the law is dead
without being repealed. But If the
act is repealed, the live added sec
! ton providing for free print paper
would also be repealed, and the old
tax on Canadian paper would be re-
I stored.
Since the tax on Canadian paper
and pulp has been repealed, 81 indie
/ pendent paper companies, represent
| ing IA capitalization Of cEhty-thrce
million dollars, have started mp in
, opposition to the trust. Already
Their" have been some reductions IN
prices, and this explains the reason
af the Joker in the "H"yburu repeal
er.
''our Territory" ErRS
! One of the Chicago packers. IN
| the trial now going on at Chicago,
complains that swift infringed on
our territory" The disputed sec.
| ton was in New York and Vermont,
and the question naturally arises:
| How did that territory, or any other
territory, come to he the exclusive
| property nf Swift o. anybody else?
The answer is simple: Because
! Swift and the other packers, after
driving the butchers in the local
/ communities in New York and Yer
mont out Of business. by undersell-
ing them, divided up the territory
thus seized, and when it was appor-
| toned to Swift u Co, that concern
regarded IL as their own. or course,
1t was theirs! Having stified all
competition, both from within aud
! from without, they were left free To
advance the prices Of meat to suit
| the amount Of dividends desired,
and to call the territory, and the
consumers If meat therein, "thcir
own. -