The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-09-13
WILSON TAKES BEEF
AS HIS TARIFF TEXT
It's Meat That Makes the Blood
Red and the Work Easier.
He Tells Farmers.
PRICE LOWER IN LONDON
Visits state Fair With Gov. Dix.
McAdoo. Senator O'Gorman
and Cavalry.

COIHDuulcu Oy WV plN. IbiCut'-ooNs
Conway. Senator o German, acting Demo-
cratic National Chairman McAdoo. State
Fair Commissioner George ". Driscoll
and others, escorted by Troop d, was
iubilantly applauded as he entered the
fair grounds to-day. There was an
audience OF 5000.
Mr.. Conway opened with brief address.
Gov. Dix followed and spoke OF the edu-
cational purposes Of the fair. Gov. Will
sons address was devoted almost entirely
to the tariff IL was an address pecu-
liarly adapted to suit an audience largely
made up OF agriculturists. Gov Wilson
said in part:
when the question of high prices is
pressed home upon the men in this, that
and the other manufacturing industries
they reply, Prices have risen ali over the
world" Yes. they have. hut nowhere
have they risen 40 fast or so high as in the
United States. That Is the answer to that.
They say they have risen all over the world.
Yes. they have. and they have risen faster
and higher In high tariT countries than in
low tarf countries. There again intel
lectusl gifts stand in the way OF the asser-
tion. because we don't have to have very
much brains TO read statistics. and siatis-
that the United States la burdened with the
cost OF living as no other country IN the
world is and there must be something special
In the | nitcd States which makes that true.
In order to get at what is the special
thing let us take a particular example.
Take the price OF meat and the price OF meat
is AT the heart of the business, because n
is meat that makes the blood red, meat
that builds the muscle. It's meat that
makes the work easier And II man can't
AFFORD to buy meat he can't afford to exert
his energy az he might AFFORD to exert it
II he could eat meat. Very we'll then. the
price OF meat has gone up In the United
States 80 and 40 per cent. within ten years
and the price Of American meat has not
zone up n fraction Of pound fraction
of u cent a pound. in the London markets.
American meat is selling cheaper in England
by 80 or 20 per cent than IL ts selling in the
United States and when gentlemen who are
engaged in this monopoly tell me that u is
because Of the circumstances OF local sup
ply and demand | ask them how It. is that
local supply and demand. how is it that
economic laws change when you put the
product on salt water and send it across.
What Is the effect OF salt water on economic
processes? There are great many chem
lists here would like them to take that
question UP.
Why /, meat can't he sold cheaper in this
country can the same meat be sold cheaper
1000 miles away from this country after
paying the ocean freights and after paying
all the other expenses that are incident to
the killing and preparation OF meat that is
sold in our own markets? Why you know
the reason perfectly well. gentlemen. Tho
reason ia this: gentlemen who are afraid
of intellectual processes tell you that high
prices are not due to the tariff. And it is
true that the tariff did not al one time make
prices very much higher in the United
States. and III tell you why. Because the
United States Is an immense area within
which there are no tarih duties as between
one part and another. and while there was
active energetic domestic competition prices
were kept down. And the argument for
protection when there Is domestic compet-
ton is very different argument from the
argument for protection when there lie not
domestic competition.
This wall of the tariff enabled certain
gentlemen to get behind /, and to say:
Now We are all OF va together secure against
foreign competition. Why cut one ano;hers
throats; Why not get together" and alas
they did get together. and they determined
tho price OF meat even without running the
danger of coming into collision with some
Of the provisions Of the law. for can say to
YOU. now, we are In the same business. ~
would be a little dangerous IL we made a
legal combination OF our two businesses
lawyers combination, II wouldn't be legal
therefore we won't combine. but we will
appoint n third person who will write us
polite note about every two weeks suggest
ing that the price of our product should he
thu. and so. and we will agree as gentle
men to 60 without any writing in the matter,
then we will take the suggestions.
That ia what the meat men did. am
not lima ginning this II came ont in the trial
OF the meat packers. There was circular
letter which in the politest terms suggested
the appropriate prices for the various kinds
of meat and with a gcntility quite unsur-
passed in the history of business etiquette
the suggestion was always accepted. What
law can prevent yonr accepting suRges.
ton? But suppose that il Won do accept the
suggestion to buy meat from the Argentine
most meat from South Americs. the same
meat with which you are competing in tho
London markets and in the other English
markets will come in and undersell YOU.
Then you will see. after all. II would be
little awkward to accept that suggestion.
Tell me that. high prices are not due TO
the tariff The tarin gave these men the
chance to do the thing which has produced
the high prices. But I beg your pardon,
am indulging in an intellectual process,
Now the case of meat Is not case by
itself IL is just sample taken out OF list
40 long that II includes practically all the
OF life. particularly something
that il il very common to allude. to ] mean
that famous Schedule X, which includes the
woo,len tarifi. | met a man the other day
who took my breath away. He said: Gov
ernor. you are dead right and ] am going
to support you: and I have got something
to tell you: I am a woollen manufacturer
and I am interested In Schedule X" Well.
| said Il have found n man then" said !:
"You know that il is wrong, don't you?"
He said: Il do know that II IL wrong and
IL should he changed" And one of the
bright signs OF our times. gentlemen, is
the number Of men OF high integrity and
Intelligence who arc beginning to see tina,
they themselves have been profiting by
things that were wrong and who no longer
desire 10 profit by them.
This is not nation OF dishonest business
men. This is nation of honest people.
and the business men OF this country have.
half OF them. been doing things that they
did not realize the effects OF. And after
they realize them they are Just as ready TO
correct them as you and | are. Otherwl lss
should fear that there was no bright pros
pcct Of reform ahead OF US.
Very well. then, why have these high
d,, ios haep mn INF ainel and thOsa onportu-