The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1912-09-06
COTTON
A THRILLER

| Expert OF the arm boaTaI ShoWs
That the American People Are
Muletsd Of sss,ooo,Ooo a Year.
New York. Aug. Did you ever
hear the story Of cotton?
1t Is as thrilling as n narrative of
adventure IL is as interesting as a
notwithstanding particularly because
1t concerns the welfare of millions of
people who wear cotton goods. It is
interesting because 1t is the dress of
the poor, the universal substitute for
wool and silk, 1t is interesting, fur
thermore, because II is true.
The story OF cotton is the story Of a
protective tariff for the benefit of rich
manufacturers Mt the expense OF the
whole people who wear cotton goods.
II has been reasonably calculated
that because the cotton tariff is fixed
by the Payne -Aldreh law the Ameri-
can people are paying S8s,ooo,0oo more
every year than 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 SEE.
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 n 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 "jollers" of the Payne-Al-
drich act. when the agents Of few
New England mills were permitted to
write their own rates to suit them
selves. He was chairman of the tar
ifP committee of the New York Dry
Goods Merchants association and in
that capacity conducted n 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. MacIea & Go. and Con-
verse & Co.
The story of cotton is a companion
piece to the story Of Schedule K-the
woolen schedule-declared by Presl-
dent Taft to be infamous and indefen-
sible.
The findings Of the tariff board with
regard to the wooden schedule were an
plyzed 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 or
the cotton schedule were made public
the World decided to make its own
investigation concerning it, 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..
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
would center about Presi-
dent Taft's "nonpartisan" tariff board
md its work, the World undertook the
Of cotton and sought an
swers to the following questions
Has the work of the tariff board jus.
titled the delay in reducing the tariff
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
$4,000, 100000 TAXED OUT OF THEIR
AND INTO THE POCK-
ETS OF PROTECTED PRIVILEGED?
How honestly, impartiaIIy and thor
oughIy did the "nonpartisan" tariff
board undertake its task?
Several months before the cotton re-
port was completed Mr. MacLea de-
,lares that he discovered sinister in
luences in the tariff boards working
o eliminate findings most damaging
o the favored few in the cotton mill
industry. Such suppressed information
Is Mr.. MacLea considers to be of vital
Importance to the cotton industry and
he public has been presented in the
World. He has also explained what
he mass Of figures Of the cotton report
signifies and presented some of the
most important of the conclusions to
)e drawn from that report, q work
which the board saw fit not to attempt.
The story Of cotton. as written by
dr. MacIea and published in the
World from time to time, forms one /
f the most interesting and important
eatures Of the present campaign