The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-06-20
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

present difficulties? This question
can be answered with one word
tariff.
The tariff was originally employed
to meet the expense of the civil war.
To raise money for this emergency
the government decided to tax every
article of manufacture. The Amer
lican manufacturers complained of
this, and justly. They said the
taxes were SO heavy as to be ruin
Gus, because they could not compete
with imported articles which did
not have to carry this tax. So
plan was devised to protect the
American manufacturers.
1--WE will place a tariff on all i'm
ported articles said the govern
ment, (which will put you on an
even or better-than-even footing
with your foreign competitors.
Everyone understood this pro-
tective system was temporary, to
meet an unusual condition, and that
the tariff on imports would be
abolished when it became no longer
necessary to require the American
manufacturers to pay on their man
ufactures.
But in the meantime the privil-
eyed few had discovered that in the
tariff lay a means by which they
could build up enormous fortunes.
These fortunes were pointed to as
an evidence that the tariff was a good
thing. The protectionists fooled
the people by making them believe
that these fortunes had come from
1.-THE foreigners" when the fact was
that the fortunes had been wrung
from the common people who had
been forced to pay artificially high
prices for the things necessary to
life.
The protectionists knew in their
hearts of this deception, and then
and there did humbug and fraud
become part and parcel of politics.
But the people have learned at last
that tariff for protection, that a
tariff for any other purpose than to
raise sufficient revenue to meet the
expense OF the government, has no
excuse in logic or economics 1t
needs no argument to convince the
average man now that to red ne tax .
alton is to reduce prices.
From the first, the MANUFACTURERS
have never been satisfied win a rea-
sonable amount of protefton, but
they keep on demanding l1ore and !!
more. The result is thatne Amer
lean consumers are tody paying
dividends on trust EQUALIZATION
iof thirty-three billion dOiars, seven
ty per cent of which isFater, while Il
American working menand women,
particularly those whof abor for the
most highly protected trusts, are re-
ceiving wagesjas low'ls S., 81 and c
So week.
And this 1.-THE recon the republi- t.
can party isl eset b its present diff n
ficulties. I
Coal Baron Greedy. a
Preparations are being made to Il
add sis, 10000 tcthe nations coal II
bill this finter. Zach of us must p
contribu1 our pr rata to the for u
tunes ofthe coalbarons. There is "
NO reason or Juice for the extent II
of the Increase, kept that the mil II
lionaire coal kins want the money a
and ard in a POTION to make the
people either eome across or el
freeze CT
The coal opators, who have v,
been forced to Snnt the miners an W
increase in wae, which they say 81
will mean an additional cost of g.
S., 200, 900 in tor, are going to al
force the consuer to pay a suf- ia
ficiently high pr for coal to enable j,
them to standhis increase, along m
with an addbnal extortion of ii
$1O,O00,OO0, Yfh will be clear m
profit to th4trust Thus for O,
every dollar increased prices that st
the coal operas propose to collect W
this winter fo|e miners, they have of
decided to eyt two dollars for
themselves. 1us helpless consum- m
ers have to dc}to pay the bill. AL of
ways, always, the consumer who SC
pays! W
Exit the mmerce Court. ID
The death Pill of the Commerce NJ
Court, whicr}ade speciality of 81 81
reversing thelcisions of the Inter- ar
state CONNIE Commission when to
ever these deions were in the in ri,
terest of the bpers and consumers, nr
and of sus1ing the Commerce co
Commission tenever it's decisions ~
were favoratto the railroads, has IN
been sound The democratic dn
house voted out of existence, and 10
a coalition progressive repu blcans -
and democrt i'm the senate has sus-
tanned the Use. e. e.
Milkin1e Country Banks. OF
Manager lerer of the New York en-
Clearing He testified to many ne
things bef( the Money Trust in Pr
vestiga ting ommittee that will WI
cause the fntry banks to sit up Dy
and take ice. ~ ~
The clelg house was shown to M
be compo. of fifty New York an
banks Nank with a capital stock gu
am ountinp less than 100000 eV
is eligibld membership. SO
F.! Mr.. S(er's testimony revealed Sc
system which the New York ial
banks g:| the country banks and tlc
their Gill out of millions. We
He sfhat it cost cents per
$1,000 Yllect the checks of coun- SCI
| try bau The clearing house, he tri
said cos 70 cents per $1,000, or eb
ten timhe real cost. Re
The rage charge per day for tn
collecti is about $4,000. It gr
,,,o,,-h ah0ut &50 O00 000 q va