The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-01-04
underwood IS
NOW UNDER FIRE
A Wool Manufacturer Chal.
lenges Him to Prove Un-
due Profits in Trade

washington, Jan. 4.-Representine
the views Of most of the woolen and
Worsted manufacturers of the country
George c. Hetzei. prominent mani.
tacturer OF Chester, Pa. has written
10 oscar Underwood, chairman of the
ways and means committee, sharp
chaI!enge that he prove the state
.hents .aea with reference to tariff statis-
tics that he had made on the floor OF
the mousse and in public speeches.
Pointing out that the tariff will ba
tne chief issue in the approaching
campaign. and that Schedule K. as
usual, Will be the principal object of
a.ttack. Mr.. Hetzel issues the follow
ing challenge to Mr.. Underwood:
therefore challenge you to offer
essary legislative device, directinp
either the tariff board or other COM
petent disinterested experts, to ascer-
tain the average net profit per yard
earned by the wooden and worsted
cioth manufacturers during the wears
tho alleged indefensible' Schedule K
OF the Payne Aldrich tariff bill has
been in force"
Mr.. Hetzers lengthy letter and his
challenge to MIR. Underwood Ia the
opening gun in the fight of the woolen
ano worsted manufacturers to pre-
serve the present tariff bill intact. It
ls out the beginning of a campaign of
the Woolen and worsted manufactur-
ers to preserve what they consider
Ineir rights, and to prevent, as Mr..
Hetzel puts it. the lowering Of the
wage scale to American workingmen.
one OF Mr.. Hetzers statements is
tnat When harm Is done by the enact
ment OF a radical tariff bill, the public
WIN find no comfort in the assurance
tnat Mr. UnderWoOd's sentiments were
benevolent. He adds:
me American standard Of wages
is adjusted to hisi, protective. tariff,
and the American standard of living
Is adjusted to our high wage scale. A
lowering of that standard will mean
political annihilation to the uartv re-.
sponsible for it. You are again re-
spectfully referred to 1896 as an i'll
lustration and a warning"
Only u Fair Profit.
IN the course Of his letter to Mr..
Underwood. the Chester manufa ctur-
er, referring to his challenge for an
investigation, says:
This investigation will show. 1 am
sure, that the 96.6 per cent of home
made goods. representing the product
OF about 900 American manufactur-
ers (Which you call a monopoly, are
sold az only fair profit above cost.
and therefore at prices considerably
below the duty paid value of corre-
spending foreign goods.
1T Will then not longer avail to
employ the common and venerable
Trick OF reducing compound duty to
an ad Valorem equivalent of zoo per
cent or more. which nobody ever pays
on goods which nobody ever imports,
and then melodramatically invoke
nigh heaven to witness such iniuuity.
That method of deception will be
dead. y"
you will then realize that YOU and
your party will be in a very awkward
You cannot, in fairness, denv tho
right of the manufacturer to a rea-
sonable profit. and you would not dare
demand a reduction in wages in order
TO lower the cost Of goods Such a
demand would cost the Democratic
party not only the votes Of the wage
earners engaged in wool manufacture
but the votes Of prospective victims
employed IN all industries affected by
the other tariff schedules marked for
slaughter in your program of a tariff
for revenue only"
Report Confirms Statement.
Concluding, Mr.. Hetzel saws:
Since the foregoing was written.
the tariff boards preliminary report
has been published.
livery one OF the propositions stat
ed herein is thereby confirmed except
the average net profit per yard of the
cloth manufacturers Of the country.
That item Is up to you.
with all these tariff boards facts
abundantly testifying that duties
which are absolutely prohibitory
work no harm to the consumer, 1t is
unthinkable that any patriotic citizen
Of any party would be willing to re-
duce the duty on woolen goods to q
point that will invite foreign compe-
tition.
you have shown that 90 per cent
of the goods We consume are made at
home. Those who import the remain
ing 4 per cent do SO to meet the de-
mand Of that portion of our people
who, for high novelties. exclusive pat.
terms, or mostly because of a pretu.
dice for things that are foreign, are
willing to pay any price. Such TIM
portations are really luxuries, and it
is proper that they be taxed as such.
IThe people who buy them are
willing and able to pay for this pref
erence. and would buy them Just the
same. IL the duty were twice as high.
Hence. such duties really become rev.
enue duties"