The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-02-15
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.


600 men, women and children mill
workers at Lawrence, Mass, were
out of work because of a strike to
prevent cut in their Sc, 81 and IS
a week wages, Mrs. Evelyn Walsh
Mclean, mother of the baby that is
heir to 100000, 900, gave $35, 900
dinner to SO guests at Washington,
the nations capital.
The hostess at this banquet wore
diamonds that actually cost more
than half million dollars. In her
hair was displayed the famous
Hope diamond, which cost $3.50, 900
and at her throat another widely
celebrated gem, "Star of the East,
which was even larger than the
Hope diamond.
The cost per plate at the Mclean
dinner was $500. One item in the
expense was 1000 yellow lilies i'm
ported from abroad at a cost of 50
each.
One of the highest paid mill work
ers at Lawrence would have to work
"a years to receive the cost of that
banquet. The earnings of a dozen
Lawrence workers for half a CEN
fury would not have purchased the
gems worn by Mrs. Mclean. A
Lawrence worker would have to la
Dor 20 years to pay for the yellow
lilies alone.
The strike of the men, women and
children at Lawrence, and the $500
plate dinner in Washington, is a
striking example of conditions exist
ing under our system of excessive
| protection in the year of our Lord
1912 Neither the Lawrence strike
nor the $35, 1000 Mclean dinner are
exceptions. They are but samples
of many similar illustrations which
could be cited if space permitted.
Only recently, VIM. M. Wood, the
head of the wooden trust, whose en-
ployees are now on a strike at Law
renee, was arrested for knocking
down and running over a pedestrian
with his automobile. When ar
raigned in court he was asked how
many automobiles he owned, and he
replied he didn't know. Imagine a
man so rich he doesn't know how
many automobiles he has on hand!
Fortunes which make it possible
for one woman to wear half million
dollars worth of diamonds at one
time, and which enable a man to
possess so many automobiles he can
not keep track of them, necessarily
come through the power to place a
price on the things which the COM
mon people must have in order to
live.
1t is significant, in this connection,
that the tariff, the cost of living,
500 a plate dinners-everythin
but the workingman' wages-have
increased hand in hand, revealing
the intimate relationship Of one to
the other.
"The Story OF the Extra Session"
: Congressman Ebenezer J. Hill,
; standpat protectionist of Connecti-
cut, made speech in the house re-
Gently which he considered a gem.
He extolled the Payne-Aldrich law
: to the skies, .proclaiming in loud
voice it had nothing to do with high
prices. Mr.. Hill thought SO well Of
his speech that he named it the
STORY Of the Extra Session. and
sent it broadcast among his cOnstit-
uents, asking them to read it and to
! comment upon it. Some of the COM
ments, however, were not what Mr.
Hill expected The following COM
ment sent in from a resident of STRAIT
ford, Conn, for instance, must have
been a severe jolt to Mr.. Hills stand
pat nerves:
'My wife and | came to New
York by steamer, having with us
+ seven yards of serge cloth, which was
to be made into dress for my wife.
This cloth cost in London $11.90,
and was declared dutiable by the
customs officers. On those seven
yards of cloth ! was obliged to pay
double duty-a duty on the weight
and a duty on the value-44 cents
a pound and SIS per cent ad valorem.
These duties amounted to 1924,
making the cost of the $3.50 article
$21.14.
"a tax like this is unjust and ex-
cessive, and cannot be defended. If
this is a sample of the provisions of
the present tariff law l am not sur
prised at the universal dissatisfaction
that prevails with regard to it, and
hope the democrats will succeed in
changing this law with some regard
for the interest of the consumers
Profits of Beef Trust.
The beef trust packers declare
that during the years 1907, 1908,
1909 and 1910, their net profits,
from fresh meat were only one
eighth of one cent a pound.
In 1907 the retail price of fresh
meat was from is to 1873 per cent
higher than in 1900, while the price
of cattle declined in that period from
$92.46 to $S1 $50. And while dressed
beef was half a cent a pound dearer
in 1910 than in 1909, the price of
beeves was lower, declining from SO
per hundred pounds in 1909 to $7.55
in 1910.
Any self respecting COW, says the
New York World, has the right to
wonder who got the extra difference
between her prices on the hoof and
her price dressed.
Tariff is a Tax.
The word tax should be substitute
ed for the word TARIFF The peo-
pie would then understand the ques-
ton better. Fewer people would
accept the prOtectiOnist theory that