Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1912-09-05

Whole People Roboeo ~ . AT"
Rich Manufacturer May senehs-
Robert Kenneth MaeLea, Consulting
Expert of the Tariff Board, Shows
That the American People Are
MuIctsd Of Sss,ooe,ooo . Year.
New York.-pid you ever hear the
story Of cottonf
It Is as thrilling as narrative of
adventure. 1t is rs interesting az
notwithstanding particularly pe'
cause It concerns the welfare OF MIR
ions of people who wear cotton goeas'
1t is interesting because II 10 the dress
Of the poor, the universal substitute TOT
wool and silk. Il " interesting, tuT
thsrmore, because 1t Is true
The story Of cotton La the story OF .
protective tariff for the benefit OF rica
manufacturers at the expense OF ths
whole people whe wear cotton goods.
Il has been reasonably calculated
that bsoauas the cotton tariff Is fissd
by tho Payne-Aldrieh law the AmerH
can people are paying $50, 100000 more
every year than they should pay TOR
their cotton goods and that saving
Of thIs amount could be accomplished
by n reasonable reduction In the pres
ent duties
The story of cetten Is told By On ex'
pert. Robert Kenneth MacLea, consult
Ing expert of the tariff board. In Sc
ries Of articles published in the New
York World. Mr.. MaeLea's views are
the views Of q lifelong Republican,
friend of the protective policy Of the
Republican party, but at the same
time an opponent Of tariff graft and
fayoritism. To this work Mr.. MacLea
has brought q varied experience, oov-
ering more than twenty years. In the
manufacture and marketing OF ten
tiles.
He first distinguished himself as an
advocate OF honest tariff legislation by
finding the "jokers" Of the PayneAld'
rich act. when the agents OF rev
New England mills were permitted to
write their own rates to suit them
selves. He was chairman Of the tar
if committee Of the New York Dry
Goods Merchants association and In
that capacity conducted a 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 OK
the domestic business OF the New York
firms OF r. B. MaoLee & Co. and Con-
verse q Co.
The story Of cotton is q companion
piece to the story OF Schedule K-the
WOODEN sohedule-declared by Presi
dent Taft TO be Infamous and indefen'
sible.
The findings Of the tariff board with
regard to the wooden schedule were
analyEed by Chairman Underwood OF
the ways and means committee and
condemned as Inaccurate, incomplete
and worthless as an aid to legislation.
When the tariff boards findings on
the cotton schedule were made public
the World decided to make It's own
Investigation concerning It, and Mr..
MacLea was selected for that purpose.
The World had the findings OF the
board on manufactures Of cotton dis
sected and translated into language OF
the everyday man and woman.
One hundred cloth samples purchas-
ed In representative domestic markets
were made the basis OF the tarin
boards findings on the cost Of cotton
cloth produced in this country. Mr..
MacLea 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 tie tariff would be
a vital issue Of the campaign and that
controversy would center about Prest
dent Taft's "nonpartisan" tariff board
and its work, the World undertook the
investigation Of cotton and sought an
swers TO the following questions:
Has the work Of the tariff board jus
tilted the delay In reducing the tariff
and giving relief from the high cost
Of IIvlna7
What have the people gained N the
three years under the Payne-AIdrIeh
tariff IN RETURN FOR MORE THAN
$4,000, ooo, 900 TAXED OUT OF THEIR
POCKETS AND INTO THE Pock-
ETs OF PROTECTED PRIVILEGED
How honestly, lmpartIalIy and thor
oughIy did the "nonpartIsar" tariff
board undertake its taski
Several months before the cotton re-
port was completed Mr.. MacLea de-
clares that he discovered sinister In
fuences in the tariff boards working
to eliminate findings most damaging
to the favored few in the cotton mill
industry. Such suppressed information
as Mr. MacLea considers to be of vital
importance to the cotton industry and
the public has been presented In the
World. He has also explained what
the mass Of figures Of the cotton re-
port signifies and presented some Of
the most important OF the conclusions
to be drawn from that report a work
which the board saw 1T not TO attempt,
The story Of cotton, as written By
Mr.. MacLea and published IN the
World from time to time. forms one
Of the most interesting and important
features Of the present caupaiEh,