Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1912-09-03

Il
Whole People Robbed BY = Tariff Thsss
RIsh Manufacturer May Benefit
Robert Kenneth MaoLea, Consulting
Expert OF the Tariff Beard, Shows
That the American People Are
MuIctsd Of $ss, ooo, 900 q Year.
New York,-Did you ever hear the
story Of cotton9
1t ID as thrilling as narrative OF
adventure. 1t is as interesting as
noyel--interesting particularly be-
cause it concerns the welfare OF MILL
ions of people who wear cotton goods.
1t Is interesting because it is the dress
of the poor, the universal substitute for,
wool and silk II In interesting, fur
thermore, because it 10 true.
The story of cotton Is the story of
protective tariff for the beneAt of rich
manufacturers at tho expense Of the
whole people who wear cotton goods.
It has been reasonably calculated
that bscauee the cotton tariff 10 fixed
by the Payne-AIdrieh law the Amerl.
can people are paying $ss, 900, 1000 more
every year than they should pay for
their cotton goods and that q saving
of this amount could be accomplished
by q reasonable reduction in the pres.
ieHt duties.
The story of cotton is told by an ex-
pert Robert Kenneth MacLea, consult.
ing expert of the tariff board. In Sc
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
Ifavoritism. To this work Mr.. MacLea
has brought a varied experience, COW
ering more than twenty years, in the
manufacture and marketing of tex
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 few
New England mills were permitted to
write their own rates to suit them
selves de 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 Of
the domestic business Of the New York
firms of r. B. MacLea & Co. and Con-
verse & Co.
: The story of cotton is a companion
piece TO the story OF Schedule K-the
lwoolen sehedule-deelared by Presi-
dent Taft to be infamous and indefen.
.sible
The findings OF the tariff board with
regard to the wooden schedule were
analysed 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 its 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. tariff
boards fndings on tae cost Of cotton
cloth produced IN this eouaNy. SIR.
MaeLea used the same cloth samples
as coaerete taHs Hazhs ef the Terk-
ings Of the taTif add from these ex,
posed the very generally perpetreted
fraud of selling American made goods
as imported" and showed why the
excessive tariff permits and fosters
this imposition.
Recognizing that tie taSiff would be
a vital Issue of the campaign and that
controversy would center about Presi.
dent Tafts "nonpartisan" tariff board
and its work. the World undertook tie
investigation Of cotton and sought an.
swers to the following questions:
Has tbs 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-Aldrlch
tariff IN RETURN FOR MORE THAN
$4,000, 900 TAXED OUT or THEIR
POCKETS AND INTO THE Pock-
ETS OF PROTECTED PRIVILEGED
How honestly, impartiaiiy and thor
oughly did the "nonpartsan" tariff
board undertake Its task7
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 fey 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
10 be drawn from that report, a work
which the board saw fit 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 campaign