Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1913-05-24
L%ETTERsfROM THE PEOPLE
ANOTHER VIEW FROM TARIFF.
To The Herald;

/ have read with deep interest the ar
ticle of DIR. w. f. Cole on the tariff, in
your issue Of the LIST inst. The doctor.
like most writer's, pictures the dire cal
antilles that must and will follow from
the reduction of the tariff as proposed
under the bill now pending in Congress.
/ cannot conceive how it is possible that
the wise men enacting this law would
reduce the tariff as proposed and thus
seemingly seriously affect certain indus
tries of the country without the same law
resulting in a corresponding benefit to
the people. In other words, if the tariff
is reduced % per cent. on an article will
that or a greater per cent be returned to
the people without the change destroying
any of the Industries of the country?
/ understand there are two classes to
be affected by a reduction of the tariff,
the consumer and the producer. All
classes of our population are consumers,
but the producers are divided into sew
eral different classes. the farmer, the
stock raiser, the miner and the manufac-
turer. The three first produce the raw
material and the last converts this raw
material into the manufactured article.
protect these several industries, not only
against foreign trade, but so that one
may not infringe upon. the rights and in
terest of the other. All these different
industries should be so guarded and pro
tedted as to assure an honest wage to
the labor necessary and to secure to the
producer a fair and just per cent on his
investment.
DIR. Cole discusses the reduction in
prices resulting from the reduction in
the tariff. Good republican argument.
But | would like that the doctor also
inform his readers what effect the reduc-
ton of the tariff will have on the pur
chasing power of the dollar. Will not
a. dollar purchase as much or more I'M
der the proposed bill as it does now un
der the present tariff law? Suppose a
farmer now sells a bale of cotton for
$4,000, and by reason of the present tariff
on what he buys he only purchases $4,000
worth of goods, would he only get 5000
for his ale of cotton and purchase 5000
worth of goods under the reduced rate?
If that be true, then nothing would be
gained in reducing the tariff. But would
that be the result? |. as a democrat,
think not. Supply and demand is the
great law that governs prices. The world
must be clothed and fed. and all these
necessaries must come from the soil. 1t
is the mothers breast for its millions of
children and from it and it alone the
world must live.
No man can imagine a single article
of food. drink DR. wear that does not
come from our mother earth. If she
gives sparingly, prices are high. if bOun-
tifully, prices are low. Is the increase
in production propOrtiOnate to the
worlds increase in population? If not
then what will sooner or later be the re
suit. Death and starvation must and
will follow.
The great mass of the people of the
world are only aids to production. To
what extent does high protection benefit
this class? The democrats say so reduce
the tariff as to give reasonable prOtcc-
ton to the various industries of our
country, and not such a tariff. as we now
have, that protects the few to the great
detriment of the many.
The democratic party says adjust the
tariff, SO restrict the trusts and syndi
Gates, so that a dollar of produce will
purchase a dollar of what we eat, drink
and wear. and not. as now. a dollar of
produce will purchase a dollar. less the
excessive tariff.
Take. for instance, schedule Is of the
Payne-Aldrich bill. the present law. the
schedule in which are the principal ar
ticles Of consumption by poor and rich.
known as the wool schedule. Mr.. Ran
dell. Il congressman from Texas. in a
speech in congress on the tariff. made
the startling statement that the tariff
on a common blanket was $50 per cent.
Figure the result. especially TO the poor
people of this country. al Of whom must
have one or more blankets. If YOU est
manufactures with soc. profit. and allow
the domestic manufacturer ST. co more as
actual cost by reason of importation of
the raw material and expectation of the
manufactured article against the foreign
manufacturer, and allowing the domestic
manufactures also SOC. profits. certainly
a good profit ut wholesale p~rices), you
will find still 4 margin in favor of the
domestic manufacturer of over S4.So.
Does the domestic manufacturer take adj
vaufaoa of this maroin. or is he satisfied