Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1913-09-26
DEEMED BETTER THAN THE
INDUSTRIOUS PAYNE-ALD-
RICH LAW
LAfOLLETTE EXPLAINS HIS VOTE
Thinks New Tariff Law Better Than
Old One, Although it is Un-
fair to Farmer

Madison, Wis, Sept. 22.-Reasons
why he voted for the Democratic tar
iff bill, as a lone Republican United
States Senator, were announced to-
day by Senator LaFollette's Weekly.
He claims that the tariff measure is
infinitely superior to the 'iniqui-
tous rates imposed upon the American
people by the Payne-Aldrich law"
No tariff measure, with it's thous-
ands of rates, can attain to perfec-
tion," says Senator LaFollette. "The
question presented at this time is a
choice between this bill, with it's gen.
eral level of duties on manufactured
products, reasonably just to home in
dustries, excepting as l have indicat-
ed, and the iniquitous rates imposed
upon the American people by the
Payne Aldrich law.
ION this issue which involves the
general welfare Of the millions in
every walk of life, PARTISAN politics
should have no place. The contest
is really between the people and en-
trenched privilege. 1t is an unequal
struggle, and calls for the highest
service which men now in public life
can render to their country.
THE trusts and combinations in
their relentless oppression Of the pub
lie have been materially aided by the
monstrous tariff law enacted four
years ago. Th II power will not be
broken when that law is supplanted
is significant. 1t marks change
1t is the winning of the first battle
In the long war which must be ragged
against industrial monopoly. This
warfare is not against legitimate
business. 1t is against the tyranny of
unlawful combinations, over-protect-
ed, over-stimulated, over-capitalized,
our industries will of necessity feel
the strain of readjustment to nor
NAL healthy basis-a basis of actual
values Through this period we must
pass to secure industrial peace and
real industrial prosperity
Senator LaFollette says that after
considerable study the trainers of the
.ariff measure were driven to adopt
the principle of the difference in the
cost of production at home and
abroad, as a means of measuring the
tariff They called it competitive
tariff rates"
"A tariff bill deals with thousands
of products" continues Senator La
Follette's editorial, "and reliable data
for determining the cost of produc-
ton has as yet been worked out, with
scientific accuracy, upon only a por-
ton of the articles covered by the
bill. AS the products, the cost of pro-
ducing which is not known, any COM
mittee must make the best estimates
possible with the material at hand.
A progressive Republican committee
would be compelled to adopt esti-
mates on production cost for large
number of products. But a close
study of this bill will convince any
unbiased mind that in the main-ex-
cepting upon food products-the gem
eral plan and purpose of those who
high and often prohibitory tariff
rates of the Payne-Aldrich law to
such level as to insure enough for
eign competition to prevent the COM
binations formed behind the tariff
wall, from continuing to exact mono
poly prices from the consumer. And
on the other hand the Conclusion will
be reached that it was not their pur-
pose to admit enough competition to
injure American manufacturers who
are dealing with the American peo-
pie.
Upon the products of the farm
suitable for human food, those who
constructed this bill abandoned the
principle upon which the balance of
the bill was framed and placed those
articles upon the free list. The pur-
pose Of this was manifestly to re-
duce the cost Of living. And it is
their contention that as to those pro
duets the farmer derives little or nc
direct benefit from the protective
tariff
The senator analyZes in detail the
tariffs on pig iron. wool, sugar and
other products of prime necessity
justifying his position in each case
by an extended analysis and compar