Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-07-02
Boston, Mass. June 70, 1912

Boston, Mass, June 70, 1912
To the President of the United States
and members of the House and Senate
of the Sixty-third Congress.
Washington. D. G.
Sirs: Four years ago the carded wooden
manufacturers We're among the first to
urge the 61st Congress to make the tariff
on wool goods fair to all producers and
consumers by making the rates ad va
loren, instead of specific. The request
was denied. and as result not only the
wool manufacturing industry. but tho
business of the entire country has been
| kept in state of uncertainty by tariff
agitation. Now the ed Congress is en-
gagged in revising the tariff and we desire
| to call your attention to serious defects
| in the Underwood schedule K as passed
| by the House of Representatives and as
| redrafted by the Finance Committee of
| the Senate.
The first defect TO which we direct your
attention is the removal of the duty from
| wool and wool by-products. This feature
| of the proposed revision is unjustifiable.
regardless of whether the tariff Is de-
signed for protection or for revenue on
| ly. II will not be denied that this coun-
try is suited for the growing of wool and
| for converting wool into finished pro-
ducts. A tariff on wool or wool goods Is.
| consequently, protective regardless of
| whether it is intended for revenue or for
protection 1t follows that a tariff on
wool materials must be. placed on wool,
| by-preductS. and manufactures of wool
| in order TO be fair.
| The history of the Payne-A1drich tariff
| law illustrates a fact that requires nc
| proof that is that tariff law must be
based on Justice IN order to be reasonably
| permanent. A tariff act which protects
| one class of producers and exposes an
| other class to the full force of foreign
| competition introduces that element of
! privilege and discrimination SO abhor-
| rent to the American sense OF fair play.
| Governor Wilson. in his speech accept
| ing the nomination for President. said:
| "There are two great things to do. one
is to set up the rub of Justice and OF
right in such matters as the tariH,
We ask that the rule of Justice be ap-
piled in the revision of schedule X by
/ placing fair duty on wool as well as on
| wool goods.
duty on manufactures of wool Will set.
| tie nothing. It's enactrnent will be the
beginning of another PERIOD OF agitdtloil
| to place duty on wool and wool by
| wool goods If there are any manptac-
4 turers so short-sighted as want wool Tree
of duty in their mills, while a duty Is re-
tanned on the product of their mills. we
| want it understood that we are not num-
bered among them. The country mas no
voted for free wool or free traae; i3 fo,
| President. put the quietus on free tfa nn
/ so far as he and his party were con
cerned. by this statement:
You can't have free rec trade IN un 81
| tine United States is of necessity, VIII
| our present division of the field OF Ia I. !,
| ton, between the Federal ana the 80 u,
| governments, supported in large part 10
| the duties collected at the ports
| A large majority of the voters at IN
| last election east their ballots fPr canon
| dates who favored protection to Aiie .il,
| can Industries. 1t is admitted tndt w
| Underwood bill as originally Iralneu -,
the Committee on Ways and Means pro
| vided for a duty on wool we ASH tn a q
| the will of the voters be obeyed by car
| rving out this plan of the committee, a,,'
presumably of the House of Reptesen sen
| tatives and that the tatiH on Wooi III
| terials, whether framed Iof feN1n firi,
for protection, shall be apportioneG iaiil
on All commercial products,-wo9l,
| PRODUCTS, tops, yarn. rowing, fapfhcs. ~
| To the rate to be placed on wool We
commend that it be ad valorem anu .n Tue,
II he the same on all kinds of wool am am
wool by-products. only in this way VII
it be fair. A.,ra
products and finished wool goods II
our deliberate judgment that the % y, Pc
cent. proposed by the Underwood pm i
calculated to cause serious nn i'r1u' ThJ be
| lief is based on our own experlehcel a., ~
| on the recent experience OF tne oal,na,tnxi
| wooden industry under larll app pI les
mating very closely the Underwood rf.t;o,
Tn this connection we call your. attenuo
| to the report of recent lnNestlgatdioiI h. h
the Canadian WOODEN inaus'1S IN, H'a r had
Record of New York, and whlcn NC
been printed as Senate Docuille"ii a
believe that wool Neutrality-suspicious. -,
eaicient and economical in the Ihpte;
| states as anywhere in the Woilu'\
| ef,icieney and economy are measured, N;
in dollars and cents, but IN the eNpeE
| ture of labor and material TO pfouue g.,
| given result in the finished faptic. !;
| wool and wool goods are eNcna'Sso ~
foreign and domestic commerce on N
basis of dollars and cents. The Amerie1at
| wooden industry Is unaoie ~ ~ 7 IN
with the foreign industry under the II -
derwood tariff rates because ni ~" ,tarns {o
| money cost for labor and otner i'e,ls
manufacturing expense in the oni.S
states Added to this Is the lmportalE
fact that for nearly so years Wooi1
| mapufa curing in this country mas oes
| conducted under the unequal cohuit,Ioli,
created by specific tariff rates: by WhlcA1
| vast Quantities Of certain grades OF "a w
| material have been excluded rom ~.
country by prohibitory duties whiie o.nea
grades of material have been inlpom,,s ~
| under comparatively low duties. dne
CONTINENT and organization OF our Hills'
| the processes of manufacture ana tne IN
| perience of our operatives, nave All p'
come adjusted to these arbitrary conui-
| tions that have resulted directly IRON
the laws enacted and enforced by the
| United States Government
Those charged with the duty of reVis-
ing the tariff now should remember that
the United States Government is solely
responsible for the arbitrary conditions
that have resulted from the wooden
schedule enacted I'm 1867 and still in
force For that Government now, after
A period of As wears. to change suddenly
from high specific duties to the low adj