The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-11
THE NEW TARIFF LAW.

| An exhaustive resume of the new
tariff law as well as comparisons be-
| tween its schedules and those that
prevailed in the Payne-Aldrich law
are to be found on other pages in this
issue of the State Journal. They
| show that in most of the essential
particulars the Democrats have re-
deemed their pledge to revise the tar
iff downward, but whether this will
result in the redemption of their fur
| Their promise to the people to reduce
materially the cost of living through
such reductions in the tariff remains
to be seen. And a most careful study
of the tariff revisions. even by the
experts, cannot give an exact answer
to this question. 1t has always been
convenient for the Democratic poll
ticians to argue that a protective tar
iff was responsible in the main for
the high cost of living. But experience
has shown that tariff reductions do
not always make for lower prices to
the consumers on the articles affected
by them.
Nor has, matter of fact, the
protective feature been eliminated
from the Underwood Simmons law. 1t
is not a free trade, or tariff for reve-
nue. only system that was such a
prominent phase of Democratic doc
trine a few years back. American
manufactures and other industries
are still afforded considerable pro-
lection by its terms. OF course, this
protection averages many per cent
less than that which has maintained
under the Republican tariffs that
have rightly been credited with play
ing such a large part in the develop
ment and prosperity that this country
has enjoyed in times past. But it
seems to be pretty adequate protec- |
ton in most instances, and the manu-
featuring and business interests of the |
country do not appear to be worrying !
much over any particularly disastrous !
results from the reductions that have /
been made. |
The specially of the Underwood |
Simmons law, and the most important !
changes it makes from Republican |
tariffs, relate to free raw materials.
These will be to the advantage of the !
manufacturers and will help to off
set the reductions that have been
made in schedules on the finished ar
ticles. Just to what extent this policy
of free raw materials will be to the
advantage of the consumers is a mat
ter for conjecture. The number of
materials that they use in the raw
state are few and far between.
1t will be remembered that when
the Payne-Aldrich law was being
framed there was great and not I'M
reasonable insistence that the price of
boots and shoes would be cheapened
considerably to the consumers if hides
were placed on the free list. This was
done, and hides have been coming
into this country free for four years.
Yet there has been no noticeable de-
crease in the price of shoes. Indeed,
for the better and higher grade of
shoes the prices to the public have
risen little. 1t is explained that the
automobile industry is responsible for
this, as it uses such large quantities
of leather in the upholstering of cars
that leather is scarcer and brings a
bigger price in this country than ever
before. Regardless of the sufficiency
of this reason, the fact is that free
hides did not make for cheaper shoes,
and the free raw material policy of
the Democrats is likely to work out
in the same way in other important
directions.
There are any number of slips he
tween raw materials and lower prices.
One of them developed the other day.
The Democrats have placed cattle on
the free list. Importers of cattle from
Mexico had big herds corralled :
along the border awaiting free entry
into this country. But before they
could start them this way the Next
cans grabbed an opportunity to add
to their finances by placing an export
duty on cattle The way is open to
other countries to do the same thing
in respect to cattle and every other
thing that this country is willing to
admit within it's borders without i'm
posing tax on it.
So time alone will tell just how the
new tariff law will work out and what
it's advantages or disadvantages may
be to the consumers as we'll as the
business interests of the nation.