Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1913-05-14
aqLIMAN AND AIKEN ON rARnsF
Receiving Many Protests, But Do No,
Fear Effects of Reductions.

During the past week the South
Carolina members of Congress have
received q number of telegrams from
cotton manufacturers in the South
protesting against the passage of the
Underwood tariff bill. Most of these
kilograms have been identical in
wording, although signed by differ
ent persons, and this has led the
members of Congress to believe that
the kilograms have been sent from
central source, and that as rule the
individual cotton mill men are not
worrying very much over the passage
of the bill.
Aiken's Views.
In discussing the receipt Of these
kilograms Representative Wyatt
Aiken said:
President Wilson and this Demo-
cratic Congress were elected on
platform which promised that they
would revise the tariff downward.
That promise was repeated on every
stump in the country in the campaign
last summer and fall. The Under
wood bill was prepared by the Ways
and Means Committee and submitted
to the Democratic caucus Of the
House, and was approved by the eau
Gus by vote so overwhelming as to
be practically unanimous, and the
Democratic members Of the House
are doubly bound, by the platform
and by the caucus, to vote for it. I
am frank to say that, even if / were
not so bound, | would still vote for
it, for believe it is a good bill and
just one, framed in the interest of
the people, and will give them relief.
If there is a temporary depression it
will be because of speculation, and
not by reason of the actual effects OF
the bill.
"As to the cotton schedules: The
tariff duties on many lines of cotton
goods will be reduced, but the reduc-
ton in this schedule will not be
greater than the reductions in other
schedules. The cotton manufacturers
of the South cannot, in good faith,
ask that they be given special privi-
leges, and we could not give it to
them if they should ask for 1t. But
l am quite sure the lowering of the
duties on cotton goods will not hurt
the mills to the extent that some of
their pleaders would have us believe
Many of the mills in South Carolina
now ship their entire output to Ash
attic CuUntries, and have been doing
SO for a long time. They are under
selling European mills in orderto do
th&s, ana J fail TO see how reduc-
tion OF the duties on imports can af-
feet chem. Only few weeks ago
South Carolina mill sold 10000
bales OF goods to the Red Sea terri
tory. This is almost at the doors Of
the European mills. The South Car
olina manufacturer evidently under
sold them, and yet he will have to
ship his goods half way round the
wor'l 4. How is reduction OF the
tariff going to affect condition of
this kind?
81 saw a statement the other day
to the effect that the price of raw
cotton had dropped five dollars
bale because of the Underwood tariff
bill. Such a decline has not been
warranted by the actual facts. We
have had speculation in cotton un-
der high tariff system; in fact,
cotton was at its lowest price during
a reign OF the high tariff. 1t may
be that cotton spectators will try
to use the tariff bill to unduly de-
press the price of cotton. 1 hope
and Believe none OF the South Caro-
lima mill men will lend themselves
to such scheme IL it should be
started-if, indeed, it has not already
started. But if such a movement Is
on foot it must not be laid at the
door Of the tariff bill, for the farm
ers of the South will surely remem-
ber the. violent fluctuations in the
high tariff system.
"But this effort to depress the
price OF cotton may be made, and
now Is a good time to make a sug-
gestion, that has been made often be-
fore, to the farmers, and that Is that
the cotton crop this Year should not
be too large, and that 1t should be
produced at a minimum of cost. 1t
Is not too, late for most farmers to
reduce their cotton acreage to some