The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-09-25
THEY LISTENED TO THE PEOPLE


THEY LISTENED TO THE PEOPLE
When the history of the present
tariff struggle is written, credit will
have to be conceded to nearly all the
democratic members for resisting
the temptation to put local interests
above the general welfare. In the
discussions of the tariff question
heretofore, allowances had to be
made for the pressure of local bene-
ticiaries upon democrats who, IN
principle, repudiated the doctrine OF
protection but, in practice, found 1t
difficult to make their votes harmon
ize with their speeches. This was
especially true in the discussion OF
the Payne-Aldrich bill, when a num-
Der of democrats so far forgot them
selves as to declare that, while they
opposed protection as matter OF
principle they wanted their constitu-
ents to have their share of it so long
as it's benefits were being passed
around
When congress met in special ses-
sion, at the call of President Wood
row Wilson, to reduce the tariff in
the interest of the people, the demo-
cratic party realized that it was
time to get together and that success
was possible only by recognition of
the right of the consumers to recog-
milton. There has been, therefore, an
astonishingly small amount of talk
about the claims of particular in
dustries. Only in the case of two ar
able effort to retain for an important
product the benefits of protective
tariff, namely, wool and sugar.
Some of the representatives from
the states where wool is largely pro-
duced felt that the transfer OF this
commodity to the free list might
work a hardship upon a portion OF
their constituents. Discussion, how
ever, disclosed, fist, that even in the
states where wool is most largely
grown the number of those especial
ly benefited is few compared with
the number of those who would be
burdened by the tax, and, second,
that the compensatory duty which
always accompanies tax upon raw
material would enable the manufac-
turers to take from the consumers of
wooden goods vastly more than the
producers of wool could possibly re-
ceive. AS a result of Investigations,
the opposition to free wool gradually
diminished until the democratic party
was practically unit against the
tax upon wool.
With free wool has come greater
reduction in wooden goods than
o6
tax on wool been retained and the
whole country will be benefited. 1t
is not certain that free wool will
work a real hardship, even to the
large sheep owners, since the in
creased production of wooden goods
in this country will stimulate a de-
mand for the local product to mix
with the larger quantity of the wool
imported. And then, too, the stead
lily increasing monopoly among the
manufacturers of WOOlens has left
the wool growers at the mercy of a
few buyers so that it is questionable
whether he was in a position to COL
lect the benefits which had been vot-
ed to him by those who gave him a
tax on wool. But whether or not
there is actual pecuniary loss to the
large fock-masters, there is no doubt
that free wool will bring enormous
advantage to the mass of people and
it will, in addition to that, remove
the keystone from the protective
arch and make it impossible for the
beneficiaries of protection to justify
their system on the ground that it in
cludes the farmer in it's benetits-a
plea that has been used with great
effect for many years, in spite of its
absurdity.
The democratic representatives
from the wool growing states should
be applauded for the courage which
they have manifested in defyilg the
Clamor of special privilege and cast
ing their lot with the over-burdeNed
masses.
The sugar interests have made an
even more stubborn resistance to the
demands of the tariff reformers, due
largely to the fact that this industry
is distributed over a larger number
of states and is concentrated in its
benefits. And here, too, the presl-
dent won because of the overWhelm-
ing demand of those who have borne
a heavy burden for the benefit OF the
relatively limited number who nave
profited by the tax. These senators
from the sugar states who have stood
for free sugar should receive the
plaudits of the taxpaying public;
they have been faithful to the many
rather than subservient to the few.
1t is fortunate that we now have the
election of senators by direct vote OF
the people, since the special interests
can no longer punish patriotic sena-
tors through the successful manipu-
lation of legislatures. The Common
er will not risk offending by appor-
tioning credit among those who
have stood up valiantly for a real
tariff reduction, but it appeals to the
constituents of these men to express
appreciation. 1t is cheering to the
legislator to receive commentator
from the rank and file of his constit-
uents-and he is entitled to it when
he votes right-to offset the abuse
which is sure to come from those
4 who recognize that they can no long
4er convert the government into a
private asset in business.-W. ).