The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-03-31
Blames Democratic Tariff Law
To the Editor of The Age-Herald:

To the Editor of The Age Herald:
 During my long residence at Cullman, was d constant reader of your great paper and ever since l have lived in High Jackson l have had it follow me, as find it Indispensable to one that wants to keep informed on Alabama affairs.
 l am somewhat amused and interested at the comment and discussion created by your editorial False Economy" fin which you tage the Illinois Central rail- road to task for purchasing 35,000 tons of steel rails in Canada. when the Birming- ham mills have plenty of rails to sell. It must be admitted that this is nice amount of business to lose, especially when business is slack and thousands of men out of work in your city. I am q little surprised, though that some people in the Birmingham district should feel sore at the foreigners getting this order, as they voted for this policy with their eyes wide open when they so enthusi- astically voted for Woodrow Wilson and his free trade platform. Chickens come home to roost and it does make differ ence whose OK is gored.
 suppose that 1t is readily granted that the Birmingham rails are not inferior to the foreign product and that the ques- tion of price was the determining factor. No one can blame the railroad for want ing to save s100,000. as the way they are hammered and hampered in their earning power. they have to make dollar go it's is that the Canadian made the lowest price. I have before me the Underwood and Payne tariff bills and by consulting same l find that under the republican measure these Canadian rails would have to pay duty of $3.92 ton where under the democratic measure they come in free of any duty.
 Had the republican rate prevailed and the Canadian got the order the govern ment would have got about s140.000 in duty, which would have 9helped some. The chances are, however,, that the Bir- mingham mills would have got the busi- ness. which would have amounted to about $1 O00,000, and of this about $780, 600 would have gone to wage earners.
 The steel mills in the Birmingham dis trict were not established under demo- cratic tariffs, but under the protective policies of the republican party and as long as the party of protection was in power you never heard of steel rail or- ders going out of the United States.
 This way we get the rails and the foreigner gets the money and had the rails been bought in Birmingham you would have the rails and the money both Qincoln).
 What the Wilson tariff has done to
  industries in other sections
 It has paralyzed the state of Louisiana as far as the sugar industry Is concerned and has put very nearly every plantation out of business.
 In the far west, in the state of Washington, 1t has transferred the lumber and shingle industry to Brit ish Columbia. by placing shingles on the free list where formerly they were protected by the republicans at the rate of 50 cents a thousand. The import ations of shingles for the first eight months of the democratic tariff to- tailed 765, ,627 as against 288,047 under the last eight months of the repub- lican measure. They are bowling. too. and they are to be pitied, as they did not vote for it. but had 1t showed on them The lumber and shingle busi- ness in that country Is about in the same shape that your rail business Is, thanks to the democratic tariff.
 By reducing the tariff on lead pen- cils to 36 cents a gross the democratic tarin has handed this business over to the Germans, as we find that a large portion of the orders of the pub lie schools in New York and Pittsburg have been sent to Germany for the first time and have seen it stated that the Germans have 200 contracts of like nature in American cities.
 In the Nuremburg Courier published in Germany, we find that there is great re- joicing in Nuremburg over this triumph in capturing the American market. In the same issue of the paper we read that Count Faber Castell, owner of the Faber plants. has erected an addition to his al- ready immense plant at Stein, Bavaria, since the democratic tariff law went into effect. They may be building them in Germany, but l have not heard of any new ones going up in the United States.
 could cite case after case like the above, showing where the foreigners have captured the American markets under this n-American law. but why prolong 1t? This free trade law has knocked ''bus" out of business every where. It has reduced the tarin rate on cotton cloth and knit goods, despite the fact that the average wage in Massachu- setts cotton mills is SLAP day; North Carolina SS cents; Belgium. % to % cents and in Japan. 10 to 30 cents a day
 The Japanese can buy American cotton, Ir1