Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1915-07-22
ticipa,ed increase In Imports,

y ae WaSa "
therefore knew that his bin could no
pass. he did give an estimate over hi
signature Of the probable effects o
the bill. He predicted that imports
from manufacturers from the metal'
would increase from s54,5O0,O0 u
5000, 900 or SIS, 5oo.0 GOO, The aver
age duty which his bill proposed wa'
22.4 per cent. Therefore, when thi;
excess OF imports reached the custom:
house there would be added to tn,
cost 5000, 900. Thus he anticipated
that the American people would con
sumo under his bill ssS,5 0 200 of for
eign metal and metal products in lieu
OF an equal amount OF American pro
ducts, Metal products are at least Il
per cent labor. Iron ore is valued in
the neighbodhood OF $l,00 per ton In
the ground, and coal at from Ice 10
CSC per ton. AL else. except interest
on capital. including transportation,
is labor, Thus Mr.. Underwood pro,
posed In this one amendment to take
from American labor s2l 100000 per
annum.
A similar computation based on his
report OF q bill to revise the cotton
schedule, assuming cotton manufac,
lures to be so per cent labor, would
rob factory employees Of about So.
900, 900.
No one doubts the sincerity OF Mr.,
Underwood. He is a splendid man, a
good scholar, a fair speaker. and is
really strong in everything except
legislation. He was thoughtless
enough to believe that he could ride
into popularity on the strength OF
these two bills. the enactment OF
which he himself estimated as above,
would cost American labor $50. 900 900
in wages per annum. Is it not strange
that he should have one such loose
gear?
As Secretary Shaw was wont to say
In his wonderfully lucid tariff
speeches, The children in the eighth
grades know IL We import next year
what dad made last year, that dad will
be looking for work. and they will be
looking for bread"
Comparatively few people. public
speakers, or writer's, appreciate what
the loss Of a days productive labor
means to q country like ours In a
single twelyemonth. Suppose a man
works today at some productive en-.
ployment and receives $500 therefor.
He expends this for floor and clothing.
The merchant pays this out to the pro.
Queer Of food and clothing, who in
turn pays 1t again to labor. Twenty
years ago Mr.. Mckinley estimated
that this wage completed the circuit
and reached labor ten times In twelve
months. Having improved business
facilities since then it probably
reaches labor once a month or twelve
times per mum. Thus every $500
who is idle this year, when he
was productivity employed last year,
takes from the aggregate of commerce
for every day thus unemployed.
A milton $500 men out of work two
hundred days spells the loss Of S..
300, 100000 in domestic commerce.
A year ago the papers published a
report OF a luncheon given by Judge
Gary to a noted ironmaster of Eng.
land, and quoted the guest as having
said, to the effect, Some years ago
a man came to me and said, I think
should be able to support my family
On three days work per week, and
| work six days in the week !
recognize that / am robbing some poor
Of three days work." To this
he ironmaster replied, Passing over
he question whether your culture,
happiness or your worth as a
,itizen would be enhanced by three
die days per week, | want to suggest
hat II you could support your family
With three days work per week, and
'ou did work six days, you would have
money to employ some other
nan for three days. Do not suppose,
therefore,, that by remaining idle
hree days you are giving some one
'lse employment. By remaining idle
hree days you are robbing some poor
elbow OF three days work, which you
ould otherwise afford to employ him
0 do" Neither Mr.. Lincoln nor Mr..
aekinley could have stated this loai
and unanswerabie deduction with
reater %clearness. We are told that
ir. Lincoln, when questioned about
tariff, at n time said in sub.
lance, Il don't claim to know much
bout the tariff, but as / understand
:, II we buy a ton of iron in England,
e get the iron and England gets the
loney, but II We buy a ton OF iron pro.
need in the United States, we get
iron and we also keep the money"
Presumably the Underwood tariff
Ill was enacted to Increase imports. /
1t has failed as You indicate, and as
u previous tariffs for revenue failed, q,
len OF course, 1t will not yield reye. I
and we will have to again submit I
a bond issue. which has been one {
the incidents OF each and every
emocratic administration. when both I
'uses Of congress have been Of the +
complexion. Now do not sug. {
'st that the treasury was depleted G
hen Mr.. Cleveland was inaugurated.
was depleted, and naturally de. n
eted. !,
Following election day in 1892, 4
e country recognized that a low {
riff was Inevitable; business pre-. Il
red for 1t, and no merchant import. C
a dollars worth Of goods that he ii
uld defer. This, Of course, has been O
planned again and again, and yet &
any speakers and writer's persist in v
arging to the Harrison administra. II
N the effect Of anticipated misdeeds h