Williams news., 1915-06-17
ALL IN 0NE MONTH
Figures That Will Keep Republic
 ans Guessing.
They Would Not Dare Return to the Old Tariff Schedules, Even If They Were Returned to
 Power.

According to our dispassionate Re publican friends. who desire nothing but the progress of the true, the beau tiful and the good, the Underwood tariff was in process of wrecking the country when the obliging war came along and stopped up "the breach Ill the tariff barricade." Now it is no use for us Democrats to dodge; facts are facts. We might as well face them. Here goes to gaze on the Un- derwood tariff at it's worst.
 In May, 1914, our importations were $34,000,000 greater than they had been under the Payne-Aldrich tariff ill the corresponding month of the year be- fore. This was the greatest excess of the period before the war. Let us analyze it little.
 Of the $34,OOO,OOO excess s14,OO0,O0O is accounted for by increased impor- tations of food. In 1913 this country was visited by general drought and the crops of the four principal grains fell short of the 1912 yield by full billion bushels. Result: a greatly shortened food supply and heavy i'm portations in the spring of 1914. Here are some of the items of increase: Food animals, $665 1000; fresh meats and dairy products, $3,9O0,0OO; corn, $8O9,OO0. Several millions of this de- crease was in commodities which had been taken off the dutiable list by the Underwood tariff and made free.
 We respectfully ask our Republican friends whether, if they had the pow CT, they would restore the tariff on these things, so that the food supply higher in time of drought and shortage at home?
 Of the s34,OOO,OO0 increase more than $11,000,OO0 was in the four items of coffee, hides. manufactured rubber and raw silk. The amounts were: Coffee, $2,429,000 hides. $4,14 ,0OO; unmanufactured rubber, $1.75S,00O; raw silk, $2,745.000. All four of these commodities were free under both tar iffs-the Payne-Aldrich and the Under wood. The change of tariff had no more to do with this increase than the aurora borealis had.
 More than $13,000,000 of the increase in this awful month was in the impor- tation of crude materials for manu- featuring. Of these, raw cotton-free under both tariffs-increased nearly $1.60O,O0O, and raw wool-made free by the Underwood tariff-$6, ,7S9, 900. The tariff had, therefore, nothing to do with the first increase. As for the wool, the greatest wool-producing state in the Union is Montana They grow about 4O,0O0,O00 pounds a year there. These blighting wool importa' | tions were in May. In November they had little election out in Montana | They elected two Democratic con gressmen-there are only two con gressional districts-by pluralities oi about 10000 each over their Republi | can opponents, and over Republicans i and Progressives both of about 4,OO( each; and they sent legislature to Helena Democratic on joint ballot by eight members. And before we leave this painful subject we should like tt inquire what use American WOO manufacturers could have had for al that raw wool in view of the fact which every Republican knows-tha the woolen business had been para lyzed by Democratic onslaughts oI schedule K in the tariff law whicl went into effect in October of the yea fefore?
 We ask the Republicans whethe they would change the tariff on woo if they could? If so, why?
 Manufactures ready for consumption increased in this month $6,517 ,00O How large a percentage of this in crease was in goods free under botl tariffs we do not know; but increase in the two somewhat dissimilar item of fertilizers and works of art amour to nearly a million dollars, and botl were on the free list under both taI ifs. Before any charge can be brough against the Underwood tariff on ae count of this increase it is necessar
 to show that it took place in the cas
 of items affected by tariff reduction
 and that industrial depression fo lowed at home in consequence.
 Republican denunciation of the UT derwood law is shallow, ignorant an , insincere.-St. Louis Republic.