The Lamar register., 1915-10-20
HE KNOWS OUR SUGAR CoNDI-
TIONS
Senator Weeks OF MASSACHUSETTS Con-
tends That EGty ON Sugar Should
BE Restored to Save Home
Industry

United States Senator John A.
Weeks of Massachusetts, made an ad-
dress at the Third Ward Republican
club barbecue, Saturday, which de-
serves close reading. The Bay state
senator employed no oratorical fire
works. His address was a plain, force
full business statement. There was no
partisan bitterness in it, and only a
person of biased build and narrow
mind could reasonably find fault with
the gentleman's utteranees. Senator
Weeks was calm and collected regard
ing this country's relations with the
| European nations now at war. He gave
it as his opinion that the great bulk of
the American people are opposed to
mixing up in hostilities. This, of
course, is enough to displease the
noisy element that wants war at any
price. On the matter of preparedness
for self-defense, Senator Weeks show
ed by facts and figures that the demo-
Gratis in congress were responsible for
the small army and inadequate navy
|
the votes on the appropriations for
battleships and larger army equipment
to prove how the democrats stood. The
statements he made in this connection
are beyond dispute. Senator Weeks
made clear and convincing statements
concerning the protective tariff and
the mistakes of the democratic party
in revising it. The democrats have al
ways opposed the protective principles
in tariff levying and claimed that the
cost of all protected articles were the
amount Of the tariff higher to the
consumer. By cutting down the tariff
living was to be lowered. The people
were to have cheaper foodstuffs, cloth
ing and cheaper shoes. These neces-
sites were put upon the free list so
that the working peoples burdens
might be lightened. The very opposite
happened. Foodstuffs are no cheaper,
clothing and shoes are dearer; and the
whole diagnosis of the democratic doc
tors were wrong The people derived
no benefit from tariff reductions and
the government lost tens of millions in
revenue. To meet this loss of revenue
an income tax was levied, and this. not
being sufficient to fill the empty cof-
fers, a war tax, in a time of peace, had
to be resorted to. Nor is this enough
to meet the expenses. Some other
scheme to raise additional money must
be resorted to. No one benefited by
the democratic tariff revision save
the foreign producer and the i'm
porter, and the American people have
to make up for the deficit in revenues
either directly or indirectly. The "in-
dustrial freedom" President Wilson
talked so much about was of rainbow
consistency. The war in Europe alone
saved fuller demonstration Of the
unsound reasoning Of the president on
the tariff question. In the first place,
the nations which were likely to flood
the American markets with cheap
labor productions have been engaged
in war and producing little for ex-
port, and labor and capital here have
escaped more serious situation. Sec
ondly. war orders have furnished bus
mess for many manufacturers and for
tens of thousands of working people
Without the war, the democrats would
be still worse off for an excuse for
their reckless tariff tinkering. But
this review would not be complete
without reference to that cheap sugar
the people were to have under the
democratic schedule. Sugar, like
clothing and shoes, went up instead
of down under the democratic sched-
ule, and the Wilson theory was shot
to pieces. Senator Weeks made a
clear presentation Of the facts in con-
nection with the foregoing. Anybody
who doubts the truth Of his assertions
can compare prices under the old pro
tective tariff and the tariff for rev
enue only, which, by the way, has not
even produced revenue. They will find
that he is right in his statements of
fact. Economic matters should be
viewed from a business standpoint and
not looked at from a sectional or par
tisan angle. If tie people would think
for themselves instead of listening to
...1,,1J he Fa, hattar