Omaha daily bee., 1916-10-11
SHAW UNC0VERS
DENIS PRETENSE
Former Secretary of Treasury
Tells What Revenue Tariff
Does to Industry.
EFFECT UPON THE WORKER
tFrom g Staff Correspondent. }

Lincoln, Oct. 10.-(Special. LES
lie NJ. Shaw, former governor of
Iowa, and former cabinet officer, as
sailed. -tasz.dsnecratiS-tsriff znsasure
before large audience at the city
Auditorium here tonight.
Mr., Shaw has spent two days CAM
paigning in Nebraska, using the tariff
as the basis of his attack. He said in
part:
Only One Meaning.
"If the English languae has any
significance whatever when applied to
a tariff platform, tariff for revenue
only is q tariff for revenue and for
nothing else. Admittedly, no tariff
revenue can be obtained on merchan-
disc produced within the United
States. Hence a tariff for the sole
purpose of raising revenue is tariff
so adjusted as to insure the importa-
ton of each article mentioned in the
schedules. Certainly the importation
of merchandise previously produced
at home will proportionately restrict
home production Therefore, tariff
for revenue only is tariff for the sin
gle and sole purpose OF having the
merchandise we consume made
abroad and imported. In other words,
logically and irresistibly, a tariff for
revenue only is a tariff for the delib-
crate result Of closing American shops
and turning American laborers into
the streets.
"In his message to congress OF Sep
tember ID, 1914, urging what he calls
war emergency tax, President Will
son made it clear that the very large
increase in imports which the Under
wood tariff bill would have certainly
invited but for the war was being pre-
vented by the war, and he asked that
new revenue measure be provided
that should supply the loss in reve-
nues resulting therefrom, which he es-
timated at $l00,000,000. The average
duty on all imports under the Under
wood law was at that time nearly IS
per cent. To have raised this $780,
100000 from customs would have,
therefore, required the importation OF
$700000,000 additional merchandise.
Add to this the average duty and we
have $500, 100000, which the president
says he and his party intended the
people of the United States should
consume in lieu OF an equal amount Of
domestic merchandise.
Effect on Industry.
What would have become of our
industries by this time had imported
merchandise taken the place Of do
mestic to the extent of $S00,000000
per annum? And what would have be-
come of American workmen had they
been deprived OF the wages incident
to the production of $800,000000
worth of merchandise? Remember
that coal and other supplies, repairs
and maintenance OF plants, and even
transportation, are largely labor. The
loss to labor, according to their own
estimates, would have been at least
$600,000,000 per annum. Truly the
war, in thwarting the progress of
democratic president and the demo-
cratic congress, has been kind to
American labor.
II call attention to the fact that
whenever congress has enacted a tar
iff for revenue only, thus inviting in
creased importstions, we have very
soon, and always, found ourselves in
the condition in which the farmer
finds himself when he imports what
he ought to produce. 1t may seem
strange to those who prefer to talk
and write rather than study, but it is
nevertheless less true that the people
of the United States import more dol
lars worth per capita while enjoying
prosperity incident to protective tar
ifs than during prolonged periods OF
tariffs for revenue only During the
four years of President Harrison's ad-
CONTINUED on Page Two, Column Fcur.)