The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-02-17
PEARL BUTTONS AND PROTECTION.

PEARL BUTTONS AND PROTECTION.
The state of Iowa is generally looked upon
as strictly agricultural state, large produc-
er of corn, wheat, oats, barley, and hogs For
that reason people Of other states usually 90 not
look upon Iowa as state very much interested
in development of manufacturing industries.
But the action of the house OF representatives
| in passing bill for the imposition or large
import duty on pearl buttons recalls the TACT
that Iowa is the principal state OF the union III
the production Of this essential OF the manutac-
ture of wearing apparel. Iowa, more than any
other state is therefore interested IN this Dill
restoring in some measure protective tarlf1.
2; Pearl buttons are made Of clam shells, mussel
shells. and the shells of few deep-sea bivalves
The shells most in use are those found In the
Mississippi and rivers tributary to the Mlssls-
sippi. More than twenty thousand operatives
are, in normal times directly employed IN the
manufacture of pearl buttons in Alabama, I'LL
nois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Michigan, New York,
New Jersey, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mis-
souri, More than fifty thousand tons OF shells
are used for this purpose. -
Prior to 1890 the shells had been gong to
waste, and the people of the United States we're
importing their pearl buttons from Europe ana
Asia, principally, Austria. When the Mckinley
bill of 1890 was enacted, there was included III
that measure provision imposing protective
tariff duty on pearl buttons. AS result, the IN
Idustry was established here, the most up-to-
date manufacturing machinery was invented
and installed, and the pearl button industry
placed on permanent and substantial basis.
In 1913 congress cut the duty on pearl but
tons. What the consequence OF that action was
may be readily seen. During the fiscal year
;o@b n
Kinley tariff was still in effect, we imported
pearl buttons to the value of ninety-one thou
sand dollars, on which revenue was realized in
the SIM of seventy thousand dollars. It is evi.
dent that the import duty was not prohibitive,
for these imports came in and paid the duty.
The Underwood law took effect in October,
1913. and in the next nine months we imported
one hundred and seventy thousand dollars
worth of buttons, on which only sixty thou
sand dollars of revenue was paid. Our imports
increased eighty-seven per cent, and the reve-
nue. fell off nearly nine thousand dollars. Even
after the war began and the channels OF trade
we're disarranged importations OF pearl but
tons continued to increase, and during the fiscal
wear 1915, we imported more than two hundred
and twelve thousand dollars worth of buttons,
on which there was collected revenue OF little
more than ninety-one thousand dollars. o.,
In recent years Japan has made very rapid
strides in the development of the pearl button
industry because of the cheapness Of labor, the
willingness of labor to work long hours, and the
abundance of raw material In view Of past
history and our experience under the Under
wood tariff law since 1913, it is certain
that the pearl button industry would be alb
solutelv ruined without the enactment of the
protective tariff law which the house has al
ready passed. and which has been approved by
the Subcommittee on finance in the senate.
The point is made that every amendment,
with one exception, to the United States con-
stitution grants something to the people The
exception, the eighteenth, abridges a right to
the point of it's extinction.
Soap went up during the war because of the
alleged lack of fats. In it's now higher than be-
fore the war; though there is superabundance
of fats Is this just another case of charging
i''all that the traffic will bearl''
The United States is the greatest nation in
the world to operate several months without
knowing who was in reality performing the
duties of chief executive.
Wall street cannot complain any longer of
high prices.