Milford chronicle., 1922-01-20
UNCLE TED'S
BEDTIME STORIES
UNCLE TED GIVES A TARIFF TALK

held in it. The plates filled with the
mixture had been placed outside to
cool in the crisp, cracking, cold
night, and in the course of the task
Ruth's frock had become unbuttOned
IN the back. With her hands smeared
with sweets she approached Uncle
Ted with the request that he button
her up the back, and while he en-
ployed his thumb-like fingers the
children asked him for story to
speed the time during which the can
dy cooled.
"WeH, thought candy-making
would keep you kids busy this even
ing" said Uncle Ted, "and l haven't
any story to tell. Hang. those but
I'll ms! Why do they make EN- so
small? Oh, no! How would story
ABOUT pearl buttons and their rela-
tion to the tariff go?
~ by. what on earth can pearl but
IONS have to do with the tariff?" ques-
toned Jack. And in a jiffy both chill
dren were seated in front of their po-
itical mentor and he began:
Il shall begin by saying that the
pearl button industry in this country
furnishes a typical illustration OF
low the protective tariff law, advOcat-
4 bv the Republican party, works to
.stanlish and keep up industry in this
country. Prior to 1880 there was no
,ear button industry in the United
States. The rates OF duty, that is, the
Ak which importers of pearl buttons
aad to pay to sell in this country
iearl buttons made abroad, was so
mall that it did little to restrict inn
lorts. consequently no home industry
could get a foothold. In that year our
consul General at Vienna, Austria,
wrote a report stating his belief that
the making of pearl buttons would
never be undertaken in the United
States.
But William Mckinley, who was
then chairman of the Ways and
Means Committee of the House of
Representatives, which has charge of
tariff legislation, thought otherwise,
and his tariff bill placed a duty on
pearl buttons which gave birth to the
American industry. Before the Demo-
Gratis came into power in 1913 our
pearl button industry employed 22,-
900 people and there were plants in
Alabama, Illinois. Indiana, Iowa,
Ohio. Michigan, New York, New Jer-
sey. Kentucky, Tennessee and Miss
3uri. From the time of the gathered
shell to the finished product, 12,OOO
men and 5000 women were employ
ed. while 5000 men worked five
months in the year digging over 3d.
600 tons of fresh water shells pro-
duct which, before the industry was
set going, had no commercial value,
but which soon became worth $50 a
ton. The capital at that time invested
in the industry aggregated over So
100000.
'When the Democrats secured con-
troll of the government in 1913 they
set about putting into. practice the
ory which they had long advocated
but which has never yet worked out,
that if a very low rate of duty
is placed on an imported article this
will increase its import to such de-
gree that more revenue will be secur-
ed for the government. If, for exam
nile. an article under a rate of duty OF
20 per cent was imported at the rate
of S1,OOO,OOO annually, thus yielding
100000 in revenue, the same article
with a duty of Is per cent would
nrobably be imported at the rate of,
sav. 81 .OOO.O 900 annually, thus yielding
a duty of 100000. And they applied
this scheme to the entire tariff law
without the slightest regard to its eff
feet on our domestic factories or
farms. Moreover, they declared that
our own people would profit by this
lower duty by purchasing articles
cheaper.
''You were too young before the
Great War to be conscious of the ef-
feet of this idea on the industries and
agriculture of this country, but you
will probably recall that your fathers
health was so seriously undermined
by the hard times of 1914 that he be-
came an easy victim OF the 'hu' ana
YOUR Uncle Ted wore his serge suit
SO long that fly would have broken
his neck trying to crawl on it. was
mainly concerned with keeping enough
oatmeal and smoked meat in the
house to beat out the wolf, but l often
heard him bowling in the next block.
'"Then the war orders from Europe
began to pour into this country and
the mills, started up again to feed the
war-god. Mars, and the farmers set
their plowshares to the task OF pre-
pairing the fields to feed the Wlelders
of the sword. All industry was great
lv relieved and stimulated, not only
because a vast market was opened up,
but also because our great trade com
petitors were engaged in war. Of our
five competitors in the pearl button
industry, England, Italy, Germany
and Austria switched from button to
matchmaking and Japan alone was
left to compete with us for our own
market.
"The war ended as quickly as it be-
can. In the meantime, wages had
climbed in this country in all indus
tries, and Frank M. Swacker, TESTIFY
ing before the Ways and Means Com
mittee with regard to the pearl but
ton industry, just before the tariff bill
which is now being considered, was
drafted, stated that the wages in the
American industry had increased 9S4s
ner cent since 1918. He also gave sta 4
tistics showing that wages in Japan
among the pearl button employees
were IA or 141a cents a day, while
here they were from $3.50 to $4.22 a
dav. OF course that means that the
nimble-fingered Japs render it far less
extensive in Japan to make pearl but
tons. During 1920 we imported over
!. .OOO,O gross of pearl buttons
oil