The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1922-10-06
WASHINGTON LETTER
By Wallace Bassford.

statement was made that when Con-
%resS would adjourn, some time along
IN the tall, there would be no bonus
legislation, and that Republican
members who were voting for it were
doing so with their fingers crossed
Anowing the President would veto the
dill. This writer went further and
gave the entire plan which would be
fCllOwed-Dhat the bill would pass
both Houses, would be vetoed by the
President, and that the effort u pass
It over his veto would succeed in the
House and fail i'll the Senate. This
was not prophesy-it WAS written
from knowledge of the Republican
plan to hold the soldier vote in line
Tor the Republican members and those
Republican Senators who have to go
before the people in November. When
they voted tor it and made fearful APP
pealS tor other votes they knew their
votes would not make the measure in
to law, for they knew it would fail in
Just the manner stated in the letter
above mentioned. which appeared in
hundreds OF newspapers throughout
the country.
1t - SlllIldieu Ildl ine DOHuS Dlll
would have cost the taxpayers about
four billions, scattered over genera
lion or more. The President and Sec
rotary Mellon can not see how the
people could pay the price, but they
have no hesitancy in approving the
new tariff bill, which will take from
the peoples pockets, i'll increases in
the cost of manufactured articles. al
most tour billions each single yeaI
until the awakened and outraged pub
lie drives the law and its makers out
into the cold. Mellon himself will he
the greatest beneficiary, in all likli-
hood, OF all the men who will fatten
their present wealth off of the needs
OF he people. This modern Shylock
controls. as merely Il part OF his great
wealth. all Of the aluminium manu-
featuring in the land. His influence
has raised the tariff rates on imported
aluminium wares to such 4 nigh point
that there Will he no impOrtatiDns;
his companies will have no COMPETE
lion and the prices can be lifted to
double the present figures and the
public will simply have to pay. There
- ~ tcN q pc L ll'ltl inc new law. WIFI
the helm of a little Joker the import
duty on aluminium wares is Il per
cent. while under the Underwood law
ii was 20 per cent. The latter rate
protected the American aluminium
worker and put much revenue in the
Treasury: the new rate keeps out the
foreign wares. hence the Treasury
Will get no revenue therefrom, while
it gives MELONS companies COM
plete monopoly. They have suffered so
little from foreign competition in the
past that they have exported heavily.
selling their goods in Europe in com
petition with cheap labor. Mellon is
4 director in the Aluminium COMPANY
OF America, of the Aluminium Cooking
CtcnsIl Co., OF the Aluminium Ore Co.
OF the American Metal Co., of the
Northern Aluminium Co.. OF the Press
ed Metal Radiator Co.. and of the
United States Aluminium Co. Under
this prOhibitive tariff rate peculiar
result obtains: The Treasury will re-
ceINc no revenue, while the Public
Will be mulcted shamefully. vet will
nave to bay other taxes to the Treas
ury TO make up for those lost because
the tariff IS 50 high as to prevent i'm
pOrtltionS.
The new wool tariff is so outrage
Gus that it will take almost billion
dollars each year in additional prices.
over what they should be, from the
pockets of the consumers. This
amount alone, in four years. would
pay the entire bill for the soldiers
bonus. The people. who would like TO
see the boys get the bonus. will have
to pay this bill. and yet the soldiers
VIII go without their recompenSe.
ohe OF the most irOnical frauds in the
WOOL tariff is the tact that it taxes
as pure wool every fake and fraud
that by any stretch of the truth can
be classed as wool. A workman's blue
winter shirt which he fondIv thinks
IS wool. has placed on it a duty of los
per cent, though there is no real wool
IN it. 70 call it wool is an insult which
even sheep should resent. The goods
used to make these shirts usually
contains from so to 50 per cent. of
shoddy and the remainder is cotton.
Many folks think the word shoddv
merely means Il poor grade of wool.
nat IS correct as far as il goes, but
the fact is that shoddy is made from
The ragpicker's rags. pulled to pieces
ny machinery and again spun and
dyed. The long fiber and the life of
the original wool are gone and the
garment in which it is used is of short
me- poor quality and of little warmth.
The duty on wool is put on under
!pretenSe of protecting the farmer. Ii
really removes all the protection he
has against the cheat and the fraud.
All of the farmers need to wear wool
en- garments and buy them for their
families. yet only per cent of the
farmers raise sheep, while only ; or
4 per cent have large flOcks. The tar
i'll on the raw wool will enrich the
wool growers about As millions, will
put about 60 millions in the Treasury
and add 473 millions to the prices of
the handlers and manufacturers of
wool and clothing. Every fellow gets
his cut out of 1.-THE wool jobber, the
scourer. the carder. the spinner. the
weaver. the clothing manufacturer.
johber and retailer. Half OF this is due
to this Dyramiding each handler. adds
his percentage of profit to a higher
first ri Of al