The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-07-14
LET'S HAVE THE TRUTH.


ports showing their cost to the i'm
those importers exact from the pur-
chasing public: within the last
three weeks the advocates of the tar
iffs bill have recognized the sweeping
sentiments against the bill in all parts
of the country, and they have become
alarmed. They have been annoyed
chiefly because of the refusal of a
great part of the Republican press to
endorse the bill because of its high
and unscientific rates. That is what
is behind the program to carry the
tariff show back to the people of the
country"
Senator McCumber, in his speech of
June II. apparently in reply to this
statement, relieved his feelings as fol-
lows:
This campaign of misrepresenta-
ton against the tariff is conferred in
the big cities, where the importers
advertisements dominate the newspa-
pers. The great metropolitan news
papers today. are attacking the Nc
Cumber tariff bill because their pros
perity for the moment depends upon
the prosperity OF their advertisers.
with every metropolitan paper the
mouthpiece of the importer who buys
its advertising pages, the very founda-
ton Of the temple of protection is be-
ing undermined by this insidious prop
uganda, and their advertisers are MAX
ing fortunes. buying cheaply abroad
and selling at Tremendously high prices
to the American consumer"
The National Retail Dry Goods as
ISOLATION, has replied to Senator Nc
Cumber as follows:
The answer to the first charge, in
effect that the great METROPOLITAN
newspapers are venal and corrupt,
should more properly come from the
our belief that this charge is untrue
and unsupportable, and unworthy of
the chairman of a committee so i'm
portant and responsible as is the SEN
ate finance committee. For the good
OF our American institutions this as
sertion should either be proven or
withdrawn. ~
We consider it fitting that the Ma
tional Retail Dry Goods association
should answer your second charge,
that of "profiteering," as our mem
bership includes about 1000 stores,
both large and small, situated from
the Atlantic to the Pacific, from the
Canadian border to the Rio Grander
doing a net business yearly of more
than two billion dollars. We shall
refute this charge, not by mere asser-
ton, but by the actual published fig
ures. determined by the Investigations
ganization and by three important
government commissions and agen-
cies.
You base your charge on the pre-
sentation of a number of imported
articles, such as a cuckoo clock, ini-
tation pearl necklace, kitchen table
knife, BARRIERS clipper, linen napkin,
electric light bulb, silver backed
watch, ladies' gloves, shears, razor,
curling iron, paper thermos bottle,
pocket knife. decorated plate, flap
jack turner, briar pipe and smoothing
iron You designate the spread" be-
tween the foreign cost and the retail
price OF each of the articles of your
exhibit as the profit" as follows:
Here Is a little watch. silver backed.
think. I do not know whether it is
bought by the gross or by the piece.
The foreign cost is dollar, and it is
retailed in this country for $9.45. The
spread therefore is $S.45 and the
profit of course would be S45 per
cent"
Without questioning the accuracy
of the cost and selling figures pre-
them, or whether they are due to de-
probation of exchange, the truth as
to the profit is of course entirely
different from your statement, be-
added the cost of foreign buying, in
land freight abroad, consular fees,
freight and insurance, duty to the
United States government, custom
house charges. general overhead, the
cost of doing business in this country
and federal and other taxes. The
spread between the cost so deter
mined and the price at which the
goods are sold is the true profit. Thus
it is apparent that every percentage
OF profit of importer and retailer
stated by you Gin some cases to be
upwards of 1000 per cent" is incor-
rect and misleading 1t appears that
You have made the error of designat-
ing as profit the difference between
the first cost OF the merchandise and
its marked retail selling price. How
profitable all business would be il
there were no expense,
AS to the articles selected to create
this impression it can fairly be said
that they are not, important items or
representative of the imports which
come into America nor do they re-
| fleet the general condition of the
trade. 1t has been stated on the
floor of the senate that the annual
production. OF clocks in the United
| States is about $23o,000,o00, of which
there is exported almost SIS. 700, 900 in
| free competition with the clocks of
other countries. while but 100000, OF
about 2-10 of 1 per cent, is imported
annually in competition with our own
clocks OF electric light bulbs there
| was imported in 1891 into the United
| States about $250,o00 worth. there
was exported 100000 worth, and
/ there was manufactured in this coun-
try about $50, 100000 worth, imports
thus being. less than lilo of l per
cent Other examples given are
similar.
Since the associations reply did not
mention It, perhaps the fact that no
such thing as a cuckoo clock is made
in this country was overlooked.
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