Iron County register., 1922-08-24
Washington Correspondence.
BY WALLACE BAssFoRD.

w AShlNGIONs ". VI, aug. 14-E0f |
several years the average American
family has been fighting and seeking
to evade the encroachments of the
high cost OF living, has been econ omiz-
ing and pursuing the elusive bargain
sale, mending, cleaning, patching and
hoping for better days, when dollar
might be expected to buy dollars
worth of food or clothing. Some ma
terial decreases have aroused a hope
which the pending tariff bill is destin-
ed to utterly destroy. The cost of
living, which has been somewhat re-
duced, is about to take turn upward.
In the things we eat this will be hard
ly noticed, for the producer of things
which grow out of the ground will get
no more for his products by reason of
the tariff, but in all of the manufac-
tured articles the increases will be
considerable. For every group and
class of manufacturers there will be a
tax levied on one class-the consum-
ers. These unfortunates, in their ca
paeity as consumers, will receive no
benefits themselves but viii have to
contribute to the increased income of
every man benefited by this special
class legislation. The new nigh tariff
rates, always destructive in their past
history, will again impoverish the
buyers and thus take the market away
from the sellers, who will consequent
ly be unable to buy from manufac-
turers their wares from which there
has come a diminished market, and
when these things befall, less labor is
required in the factories, hence gem
eral unemployment, hard times and
all of the miseries attendant thereon.
One of the worst iniquities of the
Smoot bill is the wool tariff, laid upon
the backs of more than one hundred
millions of users of wool for the bene-
fit of less than half million growers
of wool. Under the present (Under-
wood) tariff law there is no import
tax on raw wool. We use 220, 900, 900
pounds of this product per year, and
tariff or no tariff, in the past we have
not, On the average, produced in this
country more than about half of the
amount we use. Hence the new
tariff rate Of SO cents per pound on
the secured wool means that this will
be added to each pound of the 120,-
900, 900 pounds imported and will 60
into the Treasury, but it will also be
added to the home product and go in
to the pockets of the American wool
growers, some of the wealthiest OF
whom are occupying seats in the
Senate and have just succeeded in
killing Senator Caraway's resolution
to investigate their pocket-book in
terest in the legislation they are fast
ening on the people. 1t would not DC
so serious burden if the increase IN
the cost of articles made of WOO
should end with the tax of 33 cent?
per pound, but the truth is that i
only begins there. After the wool il
secured it becomes subject to a slid
ing scale of increased tariffs, each in
tended to fatten the manufacture
who puts it through the next process
so that the carder, yarn manufacture
er. cloth weaver ard clothing make
all get their slice out of the diminish
ed dollar of the public. The tarli
protection of the clothing manufac
turer alone is fifty per cent, so tha
by the time the suit of clothes gets t
the dealer it is calculated by Senate
Walsh of Massachusetts, who is j
charge Of the wool schedule for tn
Democrats, that about five dollar
will be added to the cost of suit. Y
course the dealer bases his sellin
price on the cost to him, which 10
wolves another raise, depending Q
what percentage he adds for over
head and profit. On heavy over
coat the increase will be considerabl
greater On woman's suit or COZ
it will be almost as great.
The wool tariff which will add abol
forty millions to the pockets OF tt
wool growers will take from tf
pockets Of the wool users, in tax an
profits to manufacturers in additlo
to the tax thatgoes into the Treasur
about s31O,Ooo, 900 per year. Ihis
enough to stagger the man who IS !!
ing awake nights trying TO figure o
a way to make ends meet. 1t Is W.
TO remember that this new tax IS ia
under the excuse Of increasing q
prosperity Of a class OF men area
prosperous, the big wool growers o.
few western states. incidentally q
through the courage of Senator Gar
way in exposing the personal inte
ests Of half dozen western Repu
Iican Senators, it develops that :
political control Of these states,