Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-09-03
How Nation Failed
Continued from Page One)

ulate our foreign trade. and that 1t
would raise sufficient revenue to run
the Government. The law did not
do single one of these things.
Tables of % articles OF food, as
prepared by the United States de-
partment OF labor in December, 1914,
for the year 1914. the first calendar
year following the passage of the
Underwood law. showed that Is of
these articles of food advanced in
price. The only articles of food that
did not advance in price were lard.
butter, milk and coffee. Tables on
the cost of living, prepared by the
same department, and which include
food; clothing; housing; fuel and
light: house furnishing goods; and
miscellaneous articles. six groups in
all, showed an increase of percent
in the first calendar year following
the passage of the Democratic low
tariff law. All these increases took
place In the face Of the terrible fact
that more than 100000 people were
out of employment.
The law did disturb business.
When the Underwood law went into
effect 45 blast furnaces in the city of
, Birmingham. Ala, home city of SEN
ator Underwood, one Of the authors
Of the Underwood and Simmons law.
were all working full time. Eight
| months after the passage of the law
but Is blast furnaces were in opera
ton. This was because of the re-
moval of the duty which enabled
Belgium and England-t to ship steel
rails; which enabled Nova Scotia to
ship pig iron. all to the detriment of
our home industries. Eight months
after the passage of the law 100000
men employed in the steel industry
were out of work.
On April LIST, 1914, there were 22s,-
600 idle freight cars on the side
tracks. and 243,000 railroad men were
laid off. All told, three million men
and women were out Of employment,
according to statements given out in
1914, by Samuel Gompers. president
of the American Federation of Labor.
When the Republicans took over
the management Of the Government
in 1921. more than $1,000 900 men and
women were unemployed. Today,
under Fordney- McCumber tariff law,
there is no unemployment situation
The textile situation is not as good
as would like to see 1t. Depressed
because too much cotton textiles are
coming in from England, France,
Italy, and Czechoslovakia. In a per-
iod Of nine months. ending April 1st.
1926, more than 319.000,00o yards of
cotton goods were imported into this
country. The duty on cotton goods
and cotton manufacturers should be
increased.
Moreover, the New England cot
ton industry have to compete with
the southern cotton mills. In the
South they work longer houfs; they
work for less pay; they work little
children, and they do not have the
regulatory measures which add to
the overhead expense, which prevails
in the New England states. Still an
other reason is the substitution of
other textiles for women's clothing.
such as rayon and silk. Rayon can
be manufactured for a fraction of
what it costs to manufacture gene
inetextiles. Moreover, 1t looks clas-
sier and feels smoother. The fiapper
would rather wear so-called silk
than she would cotton goods. wom-
en- at one time wore clothing of
perceptable yardage. while now-a-
days. If a flapper has more than a
yard and one-half Of cloth on her.
she feels "stuffy." Result-less de-
mand for cotton goods, and the clos
ing down Of textile mills.
Did Not Increase Foreion Trade
The Underwood Simmons law did
not increase our foreign trade. The
law was in effect just ten months
prior to the European War breaking
out. during that time our imports
increased $102,000,000. and our ex-
ports decreased $15S,OOo,o0o. Thus
causing loss to this country to the
extent of s260,000,0G0 Every dollar of
this $260,000,000 loss represents
dollar sent across the ocean and abb
solutely lost to American industry.
Economists generally admit that
dollar expended In active business
in the United States changes hands
from ten to twelve times a year, the
removal Of this s2s0,o0o. 900 from
American business meant. in the
course Of a year. a loss to Ameri-
can business to the extent of $1,000
100000.
The loss in custom revenue Of
s1oo.0o0,00o. coupled with Democrat
&c extravAEance and incompetence.