Jasper County Democrat, Volume 6, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 February 1904 — THE AMERICAN CONSUMER. [ARTICLE]

THE AMERICAN CONSUMER.

,f Cholly” Landis has beea renominated for congress in tbe Ninth district without opposition. The county council of Newton county is called to meet in special session March 7th to authorize the issuance of $25,000 in bonds and appropriate the proceeds from the sale thereof to build a new court house at Kentland. The Carroll County Citizen vras recently installed in its new home, a handsome two-story brick especially built and fitted for the paper. The Democrat congratulates Bro. Crumpton on this evidence that his long years “in the harness” have been rewarded in a financial way, dud hopes thßt he may continue to enjoy the fruits of his labor for many years to come. The high regard in which Abraham Ilalleck and Samuel ft. Nichols are held by the members of their own party in Jasper county was evidenced from the fact that while the county was over fiOO republican on the state ticket, these worthies’ barely sneaked in “by the skin of. their teeth,” and enough “shyster democrats” no doubt “scratched” to make this possible.

Some of the old reliable republicans, the kind that vote as they shot, are in a state of collapse over the discovery that their taxes have been doubled up this year. One old “stand patter” who paid $99.00 last year, nearly had a fit when he discovered that he was down for $199 this year. However bitter this doße may be, the taste will be out of his mouth sufficiently to “vote 'er straight” in November.

Indianapolis News: Under the caption “The American Consumer,’’ the Boston Transcript points out a few obvious examples of imposition that should have their due weight in forming *,mong the American people the determination that one day, we trusu slmll end the action of the monop 'f's that still masquerade under the < Id cry of “protection to our infant industries.” There is a 15 per cent, duty on hides. This means a t;x on every American — for poor "or rich, we must all /Wear shoes. It is all very well to point with pride to the extension of our export trade, and to boast of the new foreign countries that are finding out the excellence of American shoes, but this does not relieve the American people from paying 15 per cent., more for their shoes, or getting 15 per cent, less quality in the grades than they would get. And to what end? It does not help the shoe business. It simply enables the Beef Trust to pocket so much more money for the raw material. '' V . - It has been said that this imposition was the result of $ pre-elec-tion agreement for a campaign fnntfT things of this kind have

happened in this country. Whether or not it is, the Transcript rightly thinks that the recent statement of the protectionist organ, the American Economist, that any disturbance of the tariff would bo “a violation by the Government of a contraot of agreement with certain producing interests,’’ indicates that something besides the public welfare dictated at least some of the schedules of the Dingley bill. In (joint of fact that hides are purely a by-product. Vet on this by-product is placed this tax. Tbe steel industry affords another example of the injustice of protection “as she exists.” American mills are now furnishing rails for a road to Mecca, delivered at Beirut, at $22.50 a ton. And the same mills are charging our roads S2B, and the latter do their own freighting. Worse than this, the Canadian Pacific will get American rails for S2O while American roads will pay S2B. Canada would be very foolish to go in for annexation; she would then have to pay Americau prices for American goods. Still worse, the steel trust is now demanding lower freight rates on its foreign shipments. There can be no honest dissent from the Transcript’s conclusion:

The protectionism that can cover such transactions as these, giving the beef packer a gratuity on his by-product, the steel trust tbe privilege of practicing extortion at home while foreign railroads are enabled to obtain their materials at bargain rates in competition with the cheapest European markets, even making our own transportation lines contribute to this end, is not the sort that was in people’s minds when American patriotism submitted to taxation to give encouragement for “infant industries.” The industrial conditions developed now tell another story and call for different action in the interests of the American people and the whole people.