Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 August 1907 — WHAT ABOUT PRICES? [ARTICLE]

WHAT ABOUT PRICES?

When the parents of the school children begin next September to buy the books and other things that children are required to carry to school these days, let them remember that the school book and supply trust still has Indiana by the throat. The method of reaching the pockets of the parents has been changed, but the pockets are reached, just as of old. Why did Mr. Fairbanks’s Indiana managers abandon those district meetings? Three or four were held and then suddenly nothing more was heard of them, although it was announced that each of the thirteen districts was to be invaded. Was the anti-Fairbanks sentiment too strong or was the cost of manufacturing “spontaneous” enthusiasm too heavy? The Fairbanks newspaper organs are still engaged in a death grapple with Collier’s Weekly, Harper’s Weekly, and a great many other publications that think Mr. Fairbanks is an unfit man for the presidency. It is significant, however, that there are many Republican papers in Indiana that are not the least bit concerned. They don’t care what happens to the Fairbanks bubblet. Federal Judge Pritchard of N orth Carolina evidently believes that the way to l, wipe out state lines” is to wipe them out. He is a Republican, a Roosevelt appointee and a “practical man” who appears to hold the constitution of the United States in contempt — that is, assuming that he knows anything about it. A few more Pritchards will greatly help the federal centralizers carry out their plans. If the people do not interfere by putting a Democratic ad ministation in power it will not be long until all orders will come from Washington and local self government will be a myth.

The frantic efforts of the Republican managers to distract attention from the gross extravagance of the state government will not fool anybody. The Republicans had a majority of thirty in the late legislature and did and refused to do just what they pleased. They could have kept down expenses and saved the taxpayers immense sums of money if they wanted to do so, but they did not do it. On the contrary they put an extra load on the people. The expenses of the legislature itself were $12,000 more than the cost of any previous session. And needless new state offices and higher salaries added $320,000 more. Be-

aides many other bills and the items in {he general and specific appropriation bills show a reckless disregard of the taxpayers, who were already overburdened. Not, a single Republican official from Hanly down said a word in protest. And the question is, do the people like it?

The following editorial from the Indianapolis News, an independent republican sheet, is worthy of repetition as it is in line with what The Democrat has been saying for a long time, and coming from a paper that always supports republican candidates in every national campaign, it should receive careful consideration from republican voters, for there is an occasional republican paper that will tell the truth when there is no campaign on. The article follows-

As was shown a few days ago the President has decided that there shall be no attempt made to revise the tariff till after the presidential election. This of course means that the work will not be undertaken for at least two years, and this only on the theory that there will be an extraordinary session called for the purpose immediately after the inauguration of the new President. Otherwise revision will go over to December, 1909, and the result will be that nothing will be accomplished before the spring or summer of 1910 —or three years hence. Meanwhile the President’s entire activties are devoted to controlling the railroads, which are being controlled only too well by the States to please certain Federal judges, and dissolving trusts which do not seem tostay dissolved. A few years ago the administration “went after” the paper trust, which certainly needed attention. The trust was broken up, and we suppose that the administration could go no further on the line that it took. And yet to-day white paper is sold at $2 50 a hundred pounds, while prior to the dissolution of the trust the price was $1 85. The people are familiar with the steel rail situation. There is a combination or pool in that industry which is so strong as absolutely to control prices. For years rails have sold in this country for S2B a ton though we have undisputed and indisputable testimony that it costs only from sl2 to sls to make them The same rails are sold iu foreign markets at from sl9 to $22 a ton. We insist that the railroads shall lower their freights and fares and submit to regulation controlling them in the matter of earnings, and yet we permit them to be thus held up by the steel combination. What is true of rails is true of practically everything that the railroads must buy—cars, locomotives, ties, lumber, etc. It was announced the other day that the price of thread, a highly protected article, was again to be heavily advanced. Building material costs so much that many men are postponing building operations till a more sersonable time. And we all know how tremendous has been the increase in the cost of living We protect hides, and so raise the price of leather and shoes. Our high taxes on wool and woolens have the effect of increasing the price of clothes or of cheapening their quality. Mr. Everett P. Wheeler, in a recent letter to the New York Times, showed that the average duty on woolen goods, including knit goods, blankets and the like, is at least 100 per cent. That is, we impose a tax equal to the total value of this product for the purpose of compensating the manufacturer for the difference between the cost of production here and the cost abroad. The duty on borax is 75 per cent., which is, as Mr. Wheeler says, more than four times the entire wage cost of the product. And thus the Jtorax trust is able to exact in New York twice the London price. It is so with sugar. Here, again, the duty is about 100 per oent., while the total cost of production, including wages and materials, is only 46| per cent, of the wholesale selling price. Again, the New York price of sugar is far in excess of the London price. The wage cost of manufacturing castor oil is less than 10 per cent, of the value of the product, but the tariff tax imposed for the benefit of the manufacturer is 98 per cent. Finally, Mr. Wheeler points out that the duty on mica, which is a natural product, is at the lowest 150 per cent., and that in one case it was feund by the board of appraisers to be 4.000 per cent.; the wage cost is less than one-tenth of the 150 per cent. dnty. These are only a few of the spec-

imen bricks in the tariff wall. Apparently the President is hot impressed with the necessity for tariff reform. He has told us that there is no connection between the tariff and trusts, when, as a matter of fact, there is no more effective way to attack the trust than through the tariff. We are striving hard to enforce competition through the writ of injunction, and by the use of criminal process. But the President deliberately proposes to shield trusts for three years from the only competition they fear, the only competition which would bring about a reduction of prices. It is a pleasant and exciting pastime to dissolve trusts as the paper trust was dissolved. But, really, the trusts do not Jobject to dissolution as long as they are able to exact tribute from the American people. The President is not interested in the real campaign against the trusts, and, indeed, he has not, since he was a member of the New York Free Trade Club, years ago, seemed able to appreciate the importance of tariff reform. Postponement of this needed reform leaves the road open for the Democrattc party. Bryan has said that Government ownership of railroads is not an issue, and could not be made one in the next campaign. Tariff reform can be made such an issue. And .it will be a taking taking one. For the people are not deceived on 'ihis subject. They know how they are being bled by the protected industries, and they know, too, that most of the work done in the way of restaining railroads and other corporations has been done by the States. Further than that, they do not care whether a combination that is strong enough to control prices is or is not a trust within the meaning of the law. What they want is a reduction in the burdens they are now compelled to carry because of the partnership between the Government of the United States and the protected industries, such as the borax trust, the sugar trust, the lumber trust, the steel combine, etc. It is strange that the President is so slow to see 4be point.