Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 June 1909 — NO ADVANTAGE TO THEM [ARTICLE]

NO ADVANTAGE TO THEM

Ex-Governor Douglas of Massaohusetts. Groat Shoo Manufacturer, Shows That Cattle Ralsore Are Few and Get No Benefit From a Duty on Hides. Ei-Covenior William L. Douglas of Massachusetts, one of the largest mannfacturers of shoes tn the country, has ■scently Issued a statement protesting against a duty on hides, in the course of which he shows that no benefit from the hide duty goes to the cattle raisers. Cattle Ralsore Becoming Fewer. _ According to the census of 1900

there were then only 37,629 stock raisers in the country, while there were 5,483,618 farmers—that is, the stock raisers constituted less than 1 per cent of our farming population and pnly about one-fifth of 1 per cent of our total population. As our grazing lands are growing less and less each year, which is the case In every country advancing in civilization, the number of stock raisers becomes less. It was stated on May 13, 1909, by Boyd’s City Dispatch, a well known distributing agency, that they could find only 22,000 names of persons who could fairly be called stock or cattle raisers. So that, if we assume that the cattle raisers are benefited by the duty, 800 consumers of Shoes and other leather goods must be taxed for every cattle raiser benefited. This is an Intolerable ratio of burdens to benefits, even from the standpoint of a high protectionist. Prices of Cattle and Hides. But ex-Governor Douglas, after referring to these things, went further and showed by a careful comparison of the prices of cattle, hides and leather for the past twelve years that there Is practically no relation or connection between the prices of cattle and hides and not even a close connection between the prices of bides and leather. After giving all the figures from April, 1897, to April, 1909, taken from official and authoritative sources, Mr. Douglas said: "Thus we see that the prices of hides are often high when the prices of cattle are low and often low when the prices of cattle are high. "In 1905 and 1906 hides were selling above 15 cents per pound when cattle were below 6 cents per pound, while tn 1902 hides were selling at 13 cents when cattle were selling at 8% cents. In 1900 hides were selling at 16Mi cents when cattle were selling at &85 cents. While in 1908 hides were selling at 9J4 cents when cattle were selling at TH cents. From April, 1908, to April, 1909, the price of cattle declined 2 per cent, while the price of bides advanced 47 per cent From February, 1906, to April, 1909, the price of cattle ad-: vanced 26 per cent while the price of hides declined 8 per cent”