Jasper County Democrat, Volume 13, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 April 1910 — WEAR SHODDY CLOTHES. [ARTICLE]

WEAR SHODDY CLOTHES.

Duty on Woo’ Means Cheap Clothes For Foreigner*an« Dear Clothe* For Americans. The New York Journal of Commerce of Feb. 23 has an article detailing how the tariff on woolen cloth works' to the advantage of the foreigner, enabling him to wear American made clothing of a much better grade and at a lower cost than the American consumer can command. Some enterprising clothing manufacturers in this country are importing foreign cloth, on vyhich they pay a heavy duty, of course, but by making this cloth up into garments add exporting it Across the ocean they get a drawback of 99 per cent upon it, which enables them to make a handsome profit. ' Such alertness is, of course, highly creditable to their trading instincts. - ' But the fnnny thing about it is that, while this will create a demand for foreign woolens and worsteds and will directly benefit the foreign consumer, it will bring no benefit to American cloth mills or, as above stated, to the American consumer. “Garments made of American cloth,” says the above paper, “would have to be pieced kt figures so high that no retailer could be found on the other side who would have the courage to place them in his stock, no matter how much superior they might be in point of cut, finish or general workmanship.” The reason for this high price is the high duty which we have on raw wool in this country and which makes it impossible for American clothmakers to compete with foreigners. If it were not for this duty American cloth and not foreign cloth would be used for export. Thus, for the sake of putting money into the pockets of certain sheep raisers, who already have the benefit of a tariff on mutton, the vast American public is forced to wear either shoddy clothing or dearer clothing than the foreigner! This is a clear case where the tariff has increased the cost of living. The gold question has nothing to do with it