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Show TARIFF AND TAXES. The free -traders like to tell us that by repealing our tariff laws we can reduce the cost of living and reduce taxes at 1 the same time. Well the theory that ' the protective tariff increases the cost of living has-been pretty well exploded. When the present pres-ent tariff law was enacted a few years ago all sorts of dire things were predicted. We were told that the cost of clothing and cloth would go "out of sight" and that the prices of other commodities would soar. But the results have not borne out the predictions of the free traders. Wages have indeed advanced during the past few years but the cost of living has actually been reduced. This has been because of the trefendous American" production, which has been fade possible by the great American market which absorbs the greatest part of our produce. And the great American Ameri-can market has been kept for the American producer by the protective pro-tective tariff. Now if the tariff has not increased the cost of living it logically logi-cally follows that reducing the tariff would not permanently cut the cost of living. Indeed it is more" likely than when the foreign producers once got control .of the market they would charge us what they pleased. We know something about this from our experiences ex-periences with coffee, rubber and other commodities which we cannot produce for ourselves. Nor can it be logically maintained that reducing the tariff would reduce taxes. We get now through our protective tariff a great part of the revenues for the expenses of our government. Wiping out the tariff would mean that we would have to raise something like $600,000,000 more by direct taxation, to make up for the funds formerly collected by the customs officers. At this time when there is a great demand that taxes be further reduced, such a plan will not meet with approval from any great part of the American public. |