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Show TARIFF 18 THE CAUSE So Says Senator Stone, in H:s Speech on High Prices Washington, Feb 9. Apropos of the consideration of the composite El-klns-Lodge-McC'umbcr food prices Investigation In-vestigation reported to the senate yesterday yes-terday from the committee on finaneo and contingent expenses, Senator Stone of Missouri today addressed the senate on tho general question of food prices. Ho undertook to show that the Payne-Aldrich tariff bill is largely responsible for the enhonecd price of many necessaries of life. Contrasting tho delay on reporting the F.lklns resolution with the dispatch dis-patch in bringing In the lodge measure, meas-ure, Mr. Stone declared that there hnd been a vast amount of "monkey business" busi-ness" In connection with the consideration consider-ation of the subject Saying he had been greatly puzzled to know the meaning of tin method of procedure, ho declared It had the complexion of a purpose to conceal rather than discover. If not, why, he asked, did Republican Repub-lican members of the finance committee, commit-tee, come rushln? headlong into t his business ami exhibit an overwhelming anxiety to take tharyo of the proj'o.s-ed proj'o.s-ed Inquiry? If the remarkable things done hero have given to this business busi-ness the sinister aspect of a scheme on the part of certain senators to organize or-ganize a committee that would start in primarily to hold the Payne-Aldrich tariff law blameless for the evils the country complains of, then the sena tor from Massachusetts and his Re publican associates on the finance committee have only themselves to blame. "Is It the purpose of the great senators sen-ators who have thrown themselves into in-to this breach, to put the proposed investigation under the control of tho senators who were chiefly instrumental instrumen-tal In framing tho new law and most concerned In exempting It from all responsibility re-sponsibility for the higher prices that have followed its enactment? A deep laid appretension to that effect hrs been expressed by many newspapers and by many people In different part3 of tho country." ho saici ne knew or nothing whicn stood In such groat need of a coating of whitewash as the tariff laws Asserting As-serting that there had boon a rapid enhancement of prices slnle the passage pass-age of the law, he declared that neither nei-ther an Increase in the dem9nd for food nor an Increase in the gold supple sup-ple could explain these advances in so short a time. In all probability, Mr. Stone continued. con-tinued. Mr. Lodge would head tho committee of Investigation and Mr. Stone expressed aprehenslon that the senator wpould hefltate to follow out any line of Inquiry which might substantiate sub-stantiate Secretary Wilson's contention conten-tion that American food products are yold more cheaply abroad than lu the United States. Mr. Stone quoted from letters and j newspapers to show a general In- j crease In the necessar'es of life since i the enactment of the -Payne-Aldrich bill. Among the letters was one from a St. Louis merchant, saying that cotton goods had Increased in pi Ice from 12 1-2 to 3,'5 uer cenf linen 7 1-2 to 10 per cent, and hosiery 10 per cent. "Every man of common sense," he said, "ought to now that the enormous enor-mous profit accruing to Investors In these Industries are he result of artificial ar-tificial condltloa? ireaUd by law. "I don't see how It can dc contended," contend-ed," he continued, "that these artificial arti-ficial conditions from which the consumer con-sumer of the country, thank Heaven, are beginning to become the impatient impati-ent sufferers, are chiefly for the benefit bene-fit of the American wage earners employed em-ployed In these industries. I assert with the greatest confidence that the tariff rates, us a rule, arc far in excels ex-cels of any difference In the labor wage In America and the chief competing com-peting countries of Europe, and I assert as-sert with equal confidence that the chief beneficiaries of this system are tho men who employ this labor, as the chief sufferers are the consumers who are the victims of their monopolies." |