Elsworth R. Bathrick to Woodrow Wilson

I sought through your Secretary to secure an interview with you today and finally doubted the propriety of my calling upon you for the purpose set forth herein, but was assured by your Secretary that this letter would be delivered to you.
I call your attention to Paragraph 301, Page 74, in our Tariff Bill in which a 35 percentum ad valorem is placed upon cloth. This is the cloth which is used to make a suit of clothes. In Paragraph 304, Page 75, ready made clothing carries 35 percemtum ad valorem. These tariffs are still, in my opinion, prohibitive. Paragraph 304, carries ready made clothing from a $10 suit up to a Parisan gown if they contain wool chiefly. This places the high priced tailored suit on the same plane as the workmen’s $10 suit or the shop girl’s shawl.

There should be no tariff upon these cheaper classes of ready made suits or if there is a tariff at all it should not be higher than fifteen percent.
There is no importation of any importance of men’s and boy’s ready made suits. These at least should be segregated from Paragraph 304 which might necessitate a change of Paragraph 301. However, even at 35 percent on cloth, 15 percent on men’s and boy’s suits would be sufficient compensatory duty.

I wanted to ask you if you would not urge a committee amendment changing the items of the cheaper ready made clothing.

On the floor of the Caucus yesterday I was accused of bad faith in making these amendments on ready made clothing. I assure you that had not this inconsistency of tariff rating on those articles which the poor people of this country must buy been apparent I would not have opposed free wool.
There is no condition in my District upon which to base such misconstruction of my motives and I am only asking this of you on behalf of the users of cheaper ready made clothing in this country.