The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-01-14

The Geneseo Republic, in pubnShlng
Mr.. Hawleys motion in Congress IN regard
10 a canal from Hennepin 20 hocA lsiahu'
says
1--WE call the attention q nc voters o. th y, Son,
gresslona district ainfnfai pursuits, to the above
art,on M NJ Hawley, their Representative elect
Ifys,e.., NAV come OF It. II h step in the right
,,o tor which not only the people OF Illinois
bnt tbose 81 the whole West have cause TO thank
NJ Hswley from the bottom Of their hearts. None
arr blind as not to see clearly the necessity for
the adoption Of some plan for bringing the prices
Of western products up TO where they ought TO be
and one has ever been preached that seems 10
meet the case a. that Of the construction OF canal
from the Lakes TO the Mississippi II Is TO De
hoped that Mr. Hawley will not cease his efforts IN
behalf OF western interests until the burdens which
oppreps those interests are removed. The matter
IL In good hands, Our Representative Mlu n9t
10 accomplish Il II possible
Taken simply as puff of Mr. Hawley,
by whose favor the editor of the Republic
is postmaster, the above is all well enough.
But the mere building of canal, or forty
canals to the seaboard will not accomplish
the object desired, unless there is a market
for the products of the soil when they
reach the seaboard. In 1871 Illinois
planted 100000 acres of corn, aud pro
duced 2O3,OOO,0O0 bushels-more than
twice as much as any other State. But il
Illinois could, to day, lay down on the sea
board all its millions of dollars worth oil
corn. wheat. oats barley. beet and pork
free of any freight charges ut all her PEG
pie would be but little better of because
there is no market for them. Why is there
no foreign demand? Because Congress
prevents any by it, high duties on imports.
We are glad TO see the farmers holding
their conventions and agitating the qucs-
ton of transportation. The transportation
companies, the elevator men, the ware
house men, and the commission men levy
cxhorbitant and outrageous duties OF
everything passing through their hands
and the farmers may, perhaps, get som'
relief by agitating these matters-thel
ought 10, anyhow. But il seems utterl!
puerile. inconsistent and ridiculous to
them t. make such a fuss in this direction
and then vote to send such high tariff mel
as Oelesby and Hawlcy to Congress. |
was evidently the design of Providenc
that there should be a way Of exchangin
the products Of all parts Of the world, 5
that all the people could be benefited
But a high tariff Congress, together wit
the transportation companies the ware
house men, the elevator men, and the com
mission men have got the advantage q
Providence, and hungry mouths in the oil
world that should in the regular order q
things, be filed, viii have to 90 empty il
consequence of the new worlds boaste,
civilization and progress while the pro
ducers OF this country are also deprived c
the comforts they might enjoy, if we onl
had a more free interchange Of the pr,
ducts of all countries. 1t is Of no Use I
carry our products to the seaboard unle,
we can find market when we get Their
Ask Mr.. Gilmore, one of our pork packer
and he will tell you that three years al
he was paying $l2 for the very same kin
of pork he now buys for S. Beef, era
and all other farm products show aboj
the same falling off What is the reason
Because our foreign market is ruined b
high and in many cases prohibitive dutie
Have store goods fallen in the same pr
portion2 No. Why not? Because his
duties compel us to pay high prices.
We don't object to Mr.. Hawley's bill
Congress is going into a system Of intern
improvements-th constitutiOnality
which we doubt If Congress proposes
run wild on this subject, we want our sha
of the benefits But what we call partic
lar attention to is the fact that farme
who clamor most for low freghts are t
very men who blindly follow their par
fle-leaders and vote for Congressman W
impose such hurdensome tariff duties up
them as tn destroy our foreign marke
whatever may be the price Of treigh
The producers are permitted TO get il
enough 10 keep from starving-the r,
the high tariffites take And this state
things will not be changed so long as hi
tariff men are sent TO Congress.