Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1880-01-23
Free Trade.
From the PioneersP Press. -.

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Free Trade. &sss ~
From the PioneersPress. ~.
Gov. Gear of Iowa neglected national
topics in his biennial message to refer to
them concisely and pertinently in his
brief inaugural address, The governor
can be adroit as we'll as vigorous upon
occasion, and in this speech he trims his
financial sails as carefully to the unfort-
unate Iowa breezes pf public opinion in
favor of greenback currency, as to the
more wholesome if somewhat harsh blasts
of the stalwart Republican hurricane of
public sentiment. What has justly at
tracted more attent lion than either of
these topics is his treatment Of the tariff
issue. Iowa, like good many western
States, has been curiDusly modest, not to
say careless, in demanding that the in
terests of the West should be regarded in
the adjustment of the tariff. When it
comes to the running ola candidate for
party nomination. Ior claiming patron
age from party administration, the
West seems to havea sufficiently magni-
fed notion of it's Own Importance; but
in a matter that 50 iasaly concerns its
commercial and Industrial interests as
the tariff, the West permits "a compare
lively insignificant section of the eastern
States to tax its infant development from
fifty to one hundred per cent. for the ben
eft of a group of narrow interests in
Pennsylvania and a few other States.
Nothing is harderto understand than the
apathy of the West on the subject of the
tariff: The present system of imposts
brings thousand privations to the
younger States without single compen-
sating benefit. Everything that an agri-
cultural people and a growing society
uses is taxed directly, and all that it pro-
duces indirectly, by burdens upon the
materials Of its railroads that transport
1t to a market. The one item of the duty
on iron costs the West more than har-
vest blight or a visitation of locusts every
year. All manner Of farm machinery
for the fields, building;material for grow
ing cities, rails and bridges for expand
ing railroads, must pay heavy tribute
to the Pennsylvania mills before it can
be used to meet the growing needs Of the
most important part Of the country, the
developing frontier. When the iron
boom commenced last summer, the tariff
on rails positively stopped the building
of railroads in Minnesota, Iowa and Da-
kota; and this vital enterprise has stag
gered under heavy burden ever since.
This glaring case only makes more con-
spicuous grievance that is constant and
burdensome. Yet the West has borne it
all as patiently as the strong ass of holy
writ. onay'an occasional party platform
lisps week suggestion of a tariff for
revenue, or rare enlightened executive
urges the matter upon the attention of a
careless Legislature. Gov. Gear is an en-
lightened executive, and he puts the
question of tariff reform to the legisla-
ture in his recent inaugural in an ex.
ceedingly practical shape. He recog-
nizes, like all practical revenue reform
ers, that the whole scheme of the tariff
cannot be overturned at once; that the
enemy must be attacked in detail and
one burden thrown off at time. He
chooses as the first and heaviest burden tc
be thrown off the costly duty on :stee]
rails, which taxes the valuable enterprise
that opens new empires in the West, fol
the benefit of the more cautious capital
that builds rolling mills in the East and
! then plays the mendicant to congress fol
protection. This is what Gov. Gear has
to say about the tariff On steel rails:
To state whose products are, in the main
agricultural, as are those of Iowa, anything
which enhances the cost Of railways, thereby
even incidentally in the least degree, increas
1 ing the expense of the transportation of hel
products to the seaboard, which is her grea
market, is q question of great interest to all
In view of their great strength and durability,
which lessen the cost of replacement, all tht
great trunk railway lines of the country arr
adopting Bessemer steel rails. The manufact
ure of this class of rails in the United State
is controlled by combination of not exceed.
ing, think, ten firms in number This com
bination is protected. by a high and specific
tariff, which prevents the importation OF for
eign rails to any extent, thereby increasine
the costs Of the railways of the country
Without discussing the tariff question in al
its bearings. it may we'll be considered wheth
er it is wise legislation, by a tariff exceptions
in its character, to put immense profits int
the pockets of monopoly composed OF bu
few persons at the expense, indirectly, no
only of Iowa farmers but Of the whole West
1t would, therefore, be we'll to instruct ou
senators and request our representatives il
congress to examine into this subject with
view to removing by congressional Legislation
any discrimination which may be found to ex
ist in the tariff on steel rails against the inter
| ests of Iowa brOducers