St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-02-12
FUNCK's FRANK TALK.

publishes correspondence between
JACOB FUNcK, of Fairfield, To-, and ex-
Gov. GEAR. who is an Iowa representa-
tive III congress. which is fair reflec-
ton of granger sentiment in that state
respecting tariff reform. The Hawkeye
is authority for the statement that Mr..
FUNCK lis Republican who is still
standing on the old Republican plat
form, yet Is close student of public
matters" He writes to Gov. GEAR, who
Is member of the committee on ways
and means. to remind him that the tariff
question did cut considerable figure in
the late state election, no matter what
the politicians may say to the contrary.
He also inforrhs him that "there is no
other political question on which the
masses in the rural districts Of the West
are changing their minds so rapidly
as this one." He then proceeds to in
form the members of Mr.. MoKINLEY's
committee that the Western farmers are
an intelligent class. intelligent enough
to know that the war was over twenty
five years ago, and that there can be
no present justification for continuing
the war taxes. They have been put off
from time to time by the Republican
leaders with the promise that the war
taxes should be pruned down to peace
basis, but it has been case of hope
deferred until the farmers heart
has grown sick. Under one pre-
text and another the Republican
leaders have managed to postpone tariff
revision and tax reduction until now the
farmers have lost confidence in all their
promises and propose to look out for
themselves. He also informs Mr.. Nc
KINLEY's committee that the Western
farmers will stand no foolishness in this
matter; they will not be deceived again,
as they were in 1888. by tariff commits
sion and the proposal for horizontal
reduction; nor will they be satisfied
with removal of the tax from whisky
and tobacco. Their ultimatum is that
the tax shall be taken from the neces-
saries of life and that the tariff shall be
reduced to the absolute wants of the
government. Any other kind of tariff re-
vision than such as he has outlined will
make Iowa a Democratic state for
keeps, in the opinion of Farmer
FUNCK. He lays down the West
ern platform in this language: 80
long as the West must sell her produce
in the open unprotect ed market, we Of
the West will demand the same open
market in which to purchase our
goods" He suggests that while Mr.. Nc
KINLEY's committee is going through
the farce of having those infant mill
ionaireS to come before them and tell
them how hard it is to pay living wages
to their laborers and vet squeeze out a
living for themselves, the committee
ought to ask these gentlemen to show
their books. He is of opinion that the
books would tell different tale from
what the witnesses testify, otherwise
they couldn't rise from poverty to be
milIionaires in few years. He wants
them to ask Judge LAWRENCE, of Ohio,
where he got his fortune if wooigroW-
ing doesn't pay. ~ have no considera-
tiCn for that class of farmers who raise
sheep by proxy and farm on horseback
or in carriages" says Farmer FUNCK.
''You hear" he says, 'no such bowling
about tariff on wool from the men who
take care of their own flocks. 1t is the
proxy farmers and the spectators who
do the bowling"
Farmer FUNoK then pays his parting
respects to the MCKINLEY committee in
the following homely language, which
is chock full of good horse sense:
"Now, don't call me free-trader or
Democrat. am neither. l still stand
on the old Republican platform, and ex-
pect to remain there. True, did not
run after strange gods and try to per-
suade myself that tariff is not tax,
nor do take any stock in the idea that
the tariff is only tax paid by the for
eigner to get into our market. l do not
believe that an importer will pay AZ per
cent on his importation and then not
charge that up as Lart cost. believe
he will do just as you did when in the
grocery business; he will figure out Just
what his goods cost him, and then sell
accordingly, charging profit on cost
when laid down in his own house. I
don't believe any business man is such
fool as to pay out At per cent, or any
other per cent, and not charge it up as
cost on which to reckon his per cent of
profit and by which to fix the selling
price of his goods. believe in apply
ing common sense and business prin-
L
be read out Of the party for such be-
lief, so be it. l will still contend for the
right"
Farmer FUNoK's letter evidently
startled the MCKINLEY committee.
When it was read before them the
Republican members put their heads
together and decided that something
must be done to allay Western discon-
tent. So Gov. GEAR was commissioned
to reply to Farmer FUNCK, and directed
to do it in conciliatory way. The
governor hit his best lickS in that direc-
ton, but he made an awfully poor fist
of it. He started out with the stereo-
typed promise that the Republicans
were going to do something to relieve
the expressions of the people, but he
didn't seem to have very clear idea of
what it was they were going to do. He
combaUted the idea that the tariff was
favorable to trusts, and encouraged
Farmer FUNCK to believe that the home
market afforded to the farmer by the
high tariff was some compensation for
his distresses. He tells him that the
times are not as bad as he thinks they
are; chat prices for farm products are
not as low as they were in 1916. and that
the old Republican ship is going to sail
on whether school keeps or not. That's
the way. Those fellows down at Wash
ington imagine that the Western farm
ers have no sense; or if they have,
they've no business to have it.