The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1890-09-26
MINNESOTA AND rne BILL.


8enator Davis Favors Reciprocity and APP
proves the Irvine Trust-Insuniciency OF
Home Enthusiastically For Foreign
Outiet-ExtOrtions of the Binding Irvine
Trust What should Be Done
Senator Davis, of Minnesota, who is
supposed to belong to The high tariff
crowd. made speech in the Senate a
few days ago in which he showed with
great clearness the burdensome effect
of the tariff upon the farmers He said
that he favored reciprocity, and that he
thought the pending bill should be
amended so as to give the farmers ac-
cess to foreign markets. especially to
the markets of our neighbors north and
south of us There must be an outlet
for the vast surplus of agricultural prod.
lcts which we raise. We can not get rich
BY swapping jackets with one another.
Foreign trade is necessity. So. good
As he thought the Mckinley bill was as
whole, he hoped to see it amended in
This direction.
But there were items in it which he
could not approve Binding twine. up
| on which the Finance Committee of the
Senate has placed duty of * cents a
pound (the Ways and Means Committee
Of the House had fixed the duty at IL
cents) should go upon the free list He
was quite clear on that point His con-
stituents were farmers, and this sense
| less and wicked tax cost them 81, 900, 600
year. They could not afford to pay
it; they should not be compelled tc
pay it 1t was simply tax upon the
farmers for the benefit of gigantic and
| greedy corporation. The whole bust
ness was trusted" All the manufact-
urers of cordage and binding twine
were in the combination. This combi-
nation not only limited the production
of the manufactured article and fixed
tits prices, but it controlled the supply
/ of raw material in the places where it
was grown 1t exercised its great pow
er merciiessly, and the Irvine men
played right into its hands. There
were forty-two American and seven
| Canadian establishments in the com BIZ
nation. Their purchases were all made
by one man, and committee of three
fixed the prices at which they should
sell, and declared how much of a product
they should turn out They were great
er than the Legislature; they were above
the law Why, he asked, should we
protect these gentlemen? They could
protect themselves and were able to
"spoliate the world" Yet they were
threatening to shut up these mills when
the demands were complied with.
Mr.. Davis showed by figures that the
profits on the manufacture Of binding
twine amounted to 30 per cent; that is
out of the $40, 600, 600 paid for this article
by the American farmers each year,
81, 600, 900 was clean profit Such was
the business that it was now proposed
to protect He thought that it was
quite able to stand alone.
The situation was so bad in his State
that the authorities were going to put
up machinery in the State prison to try
to make binding twine out Of Mime
sofa fax fiber. 1t was. he said, "a
striking comm entary to protection OF
that industry, that the greatest whea
growing State in the Union had beer
compelled to set up in its penitentiary
convict opposition to that all-compre
bending, unsatisfed and extortionatt
monopoly"
But this was not all. He had sait
something of reciprocity. This idea wa
popular with the people. The Amer
lean people needed other oppor
: tunities than those afforded b.
the home market We mus
have consumers. There is a genera
desire that other nations should become
acquainted with the American flag
which used to be known on every sci
and under every sky. This tariff bill
gave US the opportunity to secure grea
advantages, in the way of trade rela
> tions from other countries.
Even in regard to wool, while he be
lieved in fully protecting the farmer
on the kinds of wool that they raised
! yet If they could not or would not rails
: the coarse Argentine woods, he believe,
in keeping the duty on those woods t
, be usel for trading purposes. And h
' would let those woods in free if the coun
: tries that produced them would ope
their markets to our wares. Such
policy would, he thought. do more t
r build up our shipping interests thai
J would the most extravagant subs dies
for it would give our ships something t
carry.
: Mr.. Davis has evidently heard fror
: the Western farmers.