New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1892-10-12
RAPIDLY
PROGRESSING.
A Republican Rejoinder to Demoora-
tic Critiscism.
An Iowa Farmer Rebukes the Comments
Of a Democratic Paper on the Cur
rent Political Issues.

~ " 6SAAAVoA0u4o 0HO4 VI blO Oul-
rent Political Issues.
Sometime ago there appeared in the
Winona Herald criticism of the Repub-
lican platform adopted by the conven-
ton which nominated Senator Tawney
for congress. J. III. A. Lacher, an Iowa
farmer, thereupon penned a reply to the
ideas of the Herald, which contains as
concise and accurate summary of the
effects of McKinleyisnl as we have seen.
Here it is:
Before the enactment the Mckinley
bill we imported from Canada about II,
100000 bushels of barley and malt an
nually, upwards of 100000 bushels of
potatoes, about 2,0OO,O 900 bushels ofbeans
and peas, 100000 tons Of hay, 100000
pounds of hops, 1,5S3,0OO bushels of
flax seed, 100000 dozen of eggs, be-
sides buckwheat and vegetables aggrega-
ting large sum. We also imported
about 72, 600 head of cattle, 10000 hor-
ses and large quantities of leaf tobacco.
The Mckinley tariff raised the duties on
the above articles materially, the increase
in barley alone being from 10 to 80 cents
per bushel. The imposition of these
higher duties may not have given the
''impetus to agriculture" yet / recollect
very wildly that when an effort was
made last winter by the maltsters of New
York to secure reduction of the duty
on barley, the Democratic maltsters of
Wisconsin and the Democratic barley
king of Minnesota circulated petitions
by the hundred, which when signed by
farmers and merchants, irrespective Of
party, were forwarded to Democratic
congressman at Washington to influence
their views on tariff reform Evidently
there must have been some virtue in that
duty. Though you may not know 1.-THE
farmers of this district know that the
Mckinley bill effectually checked the
importation af the articles enumerated
above and hence gave an s'impetus to
agriculture" The farmers Of this dis
trict know that the Mckinley bill gave
them free sugar and cheaper binding
twine, recollecting right well that Mills
taxed sugar about 6S per cent, and that
the present Democratic governor of New
York when in congress opposed the re-
duction Of the duty on the latter article.
The farmers know that the reciprocity
feature of the Mckinley bill removed the
Canadian export duty on logs, they know
that It opened the gates of France and
and Germany to American pork, that it
reduced the Cuban duty of $5.OSper bar
rel on American flour to 80 cents, giving
the United States control of her flour
market, that under the reciprocity
treaty with Brazil duties were reduced
25 per cent and in some industries entire
ly abolished and that as a consequence
our exports with these countries have in
creased enormously. The Mckinley bill
was not framed, as you declare, for the
purpose Of checking our commerce, but
for the purpose OF firmly establishing in
dustries which from their nature can
flourish here, once established, and for
the purpose of increasing our foreign
commerce BY making conditions and
concessions regarding certain non-com-
peting products. Democratic free trade
would notopen foreign ports to our goods,
but our ports to foreign goods.
In his last annual report Gen. Rusk
stated that notwithstanding the abundant
yield of crops in 1891, values were well
sustained, and he estimated that the in
screasein the value Of agricultural pro-
ducts over the previous year could not be
less than $7OO,00O,000. According to
the unanimous report of the Senate COM
mittee appointed to investigate the effect
of the new tariff law upon the consumer
and producer 'sthe average price Of all
the agricultural products except flax seed,
when put at their properrelative import
ance, was 1887 per cent. higher in Sep
.tember, 1891, than in June, $780,
Although the information has been ac-5
cessible in every metropolitan and trade
paper, the data concerning the enormous
foreign commerce and enormous free i'm
ports, seem to have escaped your atten-
ton, for you fippantly speak of ..dried
blood, acorns, dragoon's blood, fossils,
hoofs,''. etc, but it does seem strange
when YOU rllmmaged around for those