Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1897-04-29
THE TARIFF REMEDY.
Views Of the Minority in Con-
gress Stated by Congress-
man NeWlands.
As Prices Of Our Surplus are
Fixed in the Liverpool
Markets
A Tariff Duty Can Not Help
Raisers Of Products TO
Export.

RaisorS OF Products TO
Export.
During The present dsbsts in the sen.
sts On the tariff bill the impression he's
gained ground that tho Law will dissp-
point its projectors in accomplishing the
object hoped lor-ths restoration Of
good times in shop, store and 1sld. The
senators Who entertain and express these
views, however, will not interfere with
the passage Of the bill except in few
unlmportsnt particulars whore they will
insist on local interests bong protected
fairly. The views Of the minority in
both senate and house on the tariff were
foroibly expressed by Congressman New
lands during the debate on the bill in
tho house. He said:
"Whlle it 10 sometimes difficult to de-
termine the exact Issues settled by .
campaign, there can be no question that,
% to the tariff, the popular verdict at
the last election was in favor Of protec-
tion.
The people had declared IN favor Of
protection, and bad given the republican
party contract for prosperity, and that
parry should, in hls judgment be allowed
to carry out any reasonable tariff policy
without obstruction and with expedition.
Tariff Legislation alone, be asserted,
would not give relief. Producing. as we
do, surplus OF wheat, cotton and other
products, the price Of the exportable
surplus 10 fixed in Liverpool, and the
Liverpool price fxes also the domestic
price. In Liverpool markets Ill these
products como in competition with the
products Of India. Russia and Argentine
and other countries, none Of which 10 on
. gold basis. These countries are will
ing to accept the old silver price for
their products. The United States silver
price means today one-half the old gold
price, 20 We have the price OF our farm
products cut into by the competition OF
these countries. Restore old gold price
OF silver, $l.29 per ounce, and Ne imme-
distely restore the old gold prices Of our
farm products, and this means, he sald.
protection to the American farms and
plantations just az the tariff law means
protection to the factory.
I'VE have, he continued, an industrial
system in this country which mskes it
the object Of attack from all other coun-
tries. Our wages are much higher than
in any other country, and the unit of all
vslues here is the daily wage. A general
in wages would bring about
re-adjustments Of, values that would be
destructive to property owners. pro-
ducers and debtors. We need, therefore,
he said tariff law to protect us against
the products OF cheaper labor elsewhere.
The protective measure that will protect
US against the existing agricultural CON-
petition and the threatening manufac-
turing competition Of silver countries.
uust be the legislation which will restore
the old relative value Of silver and gold.
Such law would be equivalent to q
tariff of 100 per cent upon the products
OF siver countries, for it would increase
to that extent the gold cost of such pro.
ducts. The competition of Europe Is
insignificant as compared with the exist
ing and threatened competition of Asia.
believe, he added, that the true policy
of the country is combined tariff and
silver legislation-the one protecting US
against Europe, the other against Asia.
"He urged that the recent rise IN
wheat proved that the price OF that staple
upon the price Of silver, just
as the exception proves the rule.
'Mr. Newlands contended, in conclu-
sion, that the area of distress, for years
confined to the mining belt, the wheat
belt, and the cotton belt, had nov ex-
tended to the middle and eastern states,
which wele suffering from the loss of the
consuming capacity Of the western and
southern states. The increase OF pro-
lection to the factories would not mat
erially add to their prosperity, unless
capacity of these regions was
restored. That could not be done by q
Tariff legislation, but could only be &C
complished by Legislation that would
stop the appreciation OF gold, and thus
relieve our wheat and cotton industries
from the destructive competition Of
silver countries"