Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1901-11-26
CORVALLIS GAZETTE
GERMAN TARIFFS.

Germany has enacted tariff
which is supposed will have the
effect of prohibiting the inporta-
ton of certain American pro-
ducts, especially of foodstuffs
German economists declare at
home that it is measure. of pro-
lection to their farmers. Of
course the tariff increases the
duties OH manufactured articles.
1t is not probable German
economists are deludiag them
selves. They must know,
some of them surely do know
that Germany cannot produce
her own food supplies. More
than one half their land t.'nauts
cannot raise any of the products
the importation OF which it is
sought to prohibit. They are
compelled to buy -four and meat.
An other class, embracing 20
per cent of the whole, raise no
surplus whatever. They are fire.
quently necessitated to buy the
greater part of their bread and
meat supplies. If Germany
should exclude all the foodstufs
she now imports, about 5 per cent
of her farmers must supply that
amount. This is simply impos-
sible. The only effect of such a
tariff would be to compel o5 per
cent of the German people to
pay unprecedented high prices
Tor their bread and meat.
If it is the purpose of Germany
to induce us to modisy our tariff
on their manufactures that VIC
may sell our food supplies in he1
markets it will not avail her.
All the manufactured article:
bought of us by Germany
in 1900 did not greatly ex
coed the value of 90, 900, ooe
marks. Excluding this will no
greatly affect our foreign trade
We supply about one third o
the cereals and one seventh of th'
other foodstufs Germany imports
She must either produced o
import her food supplies. Sh
cannot produce them even at al
enormously high cost to her con
sumers. She is therefore drive
to import them. We will nc
give her free and easy access
our markets for her nanufae
lures in order that we ma
sell her a few thousand barrels {
hour and tierces of hams for "
are manufacturing onr own gooe
and shall prefer to employ 0,
own workmen, pay him we'll at
enable him to buy and consun
more of our food products In 9th
words if Germany can do wit
out our food products she shou
and will. We can easily
without her manufactured articl
and certainly shall not give h
easy access to our markets.
We have demonstrated til
though we are the greatest sug
consumers in the world we c.
produce beet sugar as easily
import it from Germany, so wi
nearly every thing she nanufae
ures. If she can maintain b
comparatively i'll paid workm
on high priced bread and me
she is indeed fortunate. Y
have learned that the lily pa
workmen is fiinecient. V
know it pays to keep him in
ployed at good wages. By II
course our worknen are the me
efficient and productive in t
world. We shall, not chan
the conditions which have ma
this possible, not even to give o
German neighbors a sufhcie
supply of -four and sugar cure
hams. We are at that point
our industrial development tn
we are able to say to foreign II
tions ''if we trade with you und
special conditions it must be tho
of reciprocal benefits
This is the American idea
free trade. Protection and +
ciprocity will not be abandon,
by us for British or German fr