Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-08-21

" tlul3 DIS are duVlSdDl6. l am WIFI
ing the jury shall be polled on that
proposition. So say we all. 1t also
declares in favor of any modifica-
ton of tariff schedules that may be
required to prevent their affording
we all say, Aye, SIR to the PROPOSE
ton. There may be quite radical
difference of opinion as to the truth of
the implied admission that the pro-
tective tariff does afford shelter to
monopoly, but there would be no diff
ference of opinion about removing it
if it did afford such shelter.
Farmers of Iowa VS.. Butchers.
"a few days ago the butchers, in con-
vention assembled, declared in favor
of abolshing the tariff on cattle and
meat to the end that this supposed
shelter for the alleged meat trust
might be removed; but / am disposed
to think the good farmers of my state
would vote quite unanimously against
such an experiment. BY the trend Of
the speeches made at the butchers
convention, discover sentiment well
nigh universally expressed there that
meat is being monopolized by the
great packers. But l happen to have
bunch of fat cattle. on which no pack
er holds a lien of any kind, and he
writes me that he is willing to sell
them to the butchers if they will pay
as much as the packers offer. l am
quite sure the people would as soon
buy this meat of the butchers as of
the packers. Thus there is afforded
splendid opportunity for any one to
make all kinds of money if he will but
give the farmer as much money for
his beeves and give the people as
much beef for their money. But sup
pose we take the tariff off
beef and then suppose the
herds of cattle from Mexico
and South America are brought in by
the hundred thousand. They will find
their way to the stockyards and the
butchers will be compelled to bid
against the packers then as now. No,
the removal of the tariff on live stock
and meat would not restore the butch
ers to business. 1t might ruin the
farmers, but the packers could stand
it; for nothing less than organized
capital could enter the import meat
business with packing houses in for
eign countries, refrigerating ships and
other expensive equipment I happen
to know that at least one, and | UNI
derstand two, of the big packing
houses, have had men looking into the
South American field for more than
two years. The farmer. as it is, has
ample reason to be apprehensive.
Finds Reason.
Il have taken occasion to look this
matter since reading of these resolu-
tons. and | think | can find reasons
for the present price of meat other
than the protective tariff.
find that there We're received at the
stock yards in Chicago, in the one
month of July, 1902, $4,000 less beeves
and 127 900 less hogs than in the same
month one year ago. That means
1000 less animals per day. The Bur-
lington road alone, during the entire
month, brought from the southwest,
where the corn crop was failure last
| year, one thousand less fat steers per
day this year than last.
Not Defending Packers.
Let no one understand this to be a
| defense of the packers. or an extenua-
! ton of their offense. A suit is now
/ pending against them. and if the ale
cations of the petition are sustained,
| (and this seems probable) they are
going to have trouble, and it will take
a very much more acute form than it
would to say to the farmers of the
United States that their industry shall
be opened TO competition from the un.
limited ranges of South America.
How Phil Got Rich.
THE senior Phil Armour told me
that he got rich while young man
by watching the iron and coal miners.
He said: Whenever these men were
at work l used to pack every ham
could get my hands on, and my old
partner would say, Phil you will break
us up. I would answer, No, these fell
lows are working But when the coal
and iron workers We're idle l used to
sell everything could dispose Of
Secret of Prosperity.
The secret of American prosperity
gentlemen can be couched in four
words: They are working now And
| they means everybody. Farmer and
artisan, mechanic and merchant the
man at the forge and the man in the
| fiend-and they are all interdependent.
Away back in 1346, Daniel Webster,
in the course of three days speech
aSdihol llluI luOSl ulllOI JuilulS Dlll
which repealed the protective tariff
act which bore the signature of old
| Tippecanoe,u uttered this maxim: When
there is work for the hands there will
be bread for the teeth So I appeal
to you, gentlemen. to see to it that
the next Congress is republican by a
| large majority SO that there shall be
ample courage to do that which is
deemed wisest and best Then let
these representatives Of the people
| from the manufacturing districts of
New England, from the coal regions
of Pennsylvania, Indiana and Ohio,and
the iron producing regions of Michi-
gan, and the iron manufacturing dis
tricts of Ohio and Pennsylvania; the
agricultural districts of the middle
west; the stock ranges of the noun.
tain states and territories; the rice
and cotton states of the south. and
the fruit and lumber districts of the
! q - ~. 4,