The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-04-04
DUTY ON LUMBER
Congressman McCIeary Writes
About 1t.
Points Out TO Merchants Protective
Assn the Many Things Contigent
on Tariff Revision.

Merchants Protective association the
following letter in answer to its COM
munication suggesting that he use his
influence toward having the tariff
taken off of lumber:
Merchants Protective Association,
Mankato, MINI. Gentlemen The
courteous letter of your committee
conveying to me the resolutions of
YOUR association relative to the tariff
on lumber reached me in due season.
1t should have been answered sooner,
but at the time of the receipt of the
letter 1 was laid up with the grippe
and was unable to answer it properly.
Indeed it is no easy matter to answer
it properly even now.
Your letter is one of several that l
have received this winter on the sub
ject. There is, evidently, some I'M
easiness over the tariff So there was
in 1892 Of course you and know
that, then as now, most of that IN
easiness was not we'll founded, but
was stirred up and cultivated by the
opponents of the protective tariff sys-
tenn.
In 1892 when the people were doing
we'll and were buying freely, goods
of all kinds commanded good prices.
Then the opposition, especially when
addressing farmers, set up the cry,
They are making you pay too much
for the things you have to buy. ,"
This was iterated and reiterated, I'M
til many of our people actually forgot
how spIendidly able they were to pay
by reason OF the good prices they
were getting for their crops.
AS people became excited over the
cost of the things they had to buy,
they were gradually led to associate
the cost,of those things with the pro-
tective tariff They were led TO believe
that if the protective tariff was re-
moved they could buy things cheap.
The attack was made on the protective
tariff, its enemies triumphed, and
the era of cheap things came with a
vengeance.
Then in 1895 our friends, the oppos-
itiOn, turned squarely around. In
stead of inviting attention to the cost
of things people had to buy, they voci-
ferouslv demanded attention to the
prices at which people had to sell.
Then the cry became "You are not
getting enough for the things you have
to SELL - And then the plea was made
that the trouble was with our money,
that the dollar was too dear. And then
began the mightiest political conflict
that was ever waged in the history of
the world. We stood unwaveringly
for good prices paid in good money.
And, thanks to the intelligence and
integrity of the American people,
whose sober second thought may al
ways be trusted, our cause triumphed.
And now that good times and good
prices are again prevalent, the ole
cry of 1892 is again being raised. Blu
have too much respect for the Amer
lean people to fear that they will 81
soon be again led into the slough O
despond. Not until a new generation
has grown up, not until the majorit,
of our voters shall be composed o
whose who can not remember, will
that folly be repeated.
As practical business men you know
of course, that the price of lumbe
today is higher than it was in 1897
like the price of most other things
chiefly because of the greatly increased
demand for lumber, by reason of tht
fact that our people everywhere ar
doing we'll and are building and i'm
proving homes. But if, from an!
cause, the purchasing power of GU
people should be reduced, the price o
lumber, as well as the price of othe
things including the labor of tn
workingman and the crops of tn
farmers-would fall fast enough an
far enough to satisfy even those VIII
are now most loudly demanding lowe
prices for the things they have to buy
Thoughtful people understand ths
business implies both buying and sell
ing and that when people get fai
prices for what they sell they must e1
pect to pay fair prices for what the
buy.
Experience has demonstrated tbs
there is danger to all kinds of bushes
in ''tinkering with the tariff, - espe'
tally when it has been constructe
along the lines of protection to Ame
lean industries.
In essence, protection is matter I
principle; tariff schedules al
an incident to it. Schedule
may change with circumstance
the principle remains.
tariff bill dealing with Thousand
of interests. some of them confiictir
one with the other, is necessari
somewhat of compromise as
schedules Some of the schedules
even the admirably constructed DIM
ley act might, probably have bee
made lower. Among these might
mentioned the tariff on lumber.
For over year have been studyir
the problem with the view of satisf