The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1902-05-30
REPEAL THE TARIFF!
YELLOW EDITORS AND FREE TRAD
ERS III HARMONY.
They Would Juggle the Tariff to Help
Foreign Producers and Then Juggle
1t Again AS Means of Lowering
Values of Domestic Products.

How to thwart the Meat Trust and
compel q reduction of the price Of
meats? Yellow editors, Democratic,
Free-Trade, Mugwump and occasion
ally Republican answer in unison:
Repeal the tariff on live stock and
meats!" Easiest thing in the world
When anything goes wrong, when
prices advance by reason of excep-
tional conditions, such as scarcity and
increased cost of production, tinker
the tariff. Let in competitive foreign
products to break down prices. Pos
sibly this will not break down prices
in the present instance Possibly the
meat trust is prepared to buy up all
that comes in on the hoof or in cold
storage from Mexico, Canada, Argen-
tina or Australia, and still keep up
prices. Trusts have been known to do
that kind of thing. No matter. Re-
peal the tariff anyhow. Don't bother
about other remedies already at hand,
such as the enforcement of the law,
now openly violated, which forbids re-
bates and special foreign concessions
to the big shippers who make up the
meat trust; such as the enforcement
of state laws against trust eXtortions.
These remedies would, to be sure, go
straight to the root of the matter, but
they involve some labor and trouble.
Therefore, ignore them and tackle the
tariff What could be simpler?
To repeal the tariff on live stock and
ence in breaking down prices, but the
chances are it would not. The tariff
had nothing to do with last years
shortage of billion bushels In our
corn crop, and its repeal would not
make good that shortage. But even
supposing that meat prices were to
give way little-and it would be but
a little-by reason of taking off the
tariff duties on live animals and
dressed meats. How will it be next
in the corn crop, and when normal
conditions and prices prevail once
more? Shall we then restore the
Dingley tariff rates on live animals
and dressed meats? Shall we tinker
the tariff every time prices go up or
down? No, no; that will not do at all.
'rhe Free-Trade, Mugwump and occa-
sional Republican school of theorists
would never stand for restoration of
the Dingley rates.
But what about the American
farmer? When prices of meat on the
hoof and on the butchers block have
once more regained an average level,
what will he say as he sees coming
over the border vast herds of cheaper
cattle from Mexico and Canada, while
shiploads of foreign meats come in
duty free from Australia and Argen-
tina? In 1896 spring lambs sold in
Omaha at $3.50 per head. That was
after two years of tariff tinkering on
free-trade lines, of low tariff and no
tariff on live animals and meat. To-
day the same lambs sell for $3.50 per
head. Values of edible live stock have
changed in nearly the same proportion
all along the line. That is after near
ly five years of Republican tariff pro-
lection. Will a removal of the tariff
that hits agriculture and does not
touch manufacturing, mining, ETC.,
strike the American farmer favorably?
Will it strike the general body of
American producers and wage earners
as the fair thing, the right thing to do?
Probably not Yellow thinkers who
have hit upon tariff smashing as the
remedy for high prices Of meat would
do well to try another think or two.