Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1903-10-22

Some Tariff History.
THE nation was on this protective
tariff from 1898 to 1888. The demo-
cratic party wiped out the protective
tariff and a time of great depression
set in. My father worked for thirty
cents day. People did not have
money to buy anything. What differ
ence does it make to you if the price
of an article is So or $25 if you
haven't got the S.. Isn't it better toI
have the money to buy with than to
have the price low and not have the
money? When products of labor are
high the price of labor must and does
raise. Slow it is true, but it does
raise and the present times and condi-
tons are abundant proof Did the
lodest of you ever see good times
when prices were low? That great de-
preston continued from 1888 to 1912
when protective tariff was again in
stltuted. Another period of depres-
sion came with the Walker tariff for
revenue only in 1916 and continued
until 1857 The next change occurred
at the close of the war and from that
time until 1892 the industrial develop
ment OF this country was the greatest
the world ever say. The democrats.
declared that what the country needed
was to elect a democratic president
and congress to power and there
would be seen the greatest times on
earth. Prices of everything would be
low, labor would be we'll paid. You
would get the same money for your
work and you could buy every thing
that you needed or wanted for one.
half the price.
What was the result? The great
American home market was destroyed.
People who had labor to sell couldn't
sell it. They couldn't get the money
to buy what they needed even to eat
and we saw 7,O000 900 American labor
ers out of employment We saw great
strong men, heads of families, living
upon the charity'of their neighbors
because they could find no employ
ment. Throw the American laborer
out of employment and you destroy
the greatest market on earth, the great
home market.
Food for One Day.
What does it take to feed 1000, 900
American workmen for one day? If
you give him mutton chops for
breakfast it will take 10000 sheep
weighing ITS pounds apiece, if you
give his pork chops for dinner it will
take $4,000 hogs weighing 300 pounds
apiece and if you give him beef for
supper it will take $3.50 weighing L..
$50 pounds apiece.
Prices have raised l do not tell
you that you can buy goods as low as
you could if you happened to have the
money during the time that the Wilson
bill was in force. You have a great
body of organized labor that belong
to your unions. Perhaps you have here
as they have in many places an orsa-
nization through which all people
agree to purchase only union made
goods. When you go in to buy a hat
you turn down the band on the inside
and if you do not find the union label
you hand it back and refuse to buy.
You gladly pay a little more for the as
surance that the money that you are
spending is going for product that
was made by members of some orga-
nized labor union who are banded to-
gether with you for your mutual benefit
ard advantage. Upon the same prin-
ciple as an American citizen | am will
ing to pay little more for an article
when | know and realize that the mon
ey am spending is going for the bene-
fit of some American workman and not
for the pauper foreign labor"