New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1903-07-01
Reciprocity Question Forced Upon
Republican Party.
Present Tariff Very Detrimental
to Milling Interests.
American Exports in Danger I'm
less Revision is Made.
HERALD BUREAU,
No. 1874 Fifteenth ST, n. W. ;,

/
dent, of the most esteemed orators of
his administration, of Senator Hanna,
Senator Aldrich and Senator Platt, of
Connecticut the republican party is
having thequestions of reciprocity an d
revision Of the tariff forced upon it in
such a way that the issue must be, will
lingly or unwillingly, metby Congress.
Joseph Camberlain's policy in Eng
land may be responsiblefor forcing the
issue earlier than anybody wants to
have it come. rs Z
While manoeuvering for time, the
policy of the leaders seems to be:
TO hold out for the comfort of lower
tariff republicans of the West, an indie
finite promise of revision which may
mean tremendous reductions.
10 hold out for the benefit of the
high tariff interests of the East, an
indefinite promise which may mean no
reductions at all.
To wait until the last minute, and
then, it the plunge must be taken. to
steal the democratic thunder in the
Presidential campaign next summer by
adopting as a tariff platform the last
speech of William Mckinley, in Buff
falo, N. Y. %.#.. e.. 49,.
1 Signs of the times, to which all the
leaders with influence in W ashington
have been blind, are becoming too
plain to be much longer ignored.
Mr.. Mckinley saw them with great
clearness. In the opinion of many OBJ
servers the conditions which McKin-
ley discerned are coming with steady
march. .
GLOW can the present prosperity be
continued-by Standing pat or by
drawing more cards?' is "a question
some Of the most prominent students of
the protective policy here are now
asking. Will
Consideration of this question has
been FASTENED by the campaign of edu-
cation which has been conducted in the
Middle West, particularly in Iowa. It
has also been forced by the apparent
intention Of the Democratic party to
make tariff revision the main point OF
attack in the campaign of 1904.
More than anything else is the awak-
ening of republican politicians to
commercial signs of the times at home
and abroad. What Mr.. Mckinley
characterized as ''the period of exclu-
siveness" has run it's course for nearly
two years, after he saw the necessity
OF changing it and extending our mar
kets by lowering duties on those things
which we do not produce in return for
lower foreign duties on those things
which we do produce. s-,.
Failing prices of iron and steel indi-
cate that the home market is not sutfi-
cient to keep all the mills running at
the enormous profits which the United
States Steel Corporations balance
sheet has been showing. Statistics
collected here show there is a contract
ionin business. Members of the Cabi-
net are convinced the contraction is
going to become more marked. They
look for triaing pinch of hard times
before fall, because OF the great short
age threatened in the corn crop of the
West and the cotton crop of the South.
They think all this may have contri-
buted to the great shrinkage in values
in Wall street, and point to this con-
dition as indicating that the boom of
the ''period of exclusiveness' is pass
ing. u
Another thing which gives the party
leaders food for thought is the agita-
ton now going on in Great Britain,
which l may result in a complete rever-
sion of the policy of that free trade
country. Members of Congress were
disposed at first to treat the declara-
lions OF Messrs. Chamberlain and Bal
four as trivial and as in nowise affect
ing the economic system of the United
States. They said s'Oh, If Chamber
lain IS going to try that and put a duty
on American wheat and American beef
and pork, he will merely starve the
English people, and do US no harm. L
Second thought, however, shows
them that Mr.. Chamberlain S campaign
has been the most powerfully brought
home argument in favor of getting and
holding foreign markets by the meas
ure Of recipro Deity that has been made
in long time. Mr.. Chamberlain
would put a duty on all food products
imported into the United Kingdom
from any country that discriminates
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