The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1903-10-22
Republican Prosperity.
FARNHAMyILLE, Iowa, Ocr. III. 19y

| EDITOR REPORTER:-We have been
told by the republican party for the
last few years that the prosperity of the
farmers was all on account of the tariff
protection. The tariff only protects the
manufacturer in the price of the goods
he makes. Lumber, which every farmer
| has to use, has tariff of two dollars per
1000 feet, which the farmer pays every
time he buys a bill of lumber. OF course
that is for the farmers benefit, and
every keg of nails has tariff of II to 2
cents a pound, which the farmer pays,
and of course that is for his benefit.
Then when the farmer goes to the bank
to borrow some money the banker pays
J of per cent to Uncle Sam for the use
of the national bank notes, then lends
the bank notes to the farmers at 10 per
cent, and of course that is for the bene-
fit of the farmer. The banker don't pay
any taxes on the bonds he holds or the
bank notes he loans to the farmer, and
has the use of the bank notes for twenty
y
all the time, and the farmer pays the
interest on the bonds and bank notes
for twenty years at the rate of 10 per
cent, while the banker pays ] of one
| per cent for the use of the bank notes,
and of course that is for the benefit of
the farmer. And we might so on inde-
finitely enumerating the benefits to the
farmer under a protective tariff.
| Now, if the farmer wants that kind of
protection let him vote the republican
ticket, for that kind of protection has
made thousands of millionaires and
multi-millionaires, and hundreds Of
thousands of poor wage laborers, and a
blanket of mortgages on the farms and
homes of Iowa that in 1890 amounted to
S104 for every man, woman and child in
Iowa. (See Census of Iowa, 1S90)
| Two years ago the banks flooded the
country with bank notes and the farm
ers were induced to buy cattle and
hogs and feed, and one year ago the
price of fat cattle in Chicago was u to
81 cents, and the farmers went to work
to feed cattle with the expectation of
getting that kind Of price this season,
and there was not one feeder in ten but
what lost money feeding at $3.50 to
$500 a hundred, for great portion of
the corn was not good as it had been
for severai years,ss and the interest on
the money he borrowed to buy his cat
tie, corn and hogs simply took all the
profits.
| Now, will some one tell the dear peo-
pie why republican prosperity so much
talked about has made such difference
in the prices without any change of the
! policy of the republican party, and then
say there is no beef trust or any other
trusts to put the price of cattle up or
down whenever it suits them, as they
did in the last year, putting the price of
fat cattle down two dollars on the
hundred pounds, and adding the two
dollars on the neat beef, as they have
been doing. One is a tariff off of the
fat cattle and the other is tariff on
neat beef, SO any sensible man can
Judge for himself whether the tariff is
benefit to the producer and consumer of
Iowa or any other state.
Now, let every voter in the county
make it special duty to go to the cleo
tion and cast his vote for the party he
honestly believes will do all in it's
power to repeal all unjust tax laws and
make such laws as will tax every per-
son, rich or poor, alike, for there is not
a law on our statute books but what
favors the rich man and corporations as
against the farmer and mechanic and
business man.
Respectfully,
w, E, CANNON,