The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1903-09-17

ton, is not sure of it's position, and is
unworthy of support.
The tariff policy of the United States
is a selfish one. Its promoters are
men who believe in upbuilding their
own fortunes. They are not looking
after the interests of the farming and
producing class, although nearly sew
enty per cent of the export trade OF
the United States is the product of
agriculture.
All tariff laws should be enacted on
a strictly revenue basis. Any other
theory of levying taxation is contrary
to the letter of the constitution and
to the spirit of free institutions. Con
gress is and ought to be, without pow
er to tax you for my benefit.
Protection Tribute Supports Wealth.
Protection is but tribute levied
| upon thrift and industry to support
and maintain in wealth and idleness.
Why should pay higher price in
order to enable another to make a
larger profit? I might as well pay you
$1.20 for an article worth ST.. 90 that
you may continue in business. A pro-
tective tariff is tax upon consumption
and it is unworthy of any nation that
bases it's right to legislate upon the
The consumer is not benefited by a
1
protective tariff, he is injured by it.
Analyze for a single moment the
effect of the protective tariff upon one
single industry. 1t increases prices
rather than reduces. 1t restricts the
market and limits the field
The Tariff Duty on Lumber.
I take that of lumber; this, an Ina.
portant item that enters into the vel
fare of every home in this great 1ana
Today we are confronted with the
proposition of the exhaustion of our
| pineries. You have but to read the
report of the Secretary of Agriculture
You have but to go to one of our hum
Der yards and there ascertain the fact
that the great pine forests of oui
I country are almost exhausted. What
is the effect of having a duty upor
lumber and who does it benefit? 1
lumber, the same as corn, and the
home demand was as great as FOL
corn, | grant you that a law restricting
the importation of lumber would be
of some assistance, for it would per
NIT you to monopolize the home mar
ket and thereby make the price fol
your product.
i The people of the state of Iowa
would be compelled as a matter OF
course, to purchase of you, and there
by controlling the supply and the out
put, you would profit thereby. This
is the very use of protection to assis.
the manufacturer by compelling those
within the prescribed territory to pur
chase of him alone.
1t never has been denied that the
consumer pays the tax. 1t can not be
denied. When the fire occurred in
Maine, years ago, members of con
gress from that state were instrumen
tai in introducing a bill to have the
lumber relieved of this burden. If II
was tax paid by the importer why
the necessity of relieving the article
Of the duty? The original thought
and idea of tariff policy, by its pro
paeters, was that of raising revenue
fer governmental purposes and inci
dentally to place the American manu-
facturer in position where he could
compete with the so-ealled cheaper
labor Of his foreign neighbor; but the
idea and thought of eliminating com
petition and placing the consumer al
the mercy Of the tariff beneficiary
never entered the minds of our fathers
Regard was had for the law of supply
and demand, and the first tariff acts
We're supposed to be short lived. But
as time advanced, and seif1shness and
greed became a political asset of a
great party, and opportunity presented
itself to command the aid of corpora
lions and trusts, the protective party
of today, marked under the name Re
publican, became fact. The teach
ing Of Hamilton and Clay was forgot
ten, and the Morrill, tariff act was the