The Kemper herald. (Scooba, Miss.) 1875-1908, 1903-05-28
TIE BALANCE OF TRADE.
CJL. WEBB EXPLAINS HOW HE HAS
HELD UP HIS END UNDER THE
PROTECTIVE TARIFF.

fhOl lBC1lNE TARIFF.
ESoNDALe, Miss, May 25, 1903.
Editor KEMPER HERALD:
1t Congress would pass an act
to pension all OF rs old one gal
fused farmers tor the balance of
our lives, or give US a bounty OF
$1,000 per bale on all the cotton
raised tor the next thirty years,
and tax the protected industries
to pay it, they would hardly pay
Us back the money that has been
taken from us contrary to all
! justice and right. To throw their
own arguments back at them, it
would be good for the balance OF
/ the industries as it would enable
US to buy more OF their kanga
roo calf shoes---made of pressed
leather and brown paper; it
wonld enable us to pay our Il. .
borers better wages, so that they
could purchase more OF their fur
hats-made OF old army blankets
| and woolen rags, carded up and
mixed with cotton and paste; in
fact it would enable us to enjoy
a little bit of that prosperity we
have been reading about but not
realizing on.
Butwhen we suggest anything
OF this kind, they hold up that
| big balance OF trade in favor of
the United States and say "look
at that" Well, what does that
mean? 1t means that we have
| been starving ourselves and tam
lilies shipping all our good things
to Europe. 1t seems that they
are much better off over there
than we are, since they are able
to buy and eat all of our tat
steers and leave us the lean ones.
Anyone that will look around
over the farms OF Mississippi
will see that that big balance of
trade has got hung somewhere
and has not reached this far
! down. Let me bring the matter
right down to my own home.
Look youder at that fat yearing.
My mouth is watering for "a
piece OF his brisket, but | dare
not touch him; he must 90 to
! keep the balance of trade IN my
/! favor Look at those fine yell
low legged c IA i c k ems trotting
! around IN my yard. But, oh,
Lordyl they are not Tor such as
IL; the balance of trade calls for
, them too. And so on all down
the line Well, everybody can
see how this is.
/ But perhaps everybody don't
know that | had ii miniature
panic on my farm last fall. |
planted for thirty bales of cotton
and got fifteen, and here | was
with a fifteen bale crop and IA
thirty b ale account. Things
sure did look squally tor fact.
That account must be met, else
how or where can | get credit
next year; or to put it differ.
emily, starvation staring me in
the face, and not only me but my
| live stock and everything. For
tunately ! had been nursing a
little bunch OF yearlings, think
ing | might sell them and buy
| my vile a new stove and calico
| frock and myself a Sunday shirt.
But, alas. they must go to keep
the balance OF trade in my favor,
and the devil may get me for
not going to church and getting
my sins pardoned Tor want OF
that shirt.
| traded probably five hundred
dollars worth last year. Now
let some one who has the tariff
schedule figure out how much
the protected industries got out
j OF that-certalnly enough to
have bought my wife that stove
and dress and rnyselt that shirt
that might have kept the devil
of OF me.
Perhaps | make it a little too
strong when | say that the bats
aud owls have taken possession
ot some OF our fine old Southern
homes; but at auy rate the good
old hospitable Southern gentle
man has been driven oat of them