Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-04-14

TT
weakness better than we did, and they
attempted to presume on that weak
ness. And yet in three months time
we had driven one of the Oldest ma
lions in the world from the eastern
and western hemisphere. a
i Reciprocity Sectional Issue.
Every republican believes in reci-
precity. But reciprocity.is good deal
Hike other things 1t eommends itself
| to every one as an abstract. principle,
but it is very difficult to put it into ac-
tive operation. A bill was recently in
troduced in congress which sought the
ratification of reciprocity treaty be-
tween this country and Argentine Re-
pubic. TWAS proposed to give .Argen-
tine Republic the benefit of rebates on
certain of it's products, such as wool,
hides and meats, in return for the ad-
mission of American farm machinery
to its ports free of duty l opposed the
ratification of that treaty for the rea-
| son that it seemed, in my Judgment
| inimical to the interests of the Ameri-
can farmer. | still believe that was
right in my position. Argentine is a
great and growing country, whose
plains feed thousands upon thousands
of cattle, sheep and horses. This is an
age of rapid transit when the antip-
odes have been brought close together
Portland, Me-, is but jump from Port
land, Ore. The seas are crossed in
| few hours where. quarter of a cen
tury ago, it took weeks and even
months to make a similar journey
1t is an age of great steamships fitted
with immense cold storage compart-
ments.
'While was in Manila found that
the government was buying it's beef
lin Australia. 1t was brought to the
Philippines in cold storage and sold to
the people there for cents pound,
dressed. What was to hinder the great
/. beef trust from carrying the cheap
meats, wool and hides of the Argentine
republic to our ports, storing it in the
great cold storage warehouses it would
build for that purpose and underselling
the American producer in his own
market2 The treaty finally failed of
ratification in the senate, and believe
THAT it was well that it was so. 1t
/
Iour splendid beef markets in return for
a market for our farm machinery.
Some time ago a gentleman named
Foss, residing in New England, con-
tcluded that he wanted to go to con-
Igress. He was immensely wealthy and
apparently had every means of graft
flying his ambition. He announced his
platform as free beef, free wheat and
free WOOL Such platform as that,
lit seemed, should be popular in that
section of the country, where the great
industries are the manufacture of
woolen and cotton goods and boots
and boots and shoes. But the people
lin Mr.. Foss' district began to look in
to the matter They discovered that
lii an effort were made to take the duty
from beef, wheat and wool the western
states would retaliate by taking away
the duties that protect the manufactur-
ed articles which the east produces.
AS result Mr. Foss did not so to con-
IgresSS.
$50 you see that the ratification OF
reciprocity treaties is only question
of sectional interest after all. Ii it is
proposed ITO take the duty from raw
materials produced in the west; west
ern congressman are likely to oppose
the ratification of the treaty. Such q
treaty would be injurious to the con
Z fstitueney' which they represent and
they cannot be blamed if they see nc
good in reciprocity under such condi
Etions
i Another. serious obstacle that
Stands in the way of the adoption of re
lciprocity treaties is the fact that good
constitutional lawyers have express
I FED the opinion that the United States
senate cannot ratify treaty that af
fects the revenues of the country with
IBut the consent of the lower house.
Cannot Please All.
Gentlemen, there never was tariff
bill that suited everyone. Every tar
lift bill is in the end a compromise be
tween contending interests. The fina
test of a good tariff law is: Does il
genft the people of the United States
as whole? Bearing this test in mine
lis it not better to bear some of the ev
ills that you have rather than fly tt
Iothers that you know not OF?
'The moment you attempt to reviS
lone schedule you throw every othe
schedule open to revision. You canno
quarantine tariff revision to two O
three schedules. And, my friends, yol
must bear in mind that the democrat
lin congress are no fools. They know
THAT when the republican party at
Itempts to revise the tariff schedules i
Eplaces itself in an extremely vulnera
able position. Five CT six men in tn
senate can introduce amendment
enn,1oh in q few weeks tn block le9is