Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-10-01

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| be placed in fair competition with
those Of Europe; and that we may
| have within our country supply of
those leading and important articles
SO essential in war. We have been
too long subject to the policy of Brit
| ish merchants. 1t is time that we
| ought to become little more Ameri-
canized: that instead of feeding the
1 paupers and laborers of England, feed
our own; or else in short time by
continuing our present policy (that un-
| der the tariff of 1870 we shall all be
rendered papaord anrd and and and a
| rendered paupers ourselves. 1t is my
opinion therefore that a careful and
| judicious tariff is much wanted"
Notwithstanding the opposition a
| strong protection bill was passed.
| Confidence was restored. industry re-
| vived and another era of general pros
perity set in. So marked was the ad-
vantages accruing from this protective
| measure that in 1928 in accordance
| with the demand of the people it was
amended and the duties raised still
| higher. Business continued to i'm.
| prove, artisans and all laboring men
were able to find employment new in
dustries were started and the people
rejoiced in their prosperity,
| In 1882 there was demand on the
part Of some southerners that the pro-
ective system be utterly abandoned"
But the country had never experienced
| so prosperous an era and the people of
the country generally were in no
| frame of mind to concede to these
wishes. The eight years Of protec-
ton had been so conducive to the best
welfare of the entire people that Pres
ident Jackson in his message OF 1882
said:
"Our country presents. on every side
marks OF prosperity and happiness,
unequalled perhaps in any other por-
| tion of the world"
| Although the entire country had at
tanned a degree of prosperity as the
result of the protective policies adopted
| in 1924 the people of the country seem
ed to have forgotten the free trade
| lesson and in 1888 the tariff question
was again taken up by congress. This
was but year after Jackson had ex-
pressed his belief in the necessity Of
a protective tariff for the best develop
ment Of the resources and business ac-
| tivities of the United States. In this
year the enemies of protection rallied
under the leadership of the democrat
| ic party and gained control of con-
gress.
Since the year previous when the
southern congressman had made an
unsuccessful attempt to break down
the protective tariff they had been
busily engaged in a free. trade prop
uganda. They stood for the utter
adjustment of the protective system.
Their radicalism was somewhat modi-
fled by the more conservative views
of the northern democrats who in turn
may be said to have been Influenced
by the high protectionists. In this
state of conflicting interests the best
that could be evolved was a compro-
mise measure. Henry Clay, then one
of the leading men in congress and a
| strong champion OF protection, did not
propose to give up the protective prin-
ciple of 1924 and 1928. However, the
compromise enacted had yielded just
enough of the protective principle to
destroy it's efficiency and make it Tin
practice). as disastrous as utter free
trade, as the experience of 1916 had
demonstrated. With such law on
the statute books began the third free
trade period in the history of the
United States, which continued until
1872
A general depression followed the
enactment of this law. This was fol-
lowed by gradual decline in all lines
of activity. Lack of confidence in
spired the business of the country,
contraction of industry followed, labor
ers were thrown out OF employment
the market was contracted and all
values declined. So everything con
| tinued to go from bad to worse until
| 1897 when in connection with the fl
nancial disturbances the lack of pro-
lection to American activities brought
on a most disastrous crash. The
entire country was enthralled by these
severe revulsions more appalling even
than those which followed the repeal
of the first protective tariff in 1916
The ruin OF this period was swift,
sure and complete. Even those who
under ordinary circumstances might
have partially saved themselves were
swept into the vortex of disaster. The
whole country went into liquidation.
Bank loans and discounts fell off more
than one-half The money loss to the
country was $1,OO0,0O0,000 to say
nothing of the effects of such calam-
! ity. Whether or not the congress
men or the people had believed it pos
! sible to compromise with the free
trade evil and survive they learned
! by bitter experience during this peri
Cd that such course was entirely i'm
| practical. The distress found in all
parts of the country is well portrayed
in the following picture of conditions
in Ohio:
I'm Ohio, with all the natural
4 abundance of that state it was hard to
get sufficient money to pay taxes. The
sheriff of Muskingum county, as stat
ed by the Gurnesy Times, in the sum
mer of 1912. sold at auction, one foul
horse wagon at $3.50; ten hogs at 6A
cents each; two horses, (said to be
i worth $50 to $75 EACH at So each; tive
COWS at 81 each barrel OF sugar al
/ $1.50."
gain in Miccnur; tho dicastnr nj