The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-11-23
POOLING AROUND THE OUTSIDE

POOLING AROUND THE OUTSIDE.
Representative Stevens says that he
intends to look further into the sub
ject of so modifying the regulations for
milling wheat in bond that millers may
sell their by-products in this country
without payment of duty. Under the
bonding privilege raw materials may
be imported into this country in bond,
worked UP into the finished article
and, if the commodity thus produced
is made for export and is sent abroad
and sold, no duty has to be paid. Mill
ers find a market of this sort for their
flour; but the cheap and bulky prod
ucts, such as bran, that could be dis
posed Of prof1tably near by, will not
bear transportation to distant mar
ket They would like to ease the tariff
where it pinches them and keep it
tight where it pinches the other fell
low, just as they do in making use of
the bonding privilege itself.
The proper way to get at this par-s
ticular trouble, and the way to deal
with everything in fact where the tariff
is concerned, is to strike at the ssplar
plexus Of the evil, which is the tariff
system itself. There is about as much
sense in tariff on wheat in this
country as there would be for a man
to charge himself SIS out of one pocket
whenever he bought new coat, and
pay back SIS into the same pocket
whenever he bought a pair of new
trousers. The tariff on wheat is a mere
insult to the intelligence of the Ameri-
can farmer. That duty was put into
the schedule with the idea of fooling
him into a belief that his industry
could be and was protected the same as
others. If he is not the srankest of
suckers, he knows that it has no more
effect upon his industry or upon the
price of his product than does the bay
ing Of his house dog at the moon.
The price of wheat is fixed in the
worlds great central markets, the piv-
otal point for years having been and
still being the city of Liverpool. The
price depends upon the relation of de-
mand and supply as existing in or re-
ported to that center. If there are TO-
100000 bushels of wheat available as
a part of the visible supply up in
Manitoba, they are counted into the
total amount Of the worlds wheat in
sight and affect the market price to
just that extent. It makes no more
difference whether they go to Liver
pool by an all-Canadian route, or
whether they are shipped from the
United States; whether they remain as
wheat or are manufactured into flour;
than it does whether they are stored
in wooden Or in steel-tank elevators.
The tariff has no more to do with the
price SO determined than has the presi-
dents Thanksgiving proclamation.
The abolition of the tariff on wheat
would not affect injuriously the for
tunes of a living human being, except
the politicians who live by preying on
the people. 1t would be an aid to the
milling industry, as permitting it to
in ROY
red tape Of the bonding system and al
lowing it to dispose Of all it's products
without legislative interference. In
all the wide expanse of the United
States not a bushel of wheat would
know a pennys worth Of difference in
price. The peanut politician who goes
about telling farmers that the tariff
protects" their products might lose a
few votes of the men ignorant enough,
If there are any, to believe him. We
submit that the maintenance. of this
duty is hardly worth the price that we
pay for it.
All the same, Representative Stevens
will not have smooth road to travel
if he attempts to interfere with the
grain tariff. All the protected inter-
ests have pooled their issues, and the
Republican edict has gone forth that
no item Of the tariff, however injuri-
Gus or unjust, must be meddled with on
the penalty of disturbing all the rest.
No matter how industry may suffer,
Mr.. Stevens, who is perfectly aware Of
the existence of this compact, proba-
bly, does not expect to be able to abro-
gate it or TO secure any modification in
it's terms.