The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-01-13
AND
LIVE STOCK.
President John w. Springer
Tells CattIemen's Convention
That the Two Interests Hold
the Balance of Power.
WILL HAVE THEIR OWN
Without Begging Anything at
the Hands of Congress.
Four Days Meeting Opens With
q Large Attendance.


a Large Attendance.
Kansas City Mo, Jan. 13.-The sixth
annual convention of the National
Live Stock association began a four
days session at the Century theater
today. Every seat in the auditorium
was filed and many stood about the
walls. The attendance is greater than
at any previous gathering of the as
ISOLATION and the work accomplished
probably will stand forth as import
ant as any that has resulted from a
| like convention in this country. Many
of the delegates from distant points
/ had not arrived for the first session
but all are expected before tomorrow.
Governor A. M. Dockery was to have
extended a welcome on behalf of the
state, but he was III and unable to be
present. Mayor James A Reed took
his plaee and in an eloquent address
welcomed the delegates, speaking for
the city and state. The response on be-
half of the association was made by
/ Peter Jansen, of Nebraska, who spoke
I in glowing terms of the work before
the convention and the future import
anee of the National Live Stock as
! ISOLATION.
Then John w. Springer, of Denver.
president of the association. delivered
his annual address. 1t was a forcefuI
paper and dealt with directness upoIl
the legislation, pending and future.
necessary for the protection of the live
| stock industry. He said:
SPRINGER'S ADDRESS.
We have learned at very dear cost
that, while we may differ on politics
and religion we must stand together
In national organization If we would
f1.11 fF1so n
struggle now going on To secure our
| well earned profits, we must stand
shoulder to shoulder for our mutual
/ protection, for the legislative chain is
it is our business to remedy the weak
points in our allied industry.
Let it be understood here and now,
that the American stock man proposes
to take care of himself, and that he is
not a supplicant at the doors of the
federal congress for any subsidy, for
any bonus or for any policy which
seeks forty acres and a mule But
we do serve notice on the vote-be-
seaching politician that the live stock
interests must receive protection from
+ the congress of the United States, just
as long as the finished products made
from our raw materials are heavily
I protected. Our allied interests stand
+ with American labor. and together we
| hold the balance of power in this union.
None of our great interests are hyS-
terical or unreasonable or cranky OH
/ the subject of tariff or tariff legiSla-
ton We know it has largely aided
in making our nation great, and it has
assisted the American Workingman to
| a higher level than that occupied by
any worker on this round earth. But
the tariff is not perfect. and the stock
men of the United States believe there
are many points where the tariff could
I be reduced, and even abrogated entire
ly for the best interests of the people
as conditions now exist. We believe
further that a tariff must be retained
On hides, WOOL meat and animals in
order that the American stock raiser
may not be Disseminated against. We
must again at this and the next ses-
sion of the federal congress thwart the
| highly protected manufacturers from
down east in their selfish demand for
free hides and free wool.
/ I'VE are strongly urging upon the
present ways and means committee to
/ report favorably the GfOsvenOr anti
shoddy bill and to force the manufac-
turers to plainly mark each piece of
cloth as to just what proportion is wool,
shoddy, cotton. etc, IN order that the
man buying clothing will know what
he receives. We cannot be too persist
ent in our demand for this bill.
THE bill extending the shipping laws
from IS to 40 hours. which has passed
the house and IS IN the senate, Is fully
approved by all the cattle shippers.
Our interests firmly and fully believe
in a reciprocity which reciprocates. We
advocate a give and take policy such as
the great Mckinley outlined. Not only
this, but we advocate that the congress
of the United States pass a bill direct
ing the president, whenever in his judg-
nent 1t may be necessary, to retaliate
against any foreign government, arbi-
trarily and unjustly discriminating
against American goods or products
when the same is as wholly unjustifiable
as the proposed German tariff bill now
under consideration in Germany which,
if passed will exclude from that country
Is per cent of all our meat exports. The
alleged excuse is that our canned meats,
health of the people of the Fatherland,
which we all know is false in every
particular
I'VE believe the world IS continually
progressing, and that new conditions de-
mand rational treatment A govern
mental policy successful under Grant
and Garfield is not per Sc what we
need under Roosevelt. Our American
tariff has been a great lever in the up
building of American industries, but it
needs revising and pruning to meet
changed conditions in favor Of the pro-
posed bill.
I'VE are also strenuously in favor OF
the proposed bill to amend the inter
state commerce law, in order that this
commission may have authority of its
own orders and DEGREES. The confessed
idiocy of keeping up a high priced list
of five interstate commerce commission
ers who hear cases, look wise and secure
no results, is in keeping with a justice
of the peace in Missouri declaring a
~ anAR