Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-07-21

Il
of the coming republican convention.
CATHERINE q. CL1NK.
Protection and the Iowa Farmer.
Iowa farmers own more farm ma
chinery than the farmers Of any other
state in the union. The value OF the
m achinery is $l3, 1000, 600 greater than
that owned by Illinois farmers, and
even greater in value than that used
in New York aud Pennsylvania, which
rank next to Illinois. During the last
decade Iowa farmers have paid out
more than go, 0O0, 0Oe for farm imple-
mentS.
The implement business is controlled
by the harvester trust. The frat act
OF the trust was to advance the price
of machinery 10 per cent 1t has made
steady advances IN price since that
time aud is absolute master Of the.
market.
rrhe .rsSI used to by itsraw product
from the steel trust but the latter ex-
acted too large q measure OF protitand
the harvesters decided to produce
their own raw materiul. They erected
furnaces and foundries and now they
are saving the profit they used to pay
the steel trust. OF course they have
not given the Iowa farmers share Of
this profit In reduced prices.
There are some independent imple-
ment manufacturers who refused II,
join the harvester trust. They have
been and are compelled to buy their,
raw product from the steel trust
They held convention recently and
addressed petition to President
Roosevelt asking him to urge congress
to reduce the tariffs on the raw pro-
duets of steel, declaring that il con-
gress would not do this that they
would be compelled to go quito bust
ness because the harvester trust, pro-
dncing its own raw material, is able
to control the market They said that
with the duties removed they could
get the raw material at q figure that
would enable them to compete with
: tine TRUST.
Does the tariff on steel products bene-
1t the Iowa farmer? He is compelled
to pay more than 10 per cent. more for
his implements than formerly becaust
the harvester trust has monopoly
What,created this monopoly? What
do the independent harvesters say
created the monopoly?
The tariff, nothing else. Yet in the
very face of this damniDg evidence the
Iowa republican party declares tha'
the tariff does not shelter monopoly!
II the tariff on steel products is
maintained for the next ten years and
the rate of purchase Of farm machine
cry by Iowans is az great as during
the past ten years, Iowa farmers will
pay more than 81, 100000 to the mo-
nopolists whom the tariff shelters
Telegraph Herald
The machines alluded to in the fore
going article as composing "the Har-
vester Trust" are the Deering, Nc.
cormick, Plano, Champion and Mil
waukee; and the ones which ask cnr-
Rress to cease taxing itsJaw materia
ald which are not in the trust, are the
Walter A. Wood the Minnie and the
Osborne. II their prayer is granted
so they can go iuto the market of the
world for raw material, they will not
only be put on apar with the trust ma
chimes but will, be able to reduce the
price OF their machines to the extent
cf the tariff which takes from Iowa
farmers several millions every year On
their varied farm nipple ments. Az.
long as the trusts furnish the cam
paign funds for election purposes 1t is
not probable that the republican con-
: -gress will consider the tariff too high
but will "sta1d pasn with Hanna, and
applaud the tariff straddle pussy
foot" prepared for the recent state
convention.