Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1903-04-11
THE MINNEAPOLIS SPEECH.
Tariff and Reciprocity His Subject
Meet Demonetrativo Welcome.


President Roosevelt Saturday. From
the time he arrived until his departure
from Minneapolis at IL o'clock Satur-
day night for the west he was the re-
cipient Of a continual ovation, the
streets through which he passed In both
cities being a solid mass of people, and
armory hall at the University OF Min
nesota being crowded to It's capacity.
The party left the hotel at S:45 for a
short parade and drive to the armory,
where the address of the evening was de-
livered. An enormous crowd surrounded
the armory which was crowded to Its ut
most limit.
The speech, which was on the tariff
m reciprocity, brought out much en-
thusiasm. Thousands Of persons lined
the route of the private electric cars
that brought the distinguished guest
n party from st. Pau
The weather was ideal. Business houses
and residences all along the line of march
were profusely decorated. and In the even
ing colored lights were burned at all down.
town street corners.
The trip from st. Paul In the afternoon
was made In slightly more than forty
minutes, there being no stop until the
Nicollet hotel was reached. A large crowd
had gathered, and there was cheer after
cheer for the president as he passed into
the hotel through the ladies' entrance and
was SHOWN 10 MS apaTtn1ents.
The banquet was served in the great
dining hall, and the party was seated at
7:30. Time was limited. add as the menu
was simple the feast was completed in
slightly more than an hour. There were
225 plates. Gov. Van SAINT and other state
officials, congressman and many pronii-
nent citizens comprised the guests.
Tariff and Reciprocity.
President Roosevelt was introduced by
President Northrup, of the University Of
Minnesota. and spoke as follows:
At the special session OF the senate In March
the Cuban reciprocity treaty was ratified. This
treaty will confer BENEFITS upon Cuba. widen
Ing OF her market. and upon the United States,
widening tho control IL Will give In Cuban
markets. The treaty Is beneficial to both par
ties. We offer Cuba her natural market. We
can confer a benent no other nation can: II
behooves us to stretch out a helping hand.
1t widens the market for our products. both
OF farm and manufactures. Finally, the tre-
atty was not merely warranted, but demanded
by an enlightened foreign policy. More and
more we must preponderate In the region south
OF US; not control the republics, but control
the situation so as to avoid complications In
future. Under the Plat amendment Cuba
gave us naval stations. The navy department
decided we needed but two, and we have spe-
Gifted where these are to be. President Palma
has concluded an agreement giving them to us.
which the Cuban legislature will doubtless
ratify. Cuba has assumed a relation to our
system wnlCn gives US OulpOSts u ueIeHSe,
we are bound to extend her the benefit OF our
economic system. From every standpoint the
ratification OF the Cuban treaty marked prog
ress toward greatness at home and abroad.
Equally important was the action on the
Philippine tariff. We gave q reduction OF rs
per cent. and would have given them a re-
duction OF 26 per cent. moro had II not been
for the opposition, In the closing days OF the
session, Of certain gentlemen who, by the way,
have been representing themselves both as
peculiarly s~olicitous for the interests OF the
Philippine people, and as special champions
OF lower duties. There is a distinctly humorous
side TO the fact that the reduction Of duties
which would benefit Cuba, the Philippines and
ourselves. was antagonized chiefly by those
who in theory have been ~proclaiminB them
selves the guardians OF the islands and the
ardent advocates Of reduction OF duties.
A law was enacted putting anthracite on the
free list and removing duties on all other coal
for one year.
We are now in a prosperity unparalleled in
our own history or the history Of any other
nation. We are winning headship among the
nations because our people are able to keep
their high average Of citizenship and to show
their mastery In the hard, complex life OF the
age. There will be fluctuations in prosperity,
but II will continue so long as we keep up
this high individual citizenship.
The present prosperity has been won under
a tariff to protect the American producer. bus
mess man. wage-worker. and farmer. The
general tariff policy, to which, without regard
to changes In detail. Itoelieys this country is
committed, is based upon recognition OF the
difference between cost OF production-that Is,
the cost Of labor--here and abroad. and OF the
need that our laws shall afford no advantage
In our own market to foreign Industries over
American Industries. to foreign capital over
American capital, to foreign labor over our
own labor. This country has and needs better
paid. educated, fed and clothed workingmen
than any foreign country. 1t has and needs a
higher type OF tillers OF the soil. The last few
years have shown how s~killfully the leaders
OF American industry use the mighty indus
trial weapons forged for them by the resources
OF our country, the laws. the skill, the In
ventive genius, and the administrative capa-
city OF our people.
we need to treat the tariff as a business
proposition, not with reference to the tenn
porary needs of any political party. 1t Is al
most as necessary that our policy be stable as
that II be wise. Sweeping and violent changes
In a tariff touching agriculture. labor, manu-
features and would be fatal to our
present well-being If the principle OF protection
was TO be abandoned, The American world
cannot afford TO consider abandoning the sys-
TEN.
Yet where Industrial conditions frequently
change, It Is important that we be able from
time to time to adapt our policy to conditions.
our aim should be to preserve the policy OF
a protective tariff. and yet wherever and when
ever necessary to change the duties In par
ticular para or schedules, IL such change
is demanded by the interests of the nation as
a whole.
In making any readJustment certain consid-
~erations cannot DO disresarded. II n tariff
Jaw mas Nolh Y NNliE aiAu pbotANS To- PASS
pered, II may be better to endure some in
equalities for a time than to risk disturbance
and perhaps paralysis OF business. The fact
that a change In a duty may be thought de-
sirahle does not settle whether 1t Is advisable
Immediately. We must remember that when
ever a single schedule Is considered some In
terests will demand change In almost every
schedule; and when II comes to upsetting the
schedules generally the effect would be r''inous.
one point we must steadily keep in mind.
Tariff revision, speaking broadly, stands who'll
ly apart from dealing with the trusts. No
change in tariff can have ANY substantial eff
feet In solving the trust problem. Certain
trusts or corporations are wholly UNAFFECTED
by the tariff. Practically all the others Of
Importance have numbers OF smaller American
competitors; and a change in the tariff which
would work injury to the large corporation
would work destruction to its smaller COM
%petitors. Such a change would merely mean
that the trust was relieved OF the competition
of its weaker American competitors, and
thrown only into competition with foreign COM
%petitors; and the first effort to meet this new
competition would cut down wages. In the
case OF some Of our greatest trusts such a
change might confer upon them a positive ben
eft. Speaking broadly, changes In the tariff
will affect the trusts simply as they affect the
country. The tarin affects trusts only as 1t
affects all other interests. 1t makes all these
interests. large or small. profitable; and its
benefits can be taken from the large only I'M
der penalty Of taking them from the small
also.
To sum up, then, we must as a people ap-
proach the tariff from the standpoint of busi-
ness needs. We cannot afford to become fos-
SLICED, or fail to recognize that as the needs
OF the country change II may be necessary
to meet these new needs by changing certain
features OF our tariff laws. Still less can we
afford to fail to recognize the further fact that
these changes must not be made until the need
for them outweighs the Disadvantages which
may result; and when 1t becomes necessary
to make them they should be made with full
recognition OF the need OF stability in our
economic system and of keeping unchanged
the principle of that system which has now
become a settled policy In our national life.
We have prospered marvelously at home. As
a nation we stand In the very forefront in
the giant International Industrial competition
OF the day. We cannot afford by any freak
OF folly to forfeit the position to which we
ho xtn thra tri,iV,pha ntiu attained