The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-01-02

The Congressional Records report
OF Congressman Lind's speech on the
tariff and reciprocity with Canada
delivered in the house of representa-
tives on Dec. Ia, shows that justice
was not done to it, and the debate
1T caused in the Geographic reports.
Messrs. Tawney and Davis of the
Minnesota delegation, Herman of
Oregon and Gardner of Massachusetts
interrupted Mr.. Lind, and at times the
repartee was spirited, Mr.. Lind IA
yoring reciprocity with Canada and
the other gentlemen opposing it. Mr..
Lind soon exhausted the time allotted
TO him, but was enabled to continue
thru the courtesy of Congressman
Brundidge IN granting him thirty-sev-
en- minutes of his time. It h e o u r.
n al gives below a comprehensive
condensation of the speech and the
debate. Mr.. Lind began his speech
as follows:
Mr.. Chairman: In the brief time
that | shall occupy [ shall not at
tempt any general discussion of the
tariff shall discuss only certain
phases of the question. One reason
is that [ do not think that general
discussion of that question at this
time is called fOr-certainly not so far
AS the general merits of the policy of
free trade or protection is concerned.
II SetlllS W me lHtlt SlnCe the Qe-
cisior by the Supreme court of the
tc'nited States in the income tax cases
the possibility of free trade in this
country; were it desirable, no longer
exists. BY that decision this coun-
try is irrevocably committed to a
tariff policy for purposes of revenue
at least, and tariff for any purpose
is necessarily protective to a greater
or less extent under present Industrial
conditions. =
~ by modern processes, not only in
this country, but the world over, the
cost of manufacture has been cheap
ened to such an extent that any tariff
on a commodity produced at home
is necessarily protective. I can mag
inc that twenty. thirty, forty or fifty
years ago a 20 or 80 per cent tariff
might not have been highly protec-
tive. but with the modern and cheaper
processes of production it is now
necessarily so in many industries.
We hear a great deal said on both
sides of the chamber in regard to a
protective tariff and revenue tariff,
as tho the two terms represented dis
tlnct and opposed policies. They may
have in the past, but there is little
ground for distinction any longer
What is imposed to-day as a revenue
tariff is also protective tariff, and
from this time on, when our indus
trial activity covers almost the en-
tire field of human endeavor, any
tariff levied upon the commodities
that we produce within our own do
mainland we produce everything-is
necessarily protective tariff to it's
extent. In the future it will be more
accurate to speak of the tariff as
high or Glow" than to speak of a
revenue tariff or a protective tariff
Mr.. Lind then went into a genera
licn11ccint, Of Jp
ing the ground that the present high
tariffs really hamper rather than pro-
tect American industry. The object
Of protection was to conserve the
nome market and stimulate domestic
production. but Mr. Lind held that
under present conditions the high tar
lff restricted production. He referred
to the fact that American. steel rails
are sold much cheaper abroad than
at home, and followed this I'D with a
story of a manufacturing firm that
had a plant in Portland, Ore. They
bought their tin plate and sheet steel
from the steel trust They had some
brokers in Vancouver, B. c., ask the
trust for quotations on tin plate and
sheet steel. These quotations were
from So to $40 less than those given
at Portland. The firm ordered seven
cars thru the brokers, and after they
< were in transit, had their destination
changed to Portland BY this clever
trick they saved $4,000.
MIR Lind then Droceeded:
.3 How the Tariff Hampers
@"3'There is hardly a village in the
north having a population in excess Of
5000 where there is not factory OF
some kind manufacturing nipple
ments, manufacturing engines, tools
fDr rsio onS >,,l,,
Minneapolis sends hundreds and thou.
sands of machines and engines abroad
every year-threshing machines, har
Nesters, plows, cultivators, bicycles
gasoline engines, steam engines, wag.
ons, carriages and a variety of manu-
featured articles requiring iron ant
steel-and there are many smaller
cities in our state developing manu-
featuring in numerous similar lines
But the! have been hamperet
and restricted for years in thei1
work. Why? Steel and iron are thei1
raw materials, and unless they can ge
their raw material, their steel ant
their iron, substantially on the same
@basiS OF prices which prevails in tn,
markets of the world they are handi
capped. By these exorbitant SEIZED
Jules you enable the trust to hold u,
these hundreds of smaller manufac
lurefS ana prevent them from gettins
,3the raw material that they need t.
engage IN the worlds competition
which they are otherwise bette
equipped for in many lines than an,
manufacturers in the world.
In these and many other schedules
your tariff has ceased to be a pro
tective tariff because instead of fur
therinS and increasing the demand
Tor domestic production it has de
creased it. Instead of encouraging in
dustry it retards industry. Mr.. Chair
man, l arose really not to speak OF
these questions so much as to call at
'tentlOn to another situation connected
with our tariff, which to my mind i
more important to the American peo
pie than is any other pending cues
ton
1.-The fact that / have grown I'D il
The north star state that I have live,
II neighbor to Canada all my life, per
maps enables me to speak. not onl
with stronger personal convictions
qbut with greater Familiarity than mos
@of you. | remember when | was il
this house. young fellow, fifteen o
sixteen years ago, | had occasion t
discuss our Canadian relations. I re
member one occasion when the hous
passed a bill pellmell, at the sugges
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