Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-04-14
iowa Idea" by WIN. M. Reece.)

we seem to have prospered." I am nm.
able to understand how our tariff can
be enslaving the people and at the
same time making them prosperous,
me Two conditions are as far removed
from each other as happiness and mis-
cry. Savings bank deposits prove that
laborers and mechanics are LAYING
away surplus, for it Is that class Of I.
people that place their money in such
banks and statistics show that their
deposits have steadily increased from
$1,939 ,376,035 in 1897 to So, 845, SO j. 800 In Z
1902 and is now over 5000, 00O, 600. TIE
average amount to each depositor ia
four times greater than in. any other
country.
More than double the amount OF life
insurance was written last wear than
was written in 1895 ,and that means
ings, since rs per cent is paid ia prem
lunls to the companies.
Mecnanlcs and laborers Of Ottumwa
know that wages have increased and
that employment has been more steady
ana that the daily wage of the me-
cnanlc during that tariff ueforma period
was In many instancespless ti1ans,tha
wage of common labor and /, personad1v
know that hod carriers received more
pay last year in, Ottumwa than carpen-
tiers did during Cleveland's adminis-
tratlon. and the same comparison will
apply to the country generally But
Mr.. roster says there Is no competition.
that business is all done by combines.
Now he ought to know, for he is at the
head Of the largest business in Ottun-
wa and I feel quite sure that none of
the merchants of Ottumwa, either
wholesale Or retail are connected with
combine and if there is any combine
IN Ottumwa 1t must be in the meat
business. These combines that are en-
pSa oil y,~z
in another town.
Let us consider the third proposition
which Mr.. Foster claims may be proven
by the last speech Of VIM. MCKINLEY.
yet he does not quote his language.
Every republican endorses that speech.
but refuses to accept the construction
which tariff yreformers place upon
garbled extracts from it. I find that
ne said these words upon that occa-
| sion: We should take from our Gus
toners such of their products as we
can use without harm to our industries
| and: labor" What should be consider
ed harm to our industries and labor?
The importation Of such articles Of
commerce as we can produce with our
own labor, and that was the position Of
Mckinley in his last utterances,
There is vast difference between
the trade relations existing between
the patrons Of a country store and that
which exists between nations. The
country store is, engaged in selling to
the farmer that which the farmer does
not produce and the farmer produces
that which the merchant does not sell
to farmers. Reciprocal trade between
the two lis quite in! harmony with re-
publican ideas. p ,f,I Isl &, 4,as1
Nations are engaged in manufacture
ing and producing in part at least the
same things in their respective coufl-
tries. Some do not produce as much
as they need for their own consumption
of certain articles and when nature
precludes the possibility Of such nation
profitably increasing their product to
| equal their own demand such articles
become fair basis for reciprocal trade
with other nations. But where ma
ton does not produce any of certain
articles such articles should be admit
ted free of duty from other countries
and they are admitted free under the
Dingley act. Would it be a good busi-
ness policy to admit the products Of
other nations free of duty that we are
now producing a surplus Of? The re-
publican party has always answered
no and at this point the line is drawn
/ between democracy and republicanism,
for they answer yes.
Fourth and final proposition Of Mr..
Foster. Prosperity, he says, Is not real
| but borrowed, that we are now drink
/ ing the cream and will reach the skim
milk after awhile. notice that 1t is al
ways takes much longer to get down to
/ the skim milk under a protective tariff
than under tariff reform. Our last
experience with tariff reform demon
strated that we began at once on the
skim milk ourselves because we gave
the cream to other nations II. ought to
make some difference to an American
citizen who gets the cream. . / call at
tention to the balance Of trade against
us in every low tariff period to prove
that other nations do get the cream
under tariff reform and to the balance,
of trade in our favor in every high tar
If period to show that we get the
cream under protection. Balance of
trade in our favor under the Mckinley
bill in 1892 was s173,O00,000 and s113,-,
J 100000 less in 1895 under the Wilson
bill. AS to other low tariff periods
similar proportion of loss has been sus-
q tanned by this country. The balance Of
trade in our favor last year was 1884,
:. 3S6.476 or six and one-half times great
er than in the year of Wilson reform,
y 1895. Let us continue to skim.