Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-04-12
THE EAST END MEETING,

At a meeting held in the East End
on last Tuesday evening, Thos. D. Fos-
ter, the principal speaker, summarized
his views as follows:
First. That our present tariff is
fast alternating our customers and turn
ing the world against us commercial
ly.
Second. That our present tariff is
enslaying the people.
Third. That its operation is in op-
position to sound business principles.
Fourth. That our present prosperity
is not real, but borrowed, and will have
to be paid back with interest.
Mr.. Foster has certainly a right to
his individual views upon the tariff or
any other subject and has an equal
right to express such views on any &C.
casion he may see fit, but he has not
the right to attempt to direct the &C.
ton of the republican primaries unless
he does So as a republican and pro-
poses to abide by the decision Of such
primaries in case policies are adopt
ed that run counter &c his particular
views.
The republican party believes in the
principles of protection and reciproc-
ity in non-cumpetitive products, but is
welded to no particular schedules. 1t
believes that the American market
should be conserved to American CAPT
tai and American labor 1t believes
that the tariff should be sufficient, and
that only, TO equalize conditions here
and abroad in the production of every
article that we do or can produce in
this country. 1t is not in favor of low
49,, ~ f;o1o OF f1o
behest of any nation, that will result
in giving up any portion of the Ameri-
can market that is now supplied or
can be supplied by home production.
1t is not i'm favor of any reciprocity
treaty with Canada in competitive pro-
ducts whereby we give them market
of eighty millions of consumers in ex-
change for a market of eight millions
of consumers.
1t sounds very nice to say that Eve
should modify our tariff so as to show
greater appreciation of Great Britain
as consumer" but such modification,
in order to produce satisfactory re-
suits to Great Britain must be made
sufficient to let in her manufactured
products, and to the extent that such
is done, make both our capital and la
Dor non-productive and thus destroy so
much of the home market for our agri-
cultural products.
Mr. Foster says that leading nations
have been 1egislating against us, with
but slight intermission during the life
of the Wilson bill" A fair Inference
from this reference to the Wilson bill
is that said bill did not go far enough
to satisfy the wishes of foreign ma
tons! 1t certainly went too far to suit
the needs of our own people.
Any one who looks back over the
period from 1893 to 1897, the years the
Wilson bill was in force, with the
floods of importations, depressed in
dustries, idle workmen and low prices
of farm products. will concede that
we have had more than enough of that
kind of tariff legislation. In 1897 the
Dingley bill replaced. the Wilson bill
and under its operation this country
has enjoyed greater degree Of pros
Derity than it or any other country ev-
er experienced.
This amply refutes the statement.
ssthat our present tariff is enslaving
the people" The claim "that it's OPP
GRAFTON is in opposition to sound bust
ness principles" must be taken as a
denial of the soundness of the funda-
mental doctrine of protection. This
would be a proper subject for discus
sion between the political parties but
hardly d proper one to be debated be-