Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-04-12
A Whining Organ.

- W OERaHs
| Some Republicans in Minnesota and
other states bordering on Canada are
very anxious for reciprocity with Can
ada The American Economist. how
ever. denOunces this reciprocity as "a
means of adding 10 the profits OF the
millers. the jobbers and the railroads
and IA selfish, senselesS scheme. OF
| cheapening the domestic market for
| farm products The Economist also
/ claims 1t would break down the price
| Of wheat at Minneapolis. and for pre-
| cisely that effect and for that reason
the Minneapolis milling corporations
and the Twin City daily newspapers
are urging reciprocity with all their
| might and main"
As every farmer knows. this crude
| reasoning is based on the superstition
| that the price Of wheat X fixed in
| Minneapolis according 10 the amount
! Of wheat received there. But the
| facts are that the price Of wheat IS
controlled by the combined crops of
/ the world and the demand for the sur
plus after our own and other home
markets are supplied. Those countries
like England which do not raise
enough wheat TO supply their own
people buy what they need from the
United States. India. Argentina, Rus
sia or any other country that has 4
surplus TO sell. The demand for that
surplus fixes the price Of wheat all
over the world, and the Canadian
wheat has but slight influence to
raise or lower il. If the Canadian
wheat does not come through Min
neapoIis. where most of IL would be
ground into -four in American mills. il
would he shipped 10 eastern Canada
and either made into flour there or
shipped direct TO England. In any
event the most of it reaches England
and completes in regulating the price
that * paid the world over
The American farmer has been badly
treated by the protcctionista. He has
10 pay high tariff prices for all he
buys and has but little protection on
what lie raises. The Economist knows
this and must bolster up its protection
fallacies by its pretended anxiety for
the American farmer The Protective
Tariff league, which supplies the mon
ey To publish the Economist, is com
posed OF eastern manufacturers. most
OF whom are now organized into trusts
and combines. which are bleeding the
farmer ut every pore. and their ankle
ty. expressed through their organ. the
Economist. for the protection OF the
farmer is like the love of the lion for
the lamb-tO make u good meal Of.
This contention among the Republic
an prOtcciioniStS on the virtue of reel
procity. which by the way. was IA
vOrcd by Blaine and urged by McKin-
ley and WAS part of the political creed
Of President Roosevelt until the stand
pattcrs' forced him to yield To their do
nothing policy. i favored 10y many Re
publicanS Who see that protection can
not long exist unless some of its bar
riCrS to trade are lowered.
The Democrats may accept reciprOC-
ity as Il means to break down protec-
ton. but il is not the Democratic way
Of curing the evil of monopoly. When
the farmers are relieved from trust
cXactiOEs by the tariff being reformed
so that the trusts can no longer charge
them much higher prices here than the
same trust productions are sold for
abroad. the wheat problem will he set
tied ut the same time. All the farmer
wants is to he allowed TO buy in the
cheapest market and sell i'm the best
market that the world affords. The
faFmcr. with the trusts removed from
his back. which are now riding him To
his undoing. viii then have equal
rights with the mOnopoliSts. who are
now enjoying special privileges ar his
expense.