Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1904-01-13

public utilities in general.
For direct legislation.
For tax reforms.
For county option on liquor question in Min
nesOta
For thorough common school education in
fundamental branches rs against university
system fads.
Lid ON CANADIAN RECIPROCITY.
The speech made by Congressman
John Lind upon the subject of tariff
revision, particularly as it applied to
our Canadian relations, has attracted
much attention in different sections of
the country. In this state and
throughout the Northwest it was
hailed as keynote in the struggle to
come against the inordinate pro:ec-
ton given the trusts as we'll as for q
freer policy for the development of the
northwest. Limitations of space will
not permit US to reproduce the speech
in full. A few characteristic extracts,
however, follow:
''As you all know, there is in i'm
mense packing industry on the Pacific
coast. A great deal of tin plate is
used in that industry. There is also
large demand for sheet steel ard
sheet iron for Alaska. Ga the trip re.
ferred to I learned what I am now
about to state. I am not going to
give names, hut what l shall say is
capable OF veri6cation by any zone who
Is curious. The Northern Pacific
Railroad Company, to which l shall
refer, will give you the data and the
facts.
"A firm in Portland, Greg, dealing
in hardware and handling large guam
titles of tin plate and sheet steel found
that they neefed some six or seven
carloads of such material. This was
about year ago last summer. They
wrote to Pittsburg, the only pace
where those commodities could be
bought, to one of the subsidiary CON-
panies of the steel trust, and received
quotations. These people at Portland
found that the price made by the Pitts.
burg company was exorbitant, that l.
left no profit to them on the basis OF
the contracts that they had entered
into, SO they sent up to Vancouver, a
thriving town just over the Canadian
lire, I think within Is miles of the
United States boundary, and they
procured firm of Canadian brokers
to write to the same concern q letter
similar to that which they had sent,
to ascertain at what prices they could
buy these seven carloads of tin plate
and sheet steel.
1.-The Canadians were given quota.
tions ranging from eight to e'even
dollars per ton less than the quota
tions to the American applicants. At
the instance of the Portland firm the
Canadian b1 okers Immediately ordered
the tin plate and the sheet steel. In
due course of time the orders were
filed and the bills of lading, with
drafts annexed, we're sent to the bank
at Vancouver, and the Vancouver
brokers promptly paid the drafts, in
dorsed the bills of lading, and sent
them to their Portland customers.
They Immediately put themselves
in communication with the Northern
Pacific Railroad and found that the
cars were in transit somewhere in
North Dakota. They demanded that
the cars should be diverted, so as to
be sent--hree to Portland, two to
Seattle, one to Tacoma, and one to
another point, I think, instead OF be.
ing carried through to Vancouver.
They had the title papers-the bills of
lading-indorsed; the drafts duly re-
ceipted. The railroad company could
do nothing else than comply with the
demand, and the cars were diverted,
and this clever Portland firm saved
about $4,000 by the transaction.
Now, gentlemen, speaking to you
as American citizens, what do you
think of condition of affairs that
compels our own citizens to resort to
lying and subtertuge to get that decent
treatment that they ought to be en-
titled to as a matter of right under
our own laws? And still you say,
1--WE stand pat" Party policy, the
exigencies Of prospective campaigo,
will not justify you, you say, in
remedying these evils at this time;
nor do you promise to do it at any
future time"
After quoting q number of items
from the schedules of the present tariff
law, which Mr.. Lind said stood for
"graft" instead of protection, he
said:
"There is hardly q village in the
North having a population in excess
of 5, 900 where there is not q factory
of some kind manufacturing imp g.
ments, manufacturing engines, toole,
carriages, and what not. My city of
Minneapolis sends hundreds and
thousands of machines and engines
abroad every year threshinq ma
chimes, harvesters, plows, cultivators,
bicycles, gasoline engines, steam en-.
:gtres, wagons, carriages, and Va
riety of manufactured articles r.quir-