Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-05-06
An OPEN Fight
SAYS CUNM|NS
Iowa Governor Addresses Chi
cago Commercial Association
on Tariff and Reciprocity
MUST BEGIN AT PRIMARIES
MUST BEGIN AT PRIMARIES
Iowa Governor Convinced That the
Present Congress is Determined to
Allow No Change Great or Little to
Creep Into the Dinsley Schedules
Other News.
Special to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Chicago. May 6.-Governor A.
Cumrnins was the principal speaker
before the Commercial Association at
the Auditorium this afternoon. Hi.
address was devoted to tariff and rec
| iprocity and he was given an enthus-
iastic hearing. There was a large at
| tendance at the meeting. Governor
/, Cummins said in part:
Hitherto, the enemies Of moditica :
| tions in the tariff, whether directly, by
revision, or Indirectly, thru reciproo-
| ity, have been able to deceive the pub
| lie with the pretense that those who
| favored changes in the law to meet
new situation were hostile to the pol
| icy of protection--a policy that has be-
come the cornerstone of our industrial.
structure, and under this guise they
have defeated every proposition to
help either the buyer at home or the
seller abroad. In view OF this misun-
derstanding, which is entirely honest
with many people, may l be permitted
to review some of the fundamental
steps in the history and development
of this subject
From the earliest days of the re-
public, the leaders of political thought
have divided upon this elemental
question: On the other hand 1t was
asserted that the government ough.
not to interfere with the natural laws
OF trade except in SO far as duties lev
| led solely for revenue might restrict or
| divert the channels of commerce. On
the other hand, it was asserted that
the government ought. for the benefit
of its own people, to undertake to- so
modify natural trade, and SO adjuss
{ ur relations with other countries, that
four resources would be utilized, ana
our own markets. opened to our own
producers.
Question Of Protection is Settled.
with varying degrees of intensity,
| the fight along the lines Of this con-
troversy went on for an hundred
years. There may be some, although
/ think very few, who believe that the
question is still open for discussion,
but as 1 view the happenings of the
last decade (and think the great ma :
jority OF the people view the matter
from the same standpoinD the issue
thus made has been settled-settled
not only by the choice of our voters.
but by the Judgment of every civilized
nation on earth. save one.
Intent Of Protection.
"Protection was intended to give
the American producer fair and even
chance in the American market. and
not to give him monopoly OF the
home market at any price that he may
see fit to attach to his production. 1t
was intended to help the producer in
his own country, but not to destroy
| the producer who seeks a marke. in
other countries. 1t was intended to
| increase the amount Of work done
within our own borders: 1t is being
used to restrict production in the Ucl-
ted States. 1t was intended to make
sure that the American producer
should receive a fair American price
for his. commodity; it is being used
to exact more than fair price for
things sold in our own markets.
pingley Schedules Too High.
"In 1897 congress passed the pres
ent tariff law. 1t is not material for
ME to inquire whether it was just
expression of the protective policy
under conditions which then existed.
| 1t is sufficient to say that. whatever
may have been true in 1897, it is now
true that the duties of the most I'M
portant schedules of the law are so
much higher than the difference be-
tween the cost Of production here and
abroad that they shock the moral ana
economic sense of every man who be-
lieves in fair dealing. Our exports IN
eight years have increased enormous
! ly, but when it is understood that the
| increase is largely in the commodities
upon which we levy heavy and pro-
hibitive duty, and that our. manufac-
turers are meeting their competitors OF
| the world in foreign markets, wnlie
they still demand the perpetnation OF
| these excessive duties to guard their
| home markets. it is difficult to recon-
cile our inaction with the lowest STAN
dards of public duty.
Protection for Surplus Production.
| AS suggested few moments ago.
we have reached a point at which our
capacity for production greatly exceeds
our capacity for consumption. We
must find. market for the surplus in
other countries. While our exports are
now and always will be small in COM
parison with our commerce at home,
vet it is just as essential. just as inn
| peratiye. for the government to pro-
| tect our producers in the things which
| they desire to export as 1t is to pro-
tect them in the things which they de-
sire to sell at home. And yet it is a
lamentable fact that. with the excep-
ton of comparatively unimportant
treaty with Cuba, wrung from an un-
willing congress because it dared not
violate the honor Of the whole people.
we have not line or a letter, either
! in treaty. in regulation, or in law, the
object of which is to increase our eS-
PORTS. or secure from other countries
better terms and better markets Our
agriculturists, our manufacturers. our
] merchants. are fighting their way all