The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1905-10-19
THAT DINGLEY TARIFF.

AdtuiOAo WOiO ulOLO prosperous Ulldu
they are right now. And that prosper
ity is largely due to the Dingley tariff
Decatur County Journal.
Let's see about that. What single
thing does Decatur county produce that
the Dingley tariff helps? Not corn, for
this nation produces a great surplus OF
corn, and there is no need of tariff tc
prevent other nations from shipping
that cereal in to compete with us. Not
wheat, for Decatur county does not pro.
duce one-tenth enough to bread itself
Not oats, for the nation has oats to ex.
port. Not beef or pork, for no nation
on earth pretends to compete with ours
IN producing meats, and it requires NO
tariff to keep foreign meats out of our
home markets. Not grass or hay, for
Decatur county needs no protection
against foreign competition in those
lines. Not eggs or butter or poultry or
milk for the same reason. Decatur
county's apples and honey are not
helped one whit in price by tariff.
But the luminary of the Journal says
Decatur county's prosperity is largely
due to the Dingley tariff" He may
grant little credit to the fruitful soil
of his country, little to the sturdy
men and women who toll early and late
to cultivate that soil, little to the
brain and the enterprise of her enlight-
ened and thrifty population, and posi-
bly, little to bountiful Providence who
brings the seed time and harvest in
their season, and the rain and sunshine
which makes the earth laugh and bear
it's fruit, but LARGELY the credit is
due to the Dingley tariff!
The Dingley tariff lays heavy burdens
upon the people of Decatur county and
Clarke county of which they should be
free. Every single and every plank
which the people are compelled to buy
have gone up in price under the Ding
ley tariff and its resulting trusts till
building is almost suspended. Ma
chinery and tools conceal in their en-
HANGED prices very much of that Ding
ley tariff, and the people pay it. The
hats and shoes they wear and the wool
and cotton upon their beds, their floors
and their backs cost double because of
the Dingley tariff. How does tariff
on wool benefit the people of Decatur
county? All the wool produced in the
county would hardly make carpet for
the old court house in Leon. The
people as whole are not producers of
wool, but consumers, and the tariff is
hence a burden.
| But the editor of the Journal will
evade. He will say, ooh do not mis-
understand me, l concede that our
people do not receive direct profit,
but they get indirect advantages
through this tariff from the Industries
and men which it makes rich and pros
porous" But let us look at that. In
Decatur county and in Clarke county
our people are engaged in the produc-
ton of food and feed and horses. The
prices we receive for all these COM
modities depends upon the demand for
them in all the world. Of such things
the United States produces an enor-
nous surplus which must find sale in
the worlds markets. Ten years ago
the Spanish war broke out and demand
quickened and prices rose. Then fol-
lowed the Philippine war and the Boer
war and then the Russian and Japanese
war. Prices doomed, all parties looked
to the United States for food and sup
plies. England came here and bought
horses and mules until their price
doubled and trebled. Cargoes of flour
and meat and fire arms and manufact-
ured products moved in solid procession
across the seas from our shores and we
prospered. By far the greatest proper
ton of our exports were farm products
and our farmers prospered according
ly. How ridiculous to say the DingIey
tariff did it! Why not attribute it to
the eruption of Pelee? Any devout
Catholic might with equal reason say
it was because of the accession of new
Pope at Rome. 1t was simply the
logical consequence of principles es-
tablished by the Almighty himself, and
in exact accord with every law of com
merce and of political economy. In
addition to all these favorable condi-
tions came the enormous output of the
worlds gold mines, adding money be-
yond computation to the worlds sup
ply. The man who could attribute the
prosperous condition of Iowa farmers
to the Dingley tariff, looks at things
through very small gimlet hole. He
falls down before this idol of the tariff
and ascribes to it all power, Just as
| blindly as the Hindoo bows hafora bie