Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1905-09-07

Our Surplus Farm Products VIII
Find Many Markets Closed to Them
Through Our Present Tariff Svstem.
The urgent need of action by con
gress on the tariff will at once be seen
when it is considered that the foreign
market for our surplus agricultural
products is at stake. Germany and
other European countries have imposed
a tariff to prohibit as far as possible
American products being imported
there in retaliation for our tariff. which
excludes most Of the products of those
countries. The new German tariff will
take effect i'll March, 1906, and the
rates have without exception been in
creased on every line Of exports from
this country. On corn the German tar
lit has been Increased to 40 cents a
bushel and other cereals and provi-
sions in proportion. These prohibltive
rates will greatly reduce the market
for the surplus Of our agricultural
products, and when our crops are good
and this country has a large surplus to
dispose Of it will certainly affect the
home price of these products.
The United States, like all countries
that have a surplus Of any product to
sell, has to seek q foreign market for
it and sell 1t in competition with the
surplus Of other countries, and the
price for such surplus product in those
foreign markets fixes the price for the
whole OF the product at home. We
have been exceedingly fortunate for
the past II or two years in having
fair crops when Europe had lean ones.
and hat gave us al opportunity to re
verse the usual order Of things and de-
mand a good price for our surplus.
But that cannot be expected to con-
tinue, and when this year or next there
are good crops the world over down
will tumble the price to what the coun-
tries like England which do not raise
enough to supply their own people will
pay. Then, being shut out from most
of the European countries by their
high or %prohibitive tariff, it will leave
us but those low tariff or free trade
countries like England to sell our sur-
plus to-, and the price they will pay us
will be fixed there In competition with
all the countries which have like US a
surplus to sell.
That will give England cheap food
and allow her workmen, as they have
in the past. to live better on less wages
in proportion than any other country.
1t must also result in the decreased
price of such agricultural products in
Germany, and if long continued the
wages Of her workmen must be raised
to meet the advanced cost of food.
Who will first call a halt in this
economic war is a question. Our pro-
tected industries are protesting that
the present tariff rates are none too
higk. They Of course do not want Ell
Their German products or those of any
other country to come in and compete
with them. The higher the cost of liv-
ing here the more profit for those who
have a monopoly, as the trusts have,
of supplying our people. The farmer,
the workingman and the middle class
generally must in the meantime see the
cost Of living advance without a similar
increase in the money they earn to
pay it.
The reciprocity treaties, or the maxi
mum or minimum tariff, that some Re
publicans are proposing will only help
those industries which nov find them
selves likely to lose the chance to sell
their surplus products to foreign coun-
tries, and some of those must be con
tent to see part of the profit they have
been charging so to the reciprocity
hopper so that others may benefit by
the reduced tariff Of the country with
which the reciprocity treaty is made.
This reciprocity plan or the maximum
and minimum system Is not intended
to reuuce prices, but to open a partial
market abroad Tor our surplus manu-
features. The trusts will still charge
all the a pay, for they
will still have Il monopoly Of the home
market. Nor will these plans of tariff
tinkering add much TO the revenues of
the government.
The only tariff reform that will re-
duce the present high trust prices IS to
so reduce the tariff rates on those trust
products that they are selling cheaper
abroad than here that our own people
can buy at the same price as the for,
eigners. 1t will be interesting to watch
the Republican majority in the coming
congress and notice il they favor the
trusts or the people.