Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1905-08-25
s. II 4: I: :: II 81
" N Champ
N N Letter
" II !: I: u u !:

Especial Washington letter.
1" HERE have been much fright
ened hurrying and scurrying
of great statesmen over the
threatened boycott Of Ameri-
can goods by the Chinese merchants
because of the rigid exclusion prac-
ticed by this government against Chi
nese coolies or laborers and because of
the strict rules laid down for the com.
lngs and goings of the higher classes
Of Chinese. I take no stock In this
alleged boycott Do the Chinese buy
American goods because they love usi
Nay, nay! They buy the goods which
bring the readiest sale and the most
pleasing profit. They are Unconditional
and know best the argument Of the
coin. But suppose it were oil true.
Would the American congress, in order
to hold the trade of China, jeopardize
the interests of all the laboring men
in America by opening the doors to
the Chinese? / think I am perfectly
safe In saying that congress would pre-
fer to see the stoppage Of every dol
lars worth Of trade in China rather
than bring upon American labor the
horrible and irretrlevable disaster
which would result from opening the
doors to Chinese coolies. In this mat
ter the slogan Of the tariff hard shells
would be very appropriate, In the case
of the coolies there Is bat one course
for Americans to pursue-they must
stand pat.
The Bunohole In the Timber Question.
When the Mckinley bill placed a
tariff on lumber, and when the per-
Torrance was repeated In the Dingley
bill, the Republican party did more
for the devastation Of our forests than
the man who first invented the buzz
saw or the first man who ever devised
the plan Of building a house Of sawed
boards.
When that tariff was placed on lum-
Der it practically shut out the supply
Of Canadian lumber, and It will never
begin to come in in quantity until the
home supply shall be so nearly ex-
hausted that the imported article can
pay the tariff rate and still compete
with the highly enhanced domestic
product. In other words. 1t will not
come in until ours Is so scarce az to
be extremely high priced, 20 high that
home builders can pay the high tariff
on Canadian lumber and still buy 1t
cheaper than the domestic article.
When will that be1 When the do
nestle supply is practically exhausted.
All authorities agree that the removal
Of the forests means that the rains
will be greatly diminished.
Working on the theory that the den.
udatioa OF our forest lands means the
decline Of agriculture and consequently
the fall Of our civilization, the Repub
lican administration IL booming the
work Of the bureau OF forestry Of the
agricultural department. Congress Is
doubling and quadrupling the appro'
priatiops for this bureau, whose bust
ness 1t A. to devise ways and means
to make the domestic forests 80 as fal
as possible and to rspew them al
much as may be done.
a This Is good work, but have bill
pending In congress to place lumbel
on the free list. No Republican con
gress will pass 1t, for it would prov
an entering wedge which, in the benef
cence Of Its results, would split th
, high tariff system from root to branca,
What would free logs and lumber d
for us7 Make 1t cheaper to build ,
home or a henhouse, fence or
barn, even buggy or a feed trough
, while it would greatly retard the de
: struction of our own forests. Goo
, timber in the United States is becom
7 ing scarce. In Canada 1t is plentiful
How much better 1t would be to clea
some Of the surplus timber from til
? lands of our northern peighbor, niue
of it too cold for ordinary agriculture
| than to strip our own lands while pap
ing the high prices for the flnishe
Iproduct which are forced upon US ur
] der the high tariff.
It would not be necessary to max
appropriations to take care Of this BIT
reau Of forestry which is guarding th
spigot If we could force this Reput
licaa congress to stop the loss at tn
bunghole by admitting Canadian lun
Der free Of tariff.