Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1905-09-28

interest Of politicians. then the history Of
railroad rates in this country an COM
pared with those charged anywhere else
n the world. and the history 81 rate re-
stltnte sufficient contradiction.
Mileage Tart3.
The government cannot discriminate
n t,.;t ports or places. 1t must aea1
hand with all. Therefore. it would be
obllged. sooner or later to ordain strict
distance tariff; that is the charge tor
a sl to the number of miles IN
the haul. The low charge for the long
maui would disappear, and freight would
BAY c',,a mileage tariff. Now to some 3 that ma,
mere IN Minnesota. in the center OF the
continent. distant from 1,5OO to 1000
miles from all the great markets, about
whom big circle might be described and ad
nave its circumference sweep along me
coasts of the Atlantic and the racine nc
al and the gulf OF Mexioo-you would be
world. When men ask for your support
or demand your praise on any such
grounds as these, it will be well for you
to bring them to the challenge OF the
facts and of common sense.
Then, as to the markets in which you
buy. How are you situated there, ana
"ii'l doNaAtdSS 90 you owe " SlloSS
have settled your conditions? 1t would
seem evident to most people that a sys.
tenn which permits the same article that
you must have for your household or
your farm to be carried abroad over
thousands of miles of ocean and sold IN
distant markets at price anywhere
that is charged to you is not in your In.
terest. 1t is because of that system thas
we pay annually an unknown amount of
unearned profit on a total of some TWEEN
tV-tlN of In1l 10 re wi
estimated volume OF our domestic trade;
that is the buying and selling that goes
on among ourselves, 1t is because OF
changed by the fraction of a hair that
the treasury deficit grows and promises s
now to reach S5O,O0O00O annually and to
require the imposition of other taxes,
such as you have never heretofore con,
scented to pay save IN time of war ana
as part of the sacrifices that 1t mn
poses. Is this to your satisfaction, ana lS
this the form of service that Will call
forth your gratitude and receive your
continuing Endorsement?
Panama Canal.
Mr.. Hill took up the subject of the Pan
anna canal. treating it at considerable
length. He argued that it could not be
the opinion of an expert, Mr.. Harold
Boice of the treasury department who
had written an elaborate article taking
the same view His argument was forti-
fed by statistics showing how small an
amount of our products the South Ameri-
can states could possibly use. He quoted
cure, one-half the imports of Asia, that
tTa1nc IN one year would pay the cost OF
the canal and leave balance Of $780,
ooo,Voo. He expected the canal would be
made, but 1T would not bring market re-
suits.
scarcity of Lands and Irrigation.
He considered the growing scarcity Of
agricultural lands and the defects in
land laws which allowed spectators and
great combinations to secure millions Of
acres, TO the exclusion of farmers. He
highly commended the national irriga ton
movement, saying the work now under
way would redeem GO00O,0OO acres, and
ne had no doubt in the end many times
that amount
The final question of all was securing
Our exports of Commodities the product
Of agrlculture for the year 1904 were
valued yl1 ) at $s5s,64s,o73, and were 5o.4s per
manufactured articles were valued at
$40. 415,92l or 1882 per cent of the whole
me ratio is very nearly two to one. More
increase while the latter decreases. In
the commercial war upon us which has al
ready heard the firing of the first gun, 1t
banned by the severest prohibition. But
upon all that we have to sell the disad-
vantage Will fall. Our statesmen assum-
ed that we alone could use protective
tariff to advantage overlooking the very
simple process Of other nations meeting
one tariff with another The rest of the
has taken no notice until we began to be
thought. of not exactly as dangerous
competitor in manufactured commodities,
for we are not yet. but as possible
one Then it took counsel. and the new
German tariff Is the first step in a league
where we shall find all Europe CONNER
going to do about It? Where are a We we
ing to find our markets; and especially
the market for the immense product of
our soil that will continue 20 be our main
resource and dependence
mere are enough people within direct
n Sh Of Us in asia to require our entire
Bushels per- annum We ah haVe st stud 1md
that a trade and prepared for it. We have
money into the greatest steamships that
ever sailed the seas to serve it. We did
these things in order that we might he
Oriental trade could live. For these peo-
pie cannot pay high transportation
charges; they will buy in some other
the interior of the United States across
half the continent and the whole breadth
of the Pacific ocean il you have a big or
even reasonable mileage charge.
Well, We have met with obstacles at
every step; not the obstacles that busy
men have right to expect and know
how to meet, such as the shrewdness OF
competitors or the difficulty of conuuerina
material things. but interference with
plans and regulations and rules and or
GERS mat can serve no purpose except to
make lmHosslble the maintenance Of this
new marset. These customers are out
ragged by policy that insults their ma
tional dignity and their personal self
respect uptfl they determine, to buy no
more Of us. These ships, instead of meet
Ing with reasonable encouragement. are
hampered and tied down by regulations
winch make 1T as costly. as possible to
operate them. These rates. which are
the essential parts of the whole affair,
are destroyed by laws that put us at the
mercy OF every foreign tramp that tloa to
the seas. And this. mind you, not in be-
half of any home interest that might SUI
fer, for these ocean rates do not concern
the domestic producer more than thew
must be low enough to admit him to ont
side markets, but only to the annoyance
and detriment and disbursement Of
American foreign trade in the great
staples that you help to produce and that
must continue to enter increasingly into
our dealings with other peoples The 10,
tai foreign commerce of japan and China
amounts to $3.50 100000 a year in rol,nd
numbers. 1t is destined to Increase AND
multiply at a rate that will astonish tie
world, and we might have the lions share
of 1T II we only exercised common sense
and business prudence and patriotic fore
sight.
Open Market
This problem Of the market is your