Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-11-23
Mr.. sHAW's VIEW.

$50 1 uSTG are men WHO Call ldhS
much more beautiful speech than can
Secretary Leslie M. Shaw. There are
men who could take one of his adj
dresses, smooth off the rough corners
and ragged edges Of expression and
make a really pretty speech out of
It. But they could not make it any
more logical nor any more eloquent.
Mr. Shaw has the faculty of saying
things in a way that makes them cas-
lily understood That is the case with
regard to his addresses on the tariff,
and he proved it in a recent speech at
Youngstown, Ohio. Mr.. Shaw is an
out-and-out believer in the policy of
protection and he. never is backward
about saying so in public His Youngs-
town speech contained many good
points as the following excerpts will
show:
The opposition always insists that
we must invite importations if we
wish to increase our expectations They
urge that if. we will place the tariff
on some articles sufficiently low to in
sure an influx OF foreign goods the
doors of trade will automatically OPP
en- to us and we will have an abund-
ant outlet. l do not understand their
logic, though have heard it from the
day Of my childhood.
81 have examined the record and
find nothing therein to justify the
claim. Never in recent years has there
been period OF low. tariff that has
not resulted in less importations nor
q period of high tariff that has not re-
suited in large importations This
seems paradoxial, and yet it is logical
When our people are prosperous, as
they always are under protection they
buy everything in sight and send
abroad for more. When they are suf-
fering from the effects of a tariff for
revenue only they are unable to con-
sumo and, therefore, import little. Do
not misunderstood me. / do not take
the position that a low tariff on wool
will result in less importations of
wool; or that low tariff on iron pro-
ducts will result in less importations
thereof. T. simply state the historic
fact that periods of low tariff laws re
suit in less importations in the aggre-
gate. -. ~.
"The logic is easily stated and
ought tosbe easily understood. When.
ever the American people buy their
wooden goods, their iron and steel
manufactures and their articles OF
common everyday consumption abroad
American producers of these articles
are necessarily out of employment
and our consumptive capacity is re
duced to the minimum.
"The Dingley tariff may be too high
it may need amending, but lowering il
in spots or lowering it altogether will
not increase our exports nor in a peri
cd of years will it result in an aggre
gate increase of importations. Il
rates were placed below the point Of
protection it would result in an influx
of staples sufficient to paralyze us
but thereafter the want of consump
. tive capacity of our people would pre-
vent importations.
Possibly the opposition, in ridicule
Il Of this argument, will recommend {
low tariff as the best way to exclude
foreign merchandise. l reply that il
it not the wish Of the republican party
to exclude foreign merchandise We
want foreign goods, we wan
their fancy carpets, their silks
their laces. their kid gloves, their pic
lures, their statuary. We want thei1
sugar by the million tons, their coffee
by the cargo, their teas by the ship
load, their mahogany, their dye woods
their spices, their hemp and sisal, thei
fruits and everything which our people
do not produce; but most of all W.
want our people to be able to pay TO
these things, and. only when our pee
pie are prosperous does the foreigne
find the American market, at it's max
imum."
THE COUNTRY Editor.