The progressive farmer and the cotton plant., 1905-08-22
The National Reciprocity Convention.

The National Reciprocity Convention.
The National Reciprocity Convention held in
Chicago last week was largely attended, and
forced upon the attention of the rublc some
problems of vital Importance, especially to our
agricultural classes In nutshell, the situation
is lust this: America has put such an unrea-
sonably high tariff on manufactured products sent
to us from all foreign countries that these com-
tries are now beginning to retalate by putting
tariff on our farm products. Germany, for ex
ample, as we mentioned a week or two ago, is
raising the rate all farm products; for example, in
cottonseed OIL her increase of 300 per cent in
tariff rates will destroy this Southern export
trade to that country. Wallace's Farmer, of Des
Moines, Iowa, also comments on this proposed
German tariff and concludes in words that de-
serve the attention of farmers everywhere:
eve will have to meet the same condition in
Austro- Hungary or the dominions of Francis Jo
seph where it is likely that similar tariff will
be adopted. Russia has already raised her duties
on our exports from SO to 100 per cent III re-
talation for the countervailing duty imposed by
the United States sugar, and has now adopted
a maximum tariff which increases these retaIa-
tory rates and will soon check our export trade
with that country.
France has maximum and minimum tariff
and exports TO CndJ country nave SHONl Io
increase except on few limited articles on which
she gave the United States reductions III duties;
and as a result exports in these limited lines
have increased 46 per cent in the last i've wears
The same is true of Italy Switzerland, which has
always been good customer, will shortly put IN
force new tariff under which Will have to
| pay maximum rate and lose that trade. And 50
| it goes.
| "a large section of our people seem to be al
| ficted with national big-head and imagine that
| the whole world has to come to them tor fOod
| Hence they have opposed bitterly the CUBAN re,
| cprocity treaty which President Roosevelt 1orceG
| through an unwilling Senate under the crack OF
J the whip It may be interesting to know tlaV
since that reciprocity treaty has gone INTO opera.
| tion our imports from Cuba have increased % P'I
| cent, our exports 80 per cent.
| "Provision was made in the Dinglcy law 10F
| Just such reciprocity treaties as are now PlgJ
| posed; and in advocating them we are smPN @ a."
vocating the policy of Blaine and Mckinney, I"Y
| as wise and far-seeing statesmen as America N"'
ever produced. We save ourselves from d"
| immense loss and period of hard times M : :oI
lowing the counsel of these wise ana 1aI-'''
| statesmen instead of the counsel of the cofioti%
| tions and trusts with which the tariff n'nNoa, wv.
seems to be as sacred the Dlvlnely-nl''e w.
| commandments. and
"It is high time for the farmer to wake up ",'
tell his member of CONGRESS what must DC n:t
| and what the consequences will be II " Jv
done. With the tariff an academic 'I D-
theoretical questions we have no concern nnon a,
cussion of that is pure wlnd-]ammllS' D i np.-
the discussion of perpetual motion, or 'H sng. ~n
tion as to which has suffered the greatest W'4 I
at the hand of the white man, the lh"I1L + case
African We have now before us conGl', conc = We
where we can begin to see what we WIZ " t;,o for
don't look after own interests. 1t - - for ne
the farmer to say: No more Du%|"'
but little more turkey.