Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-01-20

lieves in not disturbing the tariff thru
legislation having a bearing upon oul
tariff laws. Now, | profess to be a re-
publican with a pronounced bias in the
line of tariff protection, but | do MOI
wish for moment to be understood
as lining up with the "standpatters.'
I believe in all changes or revisions
that will tend to the further advance
ment and progress of our country. Il'
general, have but little sympathy with
anything that stands pat or stands
still. Hence | read some of the afore-
said communications with a little con-
fusion How can we reciprocate. with
Germany. for instance, on one OF the
articles mentioned, knit goods, by re-
moving our tariff on those goods and
in turn Germany to remove her tariff
on our beef products. l ann aware
this at the first blush sounds we'll to the
Iowa beef producer, as he contemplates
an enlarged market for his products
with {. consequent better price for his
cattle, but will it work out that way
How about the eastern manufacturer of
knit goods, what Will he say about let
ting in the products of cheap labor
| from Germany in competition with
American wages? OF course he would
object to such reciprocity. If his OBJ
lection is overruled he will still insist,
and insist so hard that his request will
sooner or later be granted that our tar
if on foreign woods be removed so he
can have cheap raw material in order
| to meet the German competition and
save his mills from ruin
| ~ ,l,.<> ha Nv
would suffer a great loss that even an
| increased price for his mutton would
| fail to compensate.
| Boot and shoe makers are now be-
| sieging congress to have the tariff on
hides removed. claiming that thru such
an act they could greatly enlarge their
| trade. Here. again, the cattle raiser
suffers by reason of a low price for
hides Again, it is urged, that we
should have the opportunity of sending
to the great market of Canada our
manufacture of agricultural imple-
ments and other wares, providing that
we in turn reciprocate by removing
the duty of $40 per head on Canadian
cattle. The Iowa cattle raiser here
gets another wipe"
Without citing schedules on specific
articles we are told that reciprocity
has been preached by Blaine. Mckinley
and other great men, and must per-
force he right. For me, however, no
philosophy Of matters pertaining to
political economy is received with
force unless accompanied by the direct
examples, stating price and terms
Governor Cummins is one of if not the
greatest governors Iowa or any other
state ever had He is saying some
grand things nowadays. Among 9TH
er things he aas had something to say
about Il statewide primary He is
asking in that measure simply the
right of every voter to he given his
choice of candidate for office. His re-
quest, if it accomplishes nothing more.
is disclosing a lot of our public ser
vants?" and others who have been
masauerading under the banner of fair
play and who are now compelled to
come olt from under cover and show
up In their true light by practically
confess.ng that they object to any
plan that gives every voter fair show
in the nomination of candidates. BY
simply objecting to this most whole
some proposition they stand commit
ted to the packed caucus and bought
up delegation system. The governor
is. in ray judgment, not quite fair to
himself. however, when advocating so
eloquenuy the principles of reciprocity
in not talking more freely about sched-
ules and rates / ann as much be-
lever in the principles of reciprocity
but not in a reciprocity that hurts
1t is nor, however, the eloquent phrases
:z1. 81, nf
is supported that the average Iowa
farmer wants as much as the facts
and figures on items he can understand
and see how it may affect him and how
the respective interests may be affect
ed in dollars and cents. 1t will not do
to say this is a narrow view and one
must lGok beyond our immediate en-
vironments and view reciprocity upon
the high plane of the greatest general
good This would be an acknowledge
ment that my position, viz, that the |
Iowa farmer starts out with the worst |
of it, is true.
A favorite argument have heard in |
support of reciprocity is that even I'M !
der sucs reciprocity as I have men
toned, the direct gain to manufac-
turers, the wooden goods maker and
the leather worker would be so pro-
nounced, their trade so increased, en-
ploying a greater number of employees
requiring increased food supplies,
" )ud result in overcoming the direct
loss to the farmer as / have minated,
and IN the end give us such an in
creased price for our breadstuffs as
would more than balance our initial or
first loss.
There is room here, 1 will admit, for
some beautiful thought. but the trouble
is i'm this kind of reciprocity, it starts
out with certainty of loss to the farm
err and hazy kind of chance to make
it up afterwards.
So, 1 repeat, give us the items and
figures in this matter, not statistical
figures that we may be enabled to do
r.. go ux7 r vEx~ wva