Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-28

1IER.
illegitimately 1t is not claimed that
any one was bribed. 1t is only claimed
that it was used in the dissemination
of free trade literature, in the payment
of salaries to free-trade writer's. and
in the payment of legitimate campaign
expenses of free-trade candidates for
Office. I utter no criticism of all this,
and I state it simply as a conceded
historic fact.
i Resulted In Panic.
"The natural results of this law
were not felt for some years. Our
free-trade friends point to the first few
years following its enactment with
manifest pride, seeming to have for
gotten that the potato rot, which ex-
tended we'll nigh over Europe, created
an unusual demand for American
foods, which was continued by the
subsequent breaking out of the Cri-
mean war, while the gold excitement in
I California took large number of our
people from ordinary industrial pur-
suits, and that the unexampled inflow
of gold greatly contributed to our f.
nancial we'll being. But these things
could not last forever, and the natural,
the irresistible, the inevitable results
of insufficient tariffs followed in the
panic of 1857.
History repeats itself. The eyes Of
the world are again upon our markets.
People who are compelled to find a
foreign market for 20 per cent of the
products of their factories are not I'M
mindful of the unequaled consumptive
| capacity of the American people. am
not surprised therefore at the indica-
tion Of the liberal expenditure of for
eign money in legitimate ways to elect
candidates pledged to reciprocal tar
IFS and to create sentiment in favor of
opening our doors for the increased
admission of competitive articles.
am not surprised at the subtle sophis-
try that Is being promulgated that if
we will but admit competitive goods
from abroad there will be Immediately
thrown open to us an unprecedented
foreign demand for our food products.
1t is the old argument which was used
in 1896
do not misunderstood me. crIti-
else neither the enterprise nor the
method by which it is sought to influ-
ence political results in this country.
recognize the appropriateness of
both. Admission to the American mar
ket is worth contest. Entrance to-
these markets on more liberal terms.
sometimes termed progressive repub-
licanism, is worth a well-organized
and systematic campaign and the ex-
penditure of much money and those
of our. PEOPLE who fail to comprehend
the inevitable result of political poll
cies must be excused for lending will
ing and unrequited service. So while
l recognize the conflict that is upon
us and welcome it, too I must warn
the people of Missouri of what is in
volved in that conflict. They must not
forget that the admission of fifty mil
lions additional competitive merchan-
disc takes from our American labor
the opportunity of producing that fifty
millions of products. The production
of $50,000,000 of merchandise calls for
the expenditure Of about $25,000,000 in
wages. Should the proposed policy
prevail the men who now receive these
wages will then be out of employment,
and out of employment means out Of
the market as consumers of food and
every other necessity of life.
Decrease in Consumption.
els there farmer in Missouri with
so poor a memory as to have forgotten
1894, when we consumed As per cent
less wheat per capita than we did in
1892? Is there farmer in Missouri
who does not feel the difference be-
tween the consumption of more than
six bushels of wheat per capita, as
against the consumption of less than
three and a half bushels during 1894?
Is there farmer with so short men,
ory as to have forgotten the effect
upon him of the loss in the price of
live stock, averaging over 81 for every
horse, mule, steer cow calf, sheep and
pig between the years 1892 and 1896?
Is there g farmer in Missouri who does
not now recognize the difference be-
tween an average price of 1884 per
head for every horse, mule, steer, COW,
calf, pig and sheet in 1905 as against
an average of only s13.41 in 1896-an
average gain of nearly SIS per head?
do not misunderstood me- do not
object to increased importations Of
non-competitive articles. Our imports
were never SO large in the aggregate
and never SO large per capita as now.
In 1895 and 1896, when our factories
were closed, million men out of work,
and million families out of bread, our
imports were less than s11 per capita.
Now, with furnaces ablaze, factories
operated overtime and no man out of
employment except from choice; we
are importing at the rate of over SIS
per capita.
81 welcome the Importation of the
things we do not produce. welcome
the free importation of pig tin, raw
silk, crude rubber and other raw ma
terials which we do not produce and
which is consumed in our factories.
welcome also the Importation Of .laces
Fc., a l. =