The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-03-16


| Will the thousands of thrifty German
American citizens of the second district
of Minnesota vote to re-nominate as
their candidate Mr.. McCleary who if he
could have his say in congress raise the
duties of German imports to America.
Now somebody may say as they read
this, ooh, well, do not start the race
question"
| Kind reader, it is no race question at
ALL America is composite nation, the
home of the good people of all countries
who wish to come and abide with us. 1t
| is lust as natural for those whose an
cestry is in Norway or Sweden or Den
mark or England or France or Ireland
| to talk about the mother soif' as it Is
| for the Germans to do so. 1t always
has been talked and always will be by
their children and their childrens chill
dren, and hence we insist that whoever
aims a blow at one of the friendly ma
tions with which Uncle Sam is trying
to build up reciprocal trade, strikes
also at the people of that country many
of whose sons and daughters have be-
come good American citizens.
But there is great good coming out
of the concessions which the German en-
upire has made to the United States.
1t will precipitate the tariff issue soon
and then Mr. McCleary and the Others
stand patters will get all the opportu-
nifty they want to talk.
For unless Mr.. McCleary and the
standpatters get real busy we shall
have presidential revision of the tariff,
and departmental adjustment of the
Dingley rates. 1t is bound to come.
Under the existing agreement nego-
tiated by Secretary of State Elihu Root
and the German government, Germany
while continuing to pay the Dingley
rates on products sent. to America will
give this government just the same OPP
portunity as she does the most favored
nation. p,
But at the same time the rate Of duty
| to be paid on German importations t.
the United States will be paid on ap-
praisements and valuations made in
Germany at the consulates of the United
States in that country.
In other words the rates of duty to
be paid will be paid upon the valuation
placed ON the articles imported, which
Germany herself places on them through
our foreign representatives in Germany
In this connection the following ex-
| tract from an editorial in the Washing
ton Post is most interesting reading:
The eloquence with which the tyr
annies of our customs regulations were
denounced in the reichstag, and the COM
placency with which Secretary Roots as
surances were received-in which he ex-
pressed the hope that 'the prospects OF
certain alterations in the customs regu-
lations may be regarded as proof of the
earnest wish of the president to free the
| American customs administration from
the appearance of being severe on Ger
man exporters show the "stand
patters" and everybody else how easy 1T
| is to revise the tariff by departmental
action concerning the valuation of i'm
ports, while congress stands pat ON the
rates of duty.
This agreement will terminate in
June, 1907. At the session of congress
next winter it will be determined wheth-
err the tariff war now thus temporarily
averted shall be allowed to break out in
the following June. Upon that question
the people will be called upon to give in
structions at the polls in the coming
congressional campaign. But the
Hon. Mr.. McCleary, OF Minnesota, does
not believe word of that. In his phil
osophy-if standpatter can be philoso
phical-every time a people sell, the pro-
fit. and every time they buy, they lose
and hence the wonderful things they
can make out of statistics, especially
those dealing with balances of trade
For instance, if an American were to
ship a cargo of wheat worth $4,000 te
foreign ports, and the ship should foun.
der in midocean, according to your stand
patter the country is $4,000 richer-i'
has exported goods to that amount and
fetched back nothing. The balance OF
trade is in our favor by $4,000 by that
i transaction.
Of course, gentlemen who think that
way would prefer the furious tariff wal
proposed by the Hon. McCleary to the
pacific trade modus agreed to by Secre.
tary Root.
Much virtue in modus, though.
| MINNEAPOLIS now has a cafe which