Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1906-09-12
HON CLAUDE R PORTER OPENS STATE CAMPAIGN

high and should be reduced" How
ever, our Governor did not complete
ly reach the summit of the hill until
along in the autumn, when, it is wills
pered, the ambitions of another OF
lowa's favorite sons were running
seemingly counter to the political am
billions of our Governor; then it was,
he seems to have risen to the full
dignity of the occasion, and in his
home city, on the evening of October
18th, 905, before the Polk county re-
publican club, amidst the fragrance of
the flowers contributed by his admir-
ers, made an address that bids fair
to become famous as one of the strong
contributions to tariff revision liter
allure. Never has it been my privi-
lege to read stronger argument or
palmer presentation of the facts that
would seem to demand an immediate
revision of many of the schedules OF
the present tariff law. No democrat
has denounced the Dingley tariff
schedules with one-half the violence
that Governor Cummins did on that
occasion.
Approaching fully my inability to
present in that clear, logical and uu
answerable way the injustices and in
CAPABILITIES of the system under which
we are living, l hope l may be par
doned for quoting in detail the argu.
ment presented by the Governor to
| the audience on that evening, as a
reason why the schedules on one of
the articles named, especially in the
democratic state platform of this
year, should be Immediately lowered.
On that occasion, as one of the fun
damental and basic statements un.
derlying all of his future arguments,
he said: I'VE who advocate revision
believe that many of the duties in
the present schedules are too high,
and that they should be reduced. not
only to save our own people from un.
just eXactions and excessive prices
but through reciprocity, to preserve
and extend our trade with foreign ma.
TONS And he there warned his
hearers that the Issue he had stated
was with us to stay until it is settled
and it will never be settled until it is
settled right" And, as one of the
many schedules in the present tariff
law illustrating the truth md force
illness of the basic statement he had
made. he called attention in the fol-
lowing language to one of the SEIZED
ules of the Dingley law:
II take iron and steel because they
are the most vital products of Amer
can industry. They enter into sub
stantially every enterprise, and with
out them the business of this or any
,ther country must instantly cease.
It Is evident that | can mention but
few of the items of this schedule, but
commend to you all careful study
of Its provisions" He then proceed
ed to give in detail the duties upon
many of the iron and steel products,
land continuing said: II have select
ed the cheapest forms OF iron or steel
for my illustration. assert without
any fear of successful contradiction
that substantially every article have
named can be produced in this coun-
try as cheaply as in any other coun-
TRY in the world, and this after the
payment of all compensation to labor
hat can be wrested by me associated
workingmen from their employers
The proof is already in the archives
of congress, taken by commission
authorized by that body. But | am
not content to rest my case upon the
testimony of expert witnesses. con-
front the producers OF these commod.
| tiles with their own confession, made
in the ordinary course of business,
and which cannot be gainsaid. For
the twelve months ending June Goth,
| 1908. we exported and sold in the
markets of the world. in competition
with the producers of every country,
iron and steel, not including iron ore
and articles made of iron and steel,
of the value Of S96.G42 467 900. For
the twelve months ending June 30th,
1905, $134.72. 1921, 1000" Continuing,
after giving the particular rate OF
duty and the export value of various
articles. he said: 1T is idle for any
man to suggest that our iron and
steel producers and manufacturers
simply unload this vast aggregate as
an accumulated surplus that could
not be disposed of in this country.
Every intelligent person knows that
these things are made to be sold
abroad, and that they are usually sold
under contract that precedes their
lASl llO Ollc
stand me. am gratified beyond ex
preston to discover the ability Of
our manufacturers to successfully
| compete with their rivals in other
countries. The more work done here
| the happier and more prosperous we
will be. and the more constant will be
the employment of our laDorers.
hope that our enterprsing corpora
tons will in future years increase
their expectations as rapidly as they
have been increasing in the last dec
ade offer this proof to show you
that the manufacturers of these com.
modities can make and sell them at
a fair profit in competition every.
where. If. now. it be true that these
same manufacturers have been sell
ing these same commodities to the
consumers of the United States at
prices greatly above the prices for
which they have been sold abroad,
have established beyond peradventure
that using the weapons of an excess
sive duty they have robbed their own
countrymen. | affirm that they have
sold and do sell regularly and sub.
stantiaiiy all the articles named in
the metal schedule cheaper abroad
than they sell them at home. For
years they have been selling steel
rails at 5000 per ton less IN foreign
countries than they have sold them
in their own country. take this
commodity as an Illustration because
it is known to all intelligent people,
and what is true of steel rail is true
in greater or less degree of the
whole series. What explanation can
an honest man make to the people
whose money has thus been exacted
in order to accumulate fabulous and
unprecedented fortunes that have