Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-10-09

they can take from us our best labor
The American farmer is better off. it Is
granted. than he was % or 90 years
ago But because of neglect OF the
distributive half of farming. he has not
obtained a fair share of the benefit from
the greater productivity of his labor
Some three years ago James j. Hill,
certainly a keen observer and deeply
thoughtful man. said that in all his read
ing he had not seen 10 intelligent words
about the expansion of foreign markets
for the farm products of the United
States. If he has not read the reports
of the annual sessions of the Farmers
National congress. he might say the
same today. Our foreign consuls are
being continually instructed to do what
they can to aid in the introduction of
our manufactured goods abroad. to in
crease their sales in foreign markets.
Comparatively nothing is being done by
our consuIs to increase the foreign mar
ket for farm products. \ few thous-
and dollars were used some years ago
to acquaint foreign peoples with the
real merits of Indian corn as food for
human beings. and with the most graft
flying results; but the effort to increase
the foreign demand for Indian corn
was soon abandoned. We have a great
surplus of wheat. and, as Mr.. Hill has
pointed out, per cent of the effort and
money that the national government
has expended TO enlarge foreign mar
kets for our manufactures. would so
educate some - the hundreds of mil
lions in the orient that they would take
for food large part of our surplus
wheat. But not a dollar has been spent
for this purpose. Every year we send
abroad for sugar more than one hun
dred million dollars in gold We would
be today producing in the United
States every pound of sugar we con-
sumo if the sugar industry had been
given one-fOuTth of Ike aid from the
national government that has been Civ
en- the steel industry.
Is OF Grave importance.
Not only would one hundred million
dollars more be kept in the arteries Of
our industries. but the land occupied
by sugar beets and cane would be in
large part taken from the production
of wheat and other crops of which
sponsibIe for prices that yield too lit
tie profit. Because of the opposition
of a few petty manufacturers of no
consequence. the United States senate
refused to- ratify a reciprocity treaty
with France that every year would
have benefited the farmers and the
other people of this country by mil
lions of dollars. Our meat trade with
some European countries has been al
most annihilated and with others is
hampered by restrictions and appres
sions because excessive duties on for
eign manufactures seeking our markets
have gOaded foreign countries to re-
taliation. Our trade in agricultural
products with Germany is threatened
with very serious injury because a
few senators will not allow any legisla-
ton or treaties that will change exist
ing tariffs. These are not matters of
partisan politics.
Not as Partisans.
1--WE must not approach their consid-
Grafton as partisans, but as farmers
and citizens. We should consider them
at this session and if we remain pros
porous as farmers we must consider
them as men regardful of our rights
and interests. students of economic
laws, and intelligent men that read
the daily papers. And if we so con-
slider them, We will at least see to it
that our foreign markets for farm pro
ducts. already sadly restricted. shall
not yet further be narrowed and the
price OF our products be yet further de-
pressed in order to continue a ridicu-
lous measure of tariff protection to
certain socalled infant industries that
have not only a monopoly control of
Cur home market, but have secured an
extensive foreign trade by selling to