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

covered that large quantities of pearl
buttons were being imported. He next
inquired If clam shells existed in
abundance anywhere in this country
He learned that they were plentiful in
the Mississippi river, in the Wisconsin
river, in the Arkansas river and in
other places. He therefore put in the
Mckinley bill provision to the effect
that If any foreign producer desired to
sell dollars worth of pearl buttons
in the United States he must put a lit
tie over rs cents in the treasury. Sec
ton 429 Of the Mckinley bill placed a
small specific duty and in addition an
ad valorem duty Of rs per cent on
pearl buttons. What was the result?
Men purchased button machines. This
gave little employment to the iron
miner, to the smelter and to the ma
chine maker. They then employed
men to operate the machines and more
men to gather shells. Thus the indus
/ try was established, ana there is now
paid out in wages in the button indus.
try in one little town of 10000 inhabi-
| tants in my state more than three
! quarters of a million dollars per an
mum. Other towns along the river do
the same.
| What do these men do with these
millions of money? They spend it.
They spend it for food, for clothes, for
lumber. They spend 1t for necessar1es,
for comforts. for luxuries and little
foolishly. What do the farmers who
furnish the food do with their share?
They spend it also. What for? For
clothes for their families. What do
those who furnish the clothes do with
their share? They pay it out in
wages. What do these wage earners
, do with it? They again spend it for
/ food and clothes. And thus on and on
| 1t goes, blessing every one it touches
and being transferred in blessing still
| to others.
The SILK Industry.
Take the silk industry. We grow
no silk. 1t is not necessary, therefore,
to protect the producer of raw silk. He
| is not among us. Some time, by the
aid of the Agricultural department,
which is engaged in working out the
problem of how this thing and that
thing can be grown by us to advant-
age, we may seek to develop the raw
! silk industry. If so, then a tariff duty
will be placed on raw silk. Now raw
silk comes in free of duty But the
foreign manufacturer of silk must pay
Tito the treasury from SO to rs cents
out of every dollars worth Of finished
silk product he brings to this country
What is the result? There was i'm
ported last year over $600O0,OO0 worth
of raw silk, and there was paid out in
wages, in manufacturing this silk into
thread and textiles, more than $50, 0OO,-
900 In wages.
what was done with these wages?
They were spent, or at least expended.
Everybody spends or expends all he
receives The man who owns the fac
tory spends his share, and the laborer
spends his also. The manufacturer
may expend a part of his share in
building another factory, or he may
spend it for luxuries. He spends it for
something, and though he spend it for
a. fine estate on the mountain side,
with macadamized roads and beautiful
towers and fountains and lawns and
gardens and greenhouses and stables,
yet it goes for wages, and the people
who get it spend it for food and clothes
and cover, and on and on it goes, in
blessing and still to bless.
$50 successful has been this plan
of building industries that our fac
tories turn out finished products equal
in home market value to the products
OF all the shops and all the factories of
any other three countries on the map.
& ut is estimated that England, France
and Germany produce an aggregate Of
$14,000,0 worth of manufactured
products per annum, of which they
consume about 80 per cent and are
compelled to look to the outside world
for a market for $2,50O,OOO, 900. Our
shops and factories also produce S14,-
O0O,O00,00O, but so high is our stand
ard of living, so prosperous are our
people, that we actually consume 81
per cent and have to look to the out.
side world for a market for but frac-
ton over s5OO,O0O,OOO of manufactured
products.
Free Trade and Immigration.
!. DO you wonder then that the ill.,
paid people Of the earth are seeking
our shores by the million per annum?
More than $4,000 people, representing
a score Of countries, arrived at our
shores during the first three days of
last week to, share with us our I'M
equaled pay roll. Shall we follow the
advice of our opponents and swing
ajar our doors for the larger importa-
ton of merchandise which we now pro-
duce, or shall we rather safeguard
ourselves by safeguarding these immi-
grants and insure to all the privilege
OF producing the largest practicable
share of that which the American peo-
pie consume?
There be some who profess alarm
at this large influx Of immigra.
ton. l suggest one sure way of stop
ping it. Put the democratic party in
control Immigrants never seek our
shores in large numbers when free
trade policies have closed our factor
les. When millions of our own people
are walking the streets, their families
begging bread, there is little tempta-
ton for the people of other countries,
however, unfortunate their condition,
to turn their faces this way. And be
it known that our doors of trade can
not be opened to the free admission of
al =