Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-03-20

protect the landowners, in the United
States 1t has been increased to protect
the manufacturers, but MS the land
owners, the Agrarian party, did not
have enough votes in the German law.
making body to pass a high tariff law
they had to call to their aid the manu-
facturers and the farmers The land
owners-tlie aristocracy-want higl
rents for their land, so to enable their
tenants, the farmers, to pay high rents
they must make the price of agricul-
tural products high; so high tariff
tax was placed upon all agricultural
products imported from other coun.
tries. To induce the manufacturing ele.
Nent to vote for this high tariff they
We're also given protection on their
products.
AS Germany does not produce enough
food products to supply her people, and
therefore has no surplus to sell, this
high tariff Is effective, unlike our tariff
in raising the price of farm products to
about the amount that the imports
from other countries could be sold for,
after paying the tariff tax. So the
German farmers are making more
money, but the landowners demand ii
In increased rent for the land; the
manufacturers get their share on man.
ufactured products, so the cost of liv.
Ing, has greatly advanced and the farm
ers are therefore not more prosperous
than they were before the tariff was In
creased. The landowners and the man.
ufacturers are, however, enjoying great
prosperity and the bankers paid great
er dividends than ever before, for there
is great demand for money and inter
est is high.
Combinations in restraint OF trade
naturally flourish under such system,
and the cost of living has so increased
that the workingmen are clamoring for
higher wages and demanding that the
government reduce the tariff duty on
foodstuffs and other necessities Of life.
We thus see that even in Germany,
country that does not produce enough
food TO supply her people, that
protection does not protect the
farmers. because it has increased the
rent of land and greatly added to the
cost of living and yet the landowners
and the manufacturers were not salts
fled, and Il still higher tariff law has
been enacted. This new law was in
tended to be prohibitive on those agri-
cultural products that the German
farmers produce and has again adj
vanced prices, SO much so that great
distress prevails amongst the poor peo-
pie. So far, through concessions and
promises of greater concessions, this
new tariff has not yet gone into effect
against our products, but it will on
July l unless n further postponement
can be arranged between the two coun-
tries.
To change our tariff law requires
Congressional action, and even a treaty
Of reciprocity that would increase or
decrease our revenue from the tariff
will require affirmative action by the
House Of representatives, as well as
being ratified by the Senate for the
term provided in the Dlngley law in
which reciprocity treaties can be made
has expired by limitation.
Protective tariffs therefore are two
edged swords and beget retaliation and
produce tariff wars, which are, If con-
tinued, as destructive of business and
even more so than other wars except
that mems lives are not sacrificed.
In the face of this our stand-pat
statesmen say "let well enough alone"
but when the German market for our
foodstnffs is destroyed by this tariff
war there will be something doing by
our farmers In political way that
may take the form of the revolt against
the Mckinley law.