The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1907-11-15
Congressman Fordney on Tariff Re-
vision ,


which greatly interested his hearers
We are pleased to be able to give our
readers brief summary of the main
points and ask that -thoughtful consid-
Grafton be given the same.
One of the chief causes of our
present finandal furry in my opin-
ion, is nothing more or less than the
political agitation for tariff reform.
This agitation does not come from
tire practical business man, who has
been crowded with business for the
past ten years to a greater extent
than ever before. 1t does not come
from the labOring nan, who has no
time to answer the calls and demand
for his labor. But, as before stated,
it comes from political agitators, who
are frantically grasping for an issue,
and l would ask these men, how they
expect, by tariff revision, to increase
the general prosperity of the people,
how. it would increase the wages or
comforts of the wage earners.
The fact must not be lost sight Of,
that this government must have suffi-
eient revenues to meet its eXpendi-
lures. and there Is a constant grow
ing demand for more public improve
ments, in the manner Of greater deep
water ways, more public buildings,
more war-ships, navy second to
none other in the world.
While it is true also that our pres
ent navy is shorthanded, due chiefly
to the fact that our government has
not a sufficient income to pay higher
wages to men in our standing army
and to men in our navy. The small
compensation offered by the govern
ment Is not sufficient inducement to
the American boy to enlist in either
the army or the navy.
We are building a Panama Canal,
and we note that the President recon-
mends a deep waterway from the
Lakes to the Gulf, which deep water
way would cost the government hun
dreds of millions of dollars; yet, as
before stated, some men, high in
official life, are shouting from the
house tops: Tariff Revision. Do
they forget that under the Wilson
Bill. we were forced to issue $685.
100000 in bonds, in order to keep
our heads above water.
1t seems strange that they should
forget the lesson, so recently taught
to the American people, that the
Democratic party, in 1898, by reduc-
ing our tariff laws % per cent below
the present schedules, caused prop
erty values to Shrink below one-half
their former values, and caused cap
itai to hesitate and creep in to hiding
place, and caused the laborers and
their destitute families to suffer for
the necessities of life, as they had
never suffered before.
would ask the revisionist: On
what articles would you suggest first
a reduction of duties. To my farmer
friends L would say: Are the prices
of your farm products too high, are
you getting more for your wool than |
you ought to receive, in order to !
make IL profitable to grow wool. To
the manufacturer, | would ask: Is
The price of your product too high to
suit you? To the laborer, / would
say: Are the wages received by you
too high? And to all of you, would !
say: Do you want the duty reduced |
ON your products, or is it upon some !
other products, you want revision.
In the great iron and steel indus
try. there are employed by the one
conearn. (the United States Steel |
Company. over 100000 men, who
furnish living to a population of one
million people. Would any citizen
reduce the tariff in a manner to re-
duce the wages of this great army of |
wage eaTners? This one company
employs an army of men nearly four
dimes as large as the standing army |
of the United States. This company
pai0. in wages last year, $14S,000,-
600. and in dividends to their stock
holders. which includes over 1880
employees of the company, nearly |
$4,000. 900. /
Tho Pennsylvania Railroad Com |
pany has 45,500 stockholders, as
shown by their checks in the payment
OF dividends last May, many are la
boring men and women. The rail-
roads OF the country las shown by
statistics, June so, 1906, employ over
100000 men. being at the ratio of |
ssf employees to every 1000 miles |
0f line. Who would reduce, by tariff |
revision, the wages of this great army
Of employees, who are the best GUS
toners for American manufacture
and farm products. Americas great |
est and most valuable customers are
tho american consumer, and every
nation ia the world, at the present |
time, has it's eye upon our market,
and are making frantic efforts to get
q share Of our trade.
Statistics show that. for the fiscal
year ending June 80, 1906, We sold
Japan SOL 100000 of American pro-
ducts. 1t was an even exchange, for
statistics show that we purchased |
from Japan that same, year. about
SCI 100000 OF her products; while,
for the fiscal year ending June 30,
1907 statistics show that wo sold |
Japan but s38, 100000 worth of our
products, and purchased from her,
the enormous sum of s69,00O,000 of
her products.
Is there anything in that, that
would lead one to favor tariff revis-