Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-02-06
SWAIN NAILS
A few YARNS.
IOWA EDITOR, NOW CONSUL IN
ENGLAND, SAYS PRICES ARE
NO CHEAPER THERE.
RAPS FREE TRADE
Says His Experience Has Been That
This Doctrine and Poverty go
Hand in Hand-Bis Contract
With South America.

nagin has received the following letter
from Albert w. Swain, for many
years the editor of the Oskaloosa Her
aid and now consul to Southampton,
England, from this country. The let
ter follows:
Southampton, Eng, Jan. 20, 1908.
My dear Mr.. Jarnagin-Your note of
inquiry, with printed enclosure, came
to hand in due time, and have delay
ed answering it until I could reassure
myself as to what may follow, as to
| fact stated:
First-As to buying a standard
Remington machine here for $50 in a
retail way, l can only say that 1 never
heard Of it and l have made some
diligent inquiry in several ways to
find out the truth of that statement.
am compelled to say that it appears
has been true l know from actual
personal experience that other
machinSs are held at e20-which is
S91 33-and when you pay spot cash
you get per cent discount COM
mon discount the world over for cash.
This l know from actual purchases,
made by myself I should be glad to
over here at $50. for l should take one,
personally, for home use and should
| be delighted for some one to put me
wise" on this matter-if I am not
Sewing Machines.
| Second-As to sewing machines,
American make: The machines on
sale here are American in name only,
for all the laree concerns have their
own factories on this side and they
have price that is about 10 to IL per
cent lower than the same kind of ma
chine can be had for in the average
Iowa town. AS the difference in wages
paid between the American and Eng
fish machine is about As per cent in
favor of the British manufacturer. he
ought to sell a good deal cheaper than
he does. But he is protected by pat
ents, and by concession Of territory
and he keeps his prices SO that he
may hold the market-and be safe
from export competition that might
flow from other lands.
| There Is no duty here Of any kind
on any machines of any make for any
purpose on earth. 1t Is absolutely the
freest market in the whole world-and
also has one million human beings
now on the poor lists in regular way,
and should labor be in any way inter-
rupted for three months, an English
statesman gives it under his own
name. and which adoption by polit-
zeal committee as a sorrowful fact
there would be ten millions more need
ing public or other relief than that
could supply.
do not say that free trade and pow
erty go hand in hand. but I do say
and l do know, that I have never seen
a free trade land of any standing but
that the most popular thing-as well
as the most necessarv--in it was the
free soup kitchen. ! have had some
experience in this sort of way at home
you remember something about
j To1l ,t- NJ
ing down the Des Moines river: and
how later on, one room in the Old Her
aid office building was used as store
house. and where flour and meat were
bought by the ton for the feeding of
men and women whose work had gone
: out with the incoming of the Wilson
} bill And I know that men had to ac-
cept supplies from that source who
? never in all their lives before had
eaten a meal that they had not hon
estly worked for--or one of common
courtesy. This is practical remem-
brance that l shall never forget-is a
, lesson altogether too bitter for one
believing in the common kinship OF
r humanity.
+ Agricultural Implements.
Third-As to agricultural imple-
ments: Here in England, American
, agricultural machinery has but little
;. demand. and what there is falls chiefly
on what might be termed "specialties.
in distinction from the great line OF
: real machinery-the things that do the
great work of the field. l have seer
5 some American machines in use here
and l have inquired the rates paid
and the are generally quoted as
!, about even with those current at home
!. in equal quantities-plus the freight
But down in South America. where
. we do sell vast quantity of agricul.
tural machinery, l can tell very diff
l ferent story. In the time ! put ir
down there l interested myself in the
: introduction of the work Of several o.
: the great machinery houses. and so
: became somewhat intimately ac-
= quainted with the selling prices o
such machinery. An this was the diff
: ference: Selfbinding machines, of a
least three different makes, sold a
, from $3.50 to s300-and you know wha
| they used to sell for in our good ole
town Of Oskaloosa-where a 500 bill
settled the bill for the same machine
. and l suppose does yet. These ar,
" plain facts and have been the common
property of the world these years.
. Africa Gets Cheated.
When l was at home last fall-il
watermelon time-blessed season te
all returning Americans!-I was tolt
one could buy American made shoe
1 cheaper in the English market than a
D home. My only answer to that wa
that I have never been able to do any
4 thing of the sort. My No. los cost m,
8 less in Des Moines by about 20 pc
/ cent than the same make in any Eng
, fish town, of real American make an,
: import. And a good English mad
3 shoe will cost you from IS to Sc. not
I Withstanding the greatest difference II
S the labor rate-I have SEEN and by i
O may be counted as apparel" SOM
l. noted brands of American whiskey ad.
f vertised at less rate than the sam
>. is to be had in the American market
!. all by some it may be counted as zap
parel,' 80. you see, thus am able t
l give you one item of red information
g OF course this American whiskey get
out of the country duty free, but pay
e the same duty on entrance here TO
i they draw the line at free trade il
7. spirits, and heavy duty on 1t ALL
may say that l have not tested thes
II latter -practicaly-over tn
u counter or bar