The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1908-03-06

their purchasing power was far less
: at that time, than at any time since
the adoption of the present, so called
Dingle Tariff Law American farm
ers sold their wool at from ten to
, fifteen cents per pound. Were they
more prosperous then than now?
And under the Wilson-Gorman Tar
iff Law, his oats, corn, wheat, barley,
and everything produced and put up
on the market by the farmers, came
in competition in our markets with
the same article produced in foreign
countries and admitted into our mar
kets without the payment of duty.
/ ask you, were the farmers more
prosperous then than now? Did the
consumers of such products have
more of the comforts and necessaries
of life from 1898 to 1896, inclusive,
than they have. had since the adop-
ton of the Dingley Tariff Law in
1897.
The farmers of Canada enjoyed
our markets then to agreater extent
than they do now. Why? Because
the placing upon these farm products
a tarifflaw, and placig it so high that
the Canadian farmer cannot bring
his products to American markets
and sell at price so low that no
profit can be reaped by the American
farmer for these competitive farm
products.
Is it not true, that under the pres
ent law, which fixes tax of four dol
lars per ton on foreign imported hay,
has caused the advance in the price
of hay? Is it not true, that tax of
25c per bushel placed upon foreign
imported potatoes, has stimulated
the American market for American
grown potatoes to such an extent that
since 1896, no farmer has been COM
| PEELED to accept for his potatoes, in
our markets, the low prices of from
twelve to fifteen cents per bushel,
which prices prevailed in 1896? Is it
not true. that the Csc per bushel tax
upon foreign imported wheat, has
! stimulated our markets, and Ameri
can grown wheat has, since 1896,
never sold for as low a price as was
paid from 1898 TO 1896? would
call my beet grower friends atten
! tion to the fact, that in 1896, there
came into our markets in the State
of Michigan, through the ports of
| Port Huron and Detroit over one
| thousand car loads of Canadian
grown potatoes. | would also say to
him, that under free trade from 1898
to 1896, hundreds of car loads of
eggs came into our markets from
Canada. A tax of five cents per doz-
en- on eggs, fixed by law in the Ding
ley Tariff, has shut out that flow of
Canadian eggs, and turned that pro-
duct either to other fields, or has
caused the Canadian rooster to perch
himself high upon the Canadian fence
and look with envy to the American
field, where American hens are per-
mitted to supply us with that domes-
tic product.
A high protective tariff on foreign
imports has turned the tables against
the foreign producer, and has permit
ted American farmers to produce the
necessaries of life, consumed by
American labor, and has enabled the
American farmer to employ more la
Dor, and has given to the masses of
the people of the United States more
purchasing power, which has made
great demand for American farm pro-
ducts.
hn fYttc nf N
try would hail with delight a law
which would permit them to import
into our markets, raw sugar, produc-
ed in some foreign country, in an
amount sufficient to supply the needs
of all the American people, and at a
price so low that the trusts could sell
such sugar and drive out Of compe-
tition every beet and cane factory in
the United States,s so that the trust
might have a clear field, and this
once accomplished, up would go the
price OF sugar higher than before.
American capital would be discour-
aged, and refuse to reinvest, knowing
that the trust again could lower the
price and drive them out of business;
wipe out their capital; and close
their factories, for it is true that the
American Sugar Refining Company
have more than one hundred millions
of dollars capital, and that they carry
surplus of twenty-five millions of
dollars to hold as weapon over the
heads of beet and cane sugar produc-
ers in this country.