The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-05-12
The Whole Trouble About the Tariff


whole trouble about this tariff bust
ness may be shortly summed up In
the first place, Republicans in various
parts of the country for the purpose
of securing personal political advan-
tage have for years been making IN
considerate if not indiscriminate as
saults upon the tariff, leading the peo-
rle to believe that changes would be
and could be made which in the very
nature of the case never will be MADE
by the Republican party. In the sec
ond place, revision has been undertak-
en- by great many from purely self
ish standpoint, that is to say, there |
are many senators and congressman
in Washington at the present time
who are seeking to retain all OF the
protection they can for the particular
industries in which their constituents
are interested, while at the same time
they are assailing most bitterly the
duties which are levied upon prod
ucts in which they have no particular
interest.
1t is easy to abuse the chairman OF
the finance committee of the senate.
He has been played up as bogy man
everywhere, and denunciation OF Sen
ator Aldrich is popular pastlme.
Nevertheless, the chairman of the
finance committee is consistent to say
the least He declared the other day
that he was for protection for the
products of every section of this coun-
| try. north, south, east and west.
81 am particularly glad" he said. ito
see the senators of the south favor
protection for their section. care
not what you call it, protection or en-
couragement of industries. l want to
do everything can while here to
make the south like every other sec
ton of this country, blossom with
prosperity"
It. does not make any difference
whether Nelson Aldrich or John Jones
made this statement of the protection
doctrine, it is only when protection is
so defined that it can be defended.
Some of our western senators are as
sailing the tariff as though they were
Its ancient enemies. In reality they
have nothing to complain about. OF
all sections of the country, the middle
west has been most fortunate. What
could Senator Burkett. for example,
say in reply to Senator Aldrich when
the chairman of the finance committee
called him down the other day after
! he had made a characteristic speech
: declaring that nothing was being done
for the consumers? He called the atten'
ton of the senator from Nebraska to
the fact that there is no nice distinc-
ton between consumers and produc-
ers, that for the most part we are all
!. both consumers and producers. Who
are the consumers?" he asked. Is
there any class except limited mum
Der who are consumers and not pro
ducers? Are they entitled to more
consideration that anybody else? The
consumers of Nebraska are more in
: terested in the preservation of the
protective system than they are in an,
other public policy which is involved
in the work of congress-"
Now. the senator from Nebraska
8 would be much better employed if ht
were telling his people what Senator
Aldrich told him; for it is the truth
e as the people of Nebraska themselve
can testify if they look back to thu
II conditions that prevailed under thu
J, Wilson German act Continuing, Sen
e ator Aldrich said:
THE prosperity of the people of Ne
braska as of the country general
D. depends upon the maintainence of tn
III protective tariff. / have seen the pre-
ducts of Nebraska and of other agr
+ cultural states mount year by year III
1t til the increasing cost of living in thi
II country is owing almost entirely to tn
al increase in the price of agriculture
"a products"
|; Senator Aldrich may be from tn
little manufacturing state of Rhod
Island, but when he speaks as h
VS. he speaks the truth from the stan'
re point or the agriculturists of this coul
RS try. The farmers have never seen
Id all their history ten such years as tt
ne years the Dingley bill has been upo
ne the statute books What If they hay
i'll had to pay little more for clothir
rs and agricultural implements? Ha'
I'D they not had the highest prices in Il
IS history OF the world? And what d
they have under the last tariff r
form" years? They could buy, if thu
re had money to buy. cheap enough Ge
N, knows. The trouble with them W;
lg' that they had no money. The pro
In ucts of their farms did not sell f
ed enough to pay the cost of production
wv hogs $3.50, cattle about the same, al
To- horses from $40 to $40 head, and !
he buyers.
we What the Republican party shou
he have done was to have defended t
,ry principles of protection against ;
an corners all the time. 1t has never ia
e." ed to vindicate itself, and we do n
believe it ever will fail to vindicate
ate self If history fails to repeat itse
that is to say, if the Republican par
/ I II,