New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1910-10-26
Speech by Hon. w. S. Hammond
at Turner Hall, New Ulm,
Mimi, Oct. II, 1910.

men: Inc speaker (referflng 10 tne
chairman) is right when he says that
there are always issues. 1t is not
necessary, perhaps, always to define
them, except in general terms. There
always was and always will be diff
ference between right and wrong, and
there are always certain movements
of the people in an upward direction.
There are always some who are re-
dictionary, and, if they move at all,
move backward, and there are some
who are indifferent and move neither
backward nor forward. There is
stagnation in government, stagnatlon
in politics, just as we find it elsewhere.
Still in the political campaign in this
district there is an apparent lack OF
issues, if one judges by the principles
advocated by one candidate and the
platform promulgated by the other
candidate. Platforms are easily
made. Promises are some times
quickly spoken. When the test comes
then the real caliber and the real pur-
pose are discernible.
The protective tariffsystem is as old
as is this country. One OF the first
poses and our first protective tariff
law, carried an average rate OF $40
ad valorem. The last tariff law, and
I mean by the last the Dingley Tariff
and the present Tariff, each carried a
laws of an American Congress was
protective tariff law. In those
days small rate was deemed
sufficient to answer all pur-
rate Of 1919. OF course, if all of the
money paid upon imports into the
United States found it's way into the
United States Treasury, there would
not be so much dissatisfaction with
the tariff taxes, even though they
were high, but the other purpose &C
complished by a protective tariff tax
is the one that has engaged for years
the serious consideration of the people.
It is, of course, unnecessary for me, in
an audience like this, to say anything
further on the protective tariff theory
than that it is plan to raise revenue
for the government by imposing taxes
upon goods brought into this country
from other lands, and at the same
time the revenue is raised also to
protect from competition domestic
manufacturers in this country who
are engaged in producing the
same articles as those that come
from other countries and upon
which the taxes are levied. Now,
those taxes charged upon the imported
goods and paid at our Custom House
find finally resting place in the
United Safes Treasury, and we must
admit that is great need Of it there,
for our expenses have wonderfully
increased in this country. We are
spending today a billion dollars a
year, With such expenses as these
meeting US, say it is no wonder that
we long to have that money derived
from our tariff lakes imposed upon
foreign goods find a resting place in
the Treasury of the United States.
The imposition Of the tax, however,
does more than simply replenish the
Treasury, by making it difficult for
an outsider to sell his goods. in the
market. You give az advantage to
the insider who sells goods in the
market by placing burden upon one
from which the other is relieved; you
give to that other an advantage in the
market and that advantage, so given
to him, we have called for years the
protection afforded to the American
manufacturer, and this competition
here at home seemed to make our
markets reasonably good ones in
which to buy, butin recent years there
has come change. 1t is true, my
fellow citizens, that in our markets
today hardly any OF our goods thai
we purchase and that we must use, are
really competitive. They seem to be
COuGEt1l10ua Ny SASeSo S1-oSA r. AoSo "
capital, buying up all the smaller con
Germs and thus practically controlling
our markets. 1t is not a fair return
to the American people. for the pro-
lection they have given these manu-.
facturers. It is not right that the
only safeguard the consumer has fo1
fair and reasonable prices, open com
petition, should be taken away, and i
our home people are so unmindful Of
the privilege they have obtained from
our people that they will destroy our
only protection agaist excessive prices
free competition, then it seems to me
that they ought not to expect that We
will continue to shield them from the
competition that mi ght come from else
where. We have a right to expect and