The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-06-14
IOWA FARMERS AND THE TARIFF.
w. c. Brown in a Timely Address
Gives Farmers Something
to Think About.

Gently Mr.. w. c. Brown, president of
the New York Central railway, who is
the owner of a fine farm in Page
county, Iowa. addressed notable
gathering at Clarinda. This gathering
was out of the ordinary because 1t was
composed largely of the sons of Page
county farmers. It was intended to
be meeting of young men and boys
from the rural districts. Mr.. Brown
was introduced by youngster about
twelve years of age, the son of
farmer, and the railroad manager said
that he had never heard a more
pleasing Introductory speech. Mr..
Brown talked from the standpoint of
the owner of Iowa farm lands. He ex-
poets some time to retire to his Page
county farm and there enjoy life rails
ing good cattle, horses, and hogs. In
the course of his address to these
young men, the coming farmers OF
Page county, Mr.. Brown said:
Without desiring to discuss poll
tics, want to say just word about
the tariff, as it seems to me to relate
to the interests of Iowa farmers. Ii
my interests were in the east. / would
be strongly in favor of radical revi-
sion of the tariff, but as an Iowa farm
er and manufacturer, I cannot help
feeling serious doubt and misgivfng.
THE tariff on wheat is now twenty
five cents per bushel; on barley, thir.
ty cents; on corn, fifteen cents; pota-
toes, twenty-five cents; hay, four dol
lars per ton; cattle less than one year
old, two dollars per head; cattle worth
fourteen dollars each, three dollars
and seyenty-five cents per head; on
cattle valued at more than fourteen
dollars each, twenty-seven and one
half per cent ad valorem, which means
a duty of S13.75 on steer valued at fifty
dollars.
For fifty years the farmer has pa
I tiently borne the burden of the tariff
without particle of direct and very
meager incidental benefit.
when wheat was selling at forty
/ five or fifty cents per bushel and Cana
da was a wilderness. the tariff meant
little to the wheat grower of the Unit
ed States; but with wheat at dollar
per bushel and Canada's millions Of
acres of cheap land, which will pro-
duce thirty to forty bushels OF wheat
per acre, being rapidly settled and
made productive, the tariff of twenty
4 five cents per bushel becomes mat
ter of vital Importance to our farmers.
H., Ia
ranges and beef was selling at two
and half to three dollars per hun
4 dred, with pork about the same price
and with little or no competition, the
tariff cut little figure, but today, with
beef and pork selling at more than
: twice these prices and with the Repub.
lie of Argentina, with her millions Of
acres of fertile, unoccupied lands ar
active. aggressive competitor, and
: with Mexico on our immediate south
with her vast cattle ranges, the tariff
on cattle and hogs is of vital import
ance to the farmer of the United
States.
For years we have prided ourselves
upon being the granary of the world
and our exports of farm products have
: kept a steady stream of gold flowing
; from foreign nations to our shores.
, In 1909, for the first time in on
Z history, the little republic of Argen
tina exported more farm products t.
Europe than we did, and she exported
; sixty per cent of all the meats import
: ed by all Europe.
. "Ships are constantly clearing from
: American ports loaded with agricultur
al implements, machinery. cars ant
: locomotives for Argentine ports. Thes'
i ships come back loaded with sand ant
2 gravel for ballast.
/. Take off or materially reduce thu
c duty on agricultural products, ant
these ships will return loaded witt
), the things which Iowa's farms produc
, and sell; and the farmers OF Argen
: tina will prosper at the expense of tn
! farmers of Iowa
1T may be that the interests of tn
. country as whole may Justify thi
!. sacrifice upon the part of the farmer
. 1t is possible that compensating fea
lures may be found which will max
up the loss. But action OF such me
ment should not be permitted withou
the fullest possible investigation; ant
: it is time the farmers of Iowa an
: other western states were awakene
to the Importance of this particula
phase OF the tariff question"