Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-22

own colonies, of our opinion. with sue
cess embroidered on all our banners,
we are invited TO surrender our views
and give place to beaten world.
! Why? Simply because of that hui
man unrest which is part Of the his
tory of the race. We, being also OF
limited knowledge, are much given to
be beguiled by generalities. Here Is
one line Of generalities. Is the Ding
Hey tariff bill the end of wisdom? If
not then it can be improved. A tariff
bill could be framed, we think, which
would be free from all the errors OF
that celebrated bill and retain It's viz
tues. Where would you enact such
bill? Why in your own mind OF
course. Unfortunately, a bill enacted
| in the mind has no extra-terrltorlal
force. A bill enacted by congress, ike
the progress of the world, is the result
of fierce conflict of opposing human
interests, and must be so. When men
| talk carelessly of tariff revision, they
| talk of tariff never yet established
and one that never can be. They
dream of tariff that exactly suits
| them individually, while a real tarlH
is one which measurably satisfies the
country as a whole.
But can we not have, sitting in per-
netual session, body OF men non-par-
tisan, iudicious, wise and lncor'
ruptable? Yes, in your mind. You can
have anything in your mind. Imaglna-
tion il unlimited and it is very delight
ful to wander round among possible I'M
possibilities. Just think of a non-partl-
san free trader sitting on tar1n tax!
OF course he would be above any pref
udice except his own. saw one tarl1
commission sit in 1882, and It's report
was not enacted into law. All It's mis-
takes were and the result was satisfac.
tory to nobody.
What we had better do is to remem-
Der where we are and what our dan
, gers are, Enterprises OF business are
not entered upon by helter-skelter.
They are the result of calculation. one
of the first inquiries of promoter or
maker is, how many of our present con-
ditions are to remain? II there are TO
he uncertainties in the future, he Will
not dare to act. What can you imagine
that would dampen a business man S
ardor more than to be called on to
guess what new tariff bill would be!
The prophetic instinct in the human
creature is there beyond its limit.
We ought to let the tariff alone; we
ought to defend 1t against all corners
for the good of the nation. We are do
ing more than we'll and need not hunt
for disaster. That will come in due
time. So
Meanwhile let us see what people are
trying to do. Nobody dares to attack
the tariff directly. Every effort against
it is flank attack. The tariff is to be
changed, not because it has produced
prosperity, but because it has produced
large corporations. We SO hate and
fear large corporations that we will
destroy prosperity rather than not des-,
troy them. To argue such proposition
would be discredit to the American
people The most plausible attack has
CONS from the demand for reciprocity.
/ In my Judgment, it will be found that,
when the glittering geleralities OF
reciprocity are refined down to actual
statement of what is proposed, the
American people will never have It,
The history Of reciprocity the world
over has been that any treaty thus far
devised has been one-sided, and tne
country losing has put an end to It. We
I tried it with Canada Our export trade
increased thirteen percent, and theirs
increased in eleven years five hundred
Liner cent That treaty no longer exists.
We had one with the Sandwich Islands
and on the average we gave them So
0OO, 900 RENTED sugar duties year
and sold them $4,OOO,000 worth Of
goods. lin other words, we gave them
all our exports and million dollars
besides. That is what the friends of
free trade were trying to do for Cuba,
when we were so apprehensive tnat ne
island would be ruined If we did not
give in charity what had no foundation
in justice.
Protection, I repeat, is system, and
is 1ustifiable because Of its general ap-
plication. The whole nation gets the
benefit OF 1t. If you will examine reci-
procity in detail you will find that, In
nearly every case, the national revenue
I is sacrificed for the benefit of individ-
uals. Hawaii alone cost us one hu1l-.
dred and one million unrequited dol
lars. Perhaps it may be a consolation
to know that our own citizens temper
arily expatriated, were thereby greatly
enriched. This example has led our cit
liens in Cuba to hope for like results,
and they, too, are eager for RENTED
duties. But the, scheme has been ex-
posed, and the republicans must be
blind indeed if they surrender any jot
or little of protection of the best indus
try in order to bestow largess upon
citizens who expatriate themselves,
while we refuse it to farmers who Ill
our own soil. The low price of sugar in
Cuba is the same low price which per-
vades all the West Indies, and Is caused
nv the substitution Of the beet, bet
ter sugar producer than the cane. In
word, great output OF sugar lowers
the price. Suppose a great grain crop
sent prices down. Would we make it