The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1911-02-09
SOME EXPERT N


Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota will
have to show their faith by their
votes, and the same is true Of the rep
resentatives from other states having
a large agricultural population.
The farmers have enjoyed the bene-
fits Of protection under every tariff
law framed by the Republican party
and they will not relinquish these ben
efts without a struggle. If they
should by any chance be cajoled into
submitting to free trade in agricultur-
al products with Canada the conclusion
would be inevitable that they would
also favor free trade in all other home
products as well.
We quoted from a speech of SEN
ator LaFollette the other day-when
he was and orthodox Republican,
defense of the Mckinley bill. The
Democrats, then as now, were shout
ing for free raw material, and La
Toilette responded in the interest Of
the farmers of the country. After re-
ferring to statistics of importations Of
farm products, he said, addressing the
Democrats.
"Nearly all of this should be pro-
duced upon the farm here. But if the
existing duty were removed this i'm
portation would be increased mani
foldly, and that is what the gentle
men on the other side advocate. The
inevitable effect of their policy is to
force the farmer to abandon one after
another of his products and engage
only in the production of such staples
as he can sell in the world s market.
Now let us assume that you have your
way about this and face the result.
Take off the duty from barley, for in
stance. Last year we harvested some
thing over So, 900 bushels. Under
existing duties we imported nearly
one-ffth as much as our entire crop.
"With the freights from Europe,
ranging between A and S cents, and
from Canada, ! to 2 cents, and the
duty removed, the other four-ffths of
our crop would be at once displaced
by barley from Ontario, Quebec, Mani
toba, and the northwest territory,
England and Denmark, and 5000, 900
acres of land cultivated in barley must
be cropped with wheat for export, ad-
ding $4,000, 600 more to our surplus of
that product. We do not want to see
the market for barley taken from the
farmers of this country and given to
foreign producers who pay no taxes
and bear lone of the burdens of citi-
zenship."
Barley is raised in great quantities
in the middle western states. Natur-
ally enough the farmers of these com
munities look at the reciprocity treaty
the same way LaFollette looked at the
tariff bill and insist that if Canadian
barley is made free they will suffer
great financial damage. Their loss
would be the brewers gain.
Mr.. LaFollette grew eloquent while
pleading for the farmers and conclud-
ed as follows:
"Until you have fastened upon this
fair land a free trade tariff for reve-
nue. only, until the spiders are weaving
their webs over looms now weaving
cloths, until idle labor blockades the
streets Of our cities. until our coast
wise and inland steamers rot at the
wharves and moss grows over the iron
highways of our interstate commerce,
until all the horrors of '57 come pack
and come to stay, do not, in gracious
heaven name ask our farmers to
raise cheaper wheat to season the
soup Of our hungry millions beyond
the seas
The Democrats and insurgents made
their campaign last fall under false
pretenses and were m~easurably sue
cessful. But the combination is not
supreme by any means. There will be
another general election in less than
two years and if the reciprocity treaty
is put through it win be hard for the
Democrats and insurgents to pull the
wool over the eyes Of the farmers a
second time.
William B. H. Dowse, president of
the Home Market club, is at the ma
tional capital fighting the treaty, hav-
ing Joined forces with the National
Grange. Regarding reciprocity, the
last election and conditions generally
Mr.. Dowse says:
ut was the general unrest, the in
cendiary clamor of certain publica-
tions, the proneness of the public after
one party has long been in power to
heed the appeals of a vigorous oppon-
emit and take too literally the glowing
promises Of better conditions, cheaper
food and lower taxes that caused this
~knA~ IL