Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-04-15
after FARMERS
The Plans 10 Win Thos G
AIienated by Reciprocity.
Manufacturers Ignored in Effort
10 Please Soil Workers.
Eastern and Northern States Nit
by Southern Plan.

| 0v S0utnefn Pians
| The Washington correspondent ful
| the Boston Transcript writes his paper
| as follows: Massachusetts is struck
harder than any other state in the
| Union by the Democratic tariff pro-
| gram How much she would be hurt
Z by the proposed legislation is a ques-
| tion for the economists and tn" future
to reveal but as far as il is possible
| to injurc Massachusetts and the East
| generally by reducing or abolishng
duties on their products. the Republi-
cans OF Congress viii be asked to vote
for series of bills expressly designed
| to withdraw protection from these
| products. The great political play in
| Congress now is to catch the farmer
vete The Canadian reciprocity plan
| threatens to alien2tc it from the Re
| publican party, and the Democrats are
making a bid for it by removing the
protection from manufactures OF which
| the farmer is an especial consumer.
| The manufacturing centres are frankly
being ignored, Oh the ground that they
| clamored for free trade il farm
products and therefore should take
| their own medicine without protest.
1t was said of the Canadian reci-
proeity plan that although it might
| work out well in general way in
stimulating trade between the two
countries, it would have little or no cf-
feet in cheapening prices. Almost cx-
actly the same would appear to be
II ue of the Dcmocgatoc farmers free
list plan, except that while free trade
under reciprocity would be confined to
two countries, the Democratic pro-
gram relates to the whole world
Lines on the Free List
First on the Democratic free list are
agricultural mplements-plows, har-
rows reapers, binders. movers. etc.
The United States lead the world in
the production of these articles and
sends them all over Europ". TO avoid
tariff complications, the International
Harvester Co. established plant at
Hamilton. ont. and is the largest
manufactures in Canada. Under free
trade it would thus compete chiefly
with itself, consequently the farmer
could expect little or no reduction in
agricultural machinery must compete
in Europe with that of foreign makers,
but it always has done this success
fully and constitutes one of the largest
items of manufactures exported.
Boots and shoes and saddles and
saddlery are slated for the free list.
Massachusetts leads the country in
making boots and shoes and ranks
high in the manufacture OF leather
goods. When hides were put on the
free list. the boot and shoe duty was
reduced from % to 10 per cent, which
Barely covered the margin between
European and American manufacture.
This is a non -trustified industry that
has been built up without tariff pro-
lection, although duty on boots and
shoes usually has been maintained.
But as the United States and particu-
larly Massachusetts, always has led the
world in the development Of the shoe
industry, because Of superior labor and
equipment. the duty has been practi-
caly imperative. Within the last few
Years. however, the United Shoe Ma
chinery Company has been supplying
England, Franco and Germany with it's
machines, and only within Il month
leading British manufacturer stated
that while America at first caught
Europe by surprise with her shoes, the
British with their American equipment
had now learned to make them and
soon would come across the water and
take the market away This hkeH-
hood is probably more imaginary than
real, but men who speak without
f,fa stt, Il
under free trade the American market
would be flooded with cheap, coarse
shoes of the type worn On the farm.
THIS competition probably would not
come from Canada. for her wages are
too high to make her formida BILE, but
the skilful German and British work
men, with their American machines
and free raw material Of all kinds.
might stand a very good chance in the
American market AS a generality it
Is doubtful whether the shoe business
'as whole could be greatly cndanger-
ed by free trade but whether so or not
it is Improbable that foreign COMPETE
ton would bring to the American
farmer any material reduction in the
price Of his shoes. Our position in
saddles and saddlery is not nearly as
strong as in boots and shoes; the labor
cost is heavy in proportion to the
value of the raw material. and in this
industry a sharp competition with
Germany and other foreign countries
might be expected. OF course free
harness hits the farmer just where he
lives and the item is an attractive one
to the Western vote.
List Hits Worcester.
Wire fencing. another Democratic
free list figure, is made largely in the
city Of Worcester and the farmer is
one of its largest buyers, as also of
baling wire. That any iron and steel
industry could be made to suffer by
free trade is not believed by the Dem
ocrats and a good many Republicans.
The Canadian agreement placed barb
ed wire and galvanized iron or steel
wiz. on the free list. The duty on the
former was three quarters of a cent
pound and on the latter - cents Il
pound.