The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1911-04-18
PROTECTION FOR ALL, OR NONE

to offer the protest of the farmers Of
the country to the Canadian recipro-
city treaty. He spoke in part as fol
lows:
81 need not occupy your time with
argument to show that this reciprocity
measure means free trade in farm
products. Canada is the only country
from which we have at present any
reason to fear competition, and if we
nave free Importation of Canadian
farm products, we will receive no
benefit whatever from the tariff. The
principle of protection laid down in
the Republican party platform Of 1908
is that the tariff rates should equal the
difference between tn cost of produc-
tion at home and abroad, together with
a reasonable profit to American indus
tries. We are willing to submit the
whole question as to the wisdom of
the reciprocity bill to the standard
fixed by this, the latest national Re-
publican declaration on the subject.
els it, or is it not, a fact, that the
growing of the great staple crops, such
as wheat, barley, oats and hay; of rails
ing cattle, horses and sheep; and of
producing butter, eggs, poultry, cheese,
apples, etc., is greater in this country
han in Canada? We affirm that such
is the fact, and would state in sup
port of our contention the further
facts that Canadian farm lands are
much cheaper than on this side of the
boundary line; that the wages paid
farm labor in Canada are much lower
than in this country; that the Cana
dian farmer buys his manufactured ar
ticles cheaper because of lower tariff
rates IN foreign goods; and that the
farm lands of Canada are chiefly vir-
gin soil, requiring no fertilizers, while
our lands have been cropped for many
years, so that we must use annually
immense quantities of fertilizers.
"Does any one deny that the aver
age price of our farm lands is from
two to three time that of Canadian
landsf Is it not a fact that hundreds
of thousands of farmers in our north
and emgrated to Canada, because of
the great areas of cheap lands to be
had in that country? 1t is notorious
that so many farmers nave left Iowa,
where land is worth from 800 to $3.50
per acre, for the Canadian northwest,
that the population of that great and
ohotO 10 NV tCSb a IL was ttH
years ago.
"The two principal arguments put
forward on behalf of this s~o-called
reciprocity proposition, are, first, that
it will reduce the cost of food stuffs
to the consumer; and, second, that it
will not decrease the prices received
by our farmers for their products.
Both of these statements can not be
true, and it 10 our opinion that neither
OF them are. The newspapers of the
cities have been filld with glowing
promises of cheap food, which they
claim will be the result of the free
admission of Canadian farm products.
We believe this to be wholly a delu-
sion, and that the removal of the du-
ties on these products will not reduce
in any material degree the prices paid
Tor them by the consumers of the
cities. Take for example milk. The
duty IN Canadian milk is now Q cents
per gallon. 1t has been shown by in
v~estigations conducted by the u. s.
department Of agriculture that on the
average the farmer in this country
gets for his milk so per cent of the
price paid by the city consumer, the
difference being absorbed by the mid.
dlemen, railway company and retailer.
Suppose the duty Of 2 cents per gal
Ion on Canadian milk is abolisheds
Does anyone believe that the people Of
the cities will get their milk 2 cents
per gallon less than the present pricef
"What 10 true of milk is true of
practically all other farm products. I
am told by State Master Godfrey of
the New York State Grange that in
his section Of the state potatoes are
now selling at 80 cents per barrel or
less. In New York City potatoes are
selling at from 80 cents to $1.OO per
bushel at retail. 1t is absurd to claim
that this great difference is in any way
due to the tariff.
"And here let me point out that
the price of wheat has fallen 80 cents
per bushel since a year ago. Has the
price of bread to the consumers of our
cities fallen rs per cent? You know
that it has not, and if as the result of
reciprocity the price of wheat is fore
ed still lower, it will not benefit the
consumer, for flour is still taxed so
cents per barrel.
ut is impossible in the brief time
allotted me to go into details showing
how the farmers will be injured by the
provisions of this bill, but / will take
as an Illustration the manufacture of
cheese. In the state of New York this
is a most important branch of agricul-
ture, the total production being about
125, 600, 900 pounds. With the tariff of
6 cents per pound our dairymen are
just able to make a living profit, and
most of them have only existed be-
cause they have been taking more and
more each year from the fertility of
the soil. The Canadian cheese producer
has cheap feed for cows, and a richer
soil. The Province of Ontario, Just
across from New York. exported in
1909, 1874, 000,0 900 pounds Of cheese.
How could our cheese makers compete
with those Of Ontario, when the lat
ter have so clear an advantage in the
cost of productionf
"But we are told that while it is
ture that this bill deprives the farmer
of the very moderate protection, av-
eraging less than IS per cent, now
given him by our tariff laws, he re-
eeivas componaaf;or IN tba form of