The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1912-10-25

sive things-he, the hipbos.
worker Or the globe For ~, Paid
gument ot cheapness + have ~ LUIS A.
patience. Ag that great sto &c least
President Mckinley. when d;a.ssmao,
this same tariff principle durins ~
brilliant career, said that q ~ as
coat makes q cheap man'-so do GI1eap
with all the fervor Of my canso sa
no less does cheap banana MA mat
cheap mani -iaAe a
This bill which we report has w.,
drawn by experts; it has haan Deso
ed on that vital tariff princinIa e nalt'
ciatad by President Taft-that s4ua-
tariff tax is one so levied az to o1 Ivy
the difference between the co s+uai
production in the United State. 't -. VI
the cost abroad, plus a reasona SIa
profit for the American manufactnr.Ne
The tariff board has been of iua.ti
mable assistance in this matter =.
that the tariff asked for is exact a. a.
Is WILL known, the cost of rais;nS
bananas in the tropics is trivial ~
we therefore ask for a protecti ~
tariff on bananas of thirty-two cans
apiece-the difference between tSs
cost of production at home snS
abroad, plus the reasonable profit
The chairman of the WAYS ana
Means Committee continued in
mastery protection address too Ions
to reproduce. Then in a hushed s.
lence he delivered the peroration
81 see, Mr.. Speaker, as In vision
the new barren lands and stumDage
Of New England covered with sparf.
ling acres of glass greenhouses
from horizon to horizon and topping
the snow-clad hills of those now
bleak states. Under the vast glass
roofs, and in those artifciaIly humid
groves of fragrant bananas, 7 see
thousands of happy American work
ing men singing al their labors: in
their nearby homes a multitude of
6
happy hearts throb with joy for the
blessings brought by the home grown,
all-American banana.
CAS- against that inspiring vision I
see the present /: the banana Of today,
cheap, pauper-groWn fruit from a
cheap, pauperized foreign country. A
negro in alragged pair of brooches
and tattered shirt-or no shirt at
all-and with a machete in his hand,
living in a wretched palm-thatched
shack and working for less than half
a dollar a day That is the man
who is growing bananas for free
born American people No Ameri.
can will accept such a wage or such
a life-nor can he compete without
an adequate protection against this
pauper fruit.
"Under the shadow of those Star;
and Stripes that proudly floated from
Sumter to Appomattox, and in thu
great name Of our free people, I asl
you to pass this bill and give justice
to the American banana !"
As the speaker took his seat amiC
a wild scene Of tumultuous applause
mob OF eager hand-shakers sur
rounded him.
The old man turned to Jimmie.
Come on, Jimmie-no use waitin
any longer. It's all over; the Sen
ate'll pass it without debate, an
you're launched in business at las
son, and it's profit-tight and fool
proof. Bringing banana into tn
country from now on'll be crimina
offense, and you can make money a
long as you don't have to sell banana
at over thirty-two cents apiece"
The next year the old man too
his first vacation, and Jimmie slippe
gradually into the sole control. The
the old man took his Final Vacation
and Jimmie was at the helm. BeinE
as the old man had felt, no fool, b
continued to make monstrous sum
of money from the banana business
But if he had been fool, tn
profits would have come in automat
cally, just the same.