The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1912-10-10

In Holland there are no Inn
portant duties on food or raw ma
terials, the sole protective ele-
ment being tax Of 5 per cent on
imported manufactured goods.
In Germany there is a high duty
on food and an excessive tariff on
all the necessaries Of life. AL
household of six persons can buy
for $5.04 in Gelderland Zone Of
the eastern provinces of Holland)
the necessaries of life which Ger
many, just across the frontier,
would cost $6.78. AS a RESULT a
village Of 1000 inhabitants has
grown up at Glanerburg, near the
German frontier. There manu-
facturers have built houses for
a colony of their workmen, be.
cause they can live more cheap.
ly and better across the frontier
in the foreign country, where
there are practically no import
duties.
Here are some figures showing
the tariff tax paid by the average
American family which tell their
own story:
Wage Farmers Family $e2 a year
Salary Farmers Family $40 q
year. Professional mans family
si40 a year.
If our protective system is not
the "substantial' explanation Of
the abnormal increase in the cost
of living in the United States how
does it come that. British prices,
under free trade, increased but
~ per cent in ten years, while
American prices. under protec-
ton, increased 34.3 per cent.
Why do protectionists never
point to Italy as an illustration Of
how excessive tariff rates pro-
tect" the common people?
Italy is one of the most highly
protected, countries of Europe.
It is famous as a country "flow-
ing with milk and honey"
Yet they never talk about Italy,
do the upward revisionisits.
While in Italy three years ago,
the writer learned at first hand
some of the reasons why our pro
tectionists never say, Look at
Italy"
Italy puts on heavy duties on
both agricultural and manufact-
ured imports. She pays her
people exceedingly low wages.
She charges them very high
prices for the necessities of life.
They emigrate in large numbers.
To understand the situation
clearly we must go back to 1887.
About that time violent revol-
ution in the system of Italy Gus
toms was brought about. A pow
erful political group of textile
manufacturers Joined forces for
their own ends with a powerful
political group of large landown-.
ers. Tariffs were heavily increas
ed. But not over everything
That powerful band of textile
manufacturers took good care
that loser manufacturers, who
made articles needed in textile
were not enabled to put
up their prices. /
Hand in hand with the power
full manufacturers the big land.
owners came out "for a slice of
the tariff pie" In order that
they should ne sufficiently CON-
pensated for being in politics, the
had havy TAX placed
on wheat In Italy it is only the
big land owners who grow wheat.
Three out of every four landown-
ers in Italy are possessors of
srrall properties, cultivating fruit
for wine. They have to buy a
considerable part of the wheat
they eat. So it happened that
where one large wheat farmer
got bigger profits, three small
fruit farmers got hit. That is
tho way tho protection invariably
works out. What is one mans
paison?
Hark, however, this further re-
suits Of the Italian tax on wheat;
wheat bread, except in casses Of
illness or on the standard of liv-
ness or on special festivals
They make a bread maize. In
this and in other respects are too
high.
An enormous fiscal and protec-
tive tax was also put upon sugar.
ThA nysnno ~4en 6s~1,