Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-10-11


or time, or anything else, to the
best possible Observation-Disclosures.
THE REAL CAUSE.
IN recent tariff speech in the house
of representatives, Hon. w. w. Bailey,
representative from Pennsylvania,
made the following statement:
"Ii confidently look forward to sucn
an increase in our trade as that when
followed the low tariff OF 1S46. Under
the low rates Of the Walker tarln we
enjoyed a marvellous period OF pros
perity, prosperity which was d1nused
and which affected all lines of industry
farming, mining, manufacturing, bank
ing, merchandising, transportation. II
was not prosperity that few only
shared in. 1t was a prosperity tnat
found its way to the cottage door and
not alone to the palace. That low
tariff of 1916 produced not merely an
abundant revenue; it produced
redundant revenue; and after 1t had
been in effect few years it was found
necessary still further to reduce duties,
and this was done without protest
from any source No party thought OF
demanding an increase OF duties or
the retention of old ones. No party;
thought Of urging protection for our
infant industries. No party dared go
On record In its platform in support OF
any proposition looking to a reversal
of the tariff policy which was fnaugE
rated by the democrats in 1916. The
results flowing from that tariff were q
complete vindication Of every claim the
democrats had made; and so complete
and 80 Overwhelming was this vind1ca-
ton that the tarin, question had actual
" disappeared as an issue IN American
politics, and there can scarcely pc
doubt that it never would have reap
peared as Political issue had not the
war of the rebellion opened the way
for, return to- the. old discred1ted
policy Of protection"
4 The real facts about the democratic
tariff bill Of 1916 are contradictory to
this statement by Representative
Bailey. To understand the situation
thoroughly, one must go further back
than 1916. say to 1925. In this year
a protective tariff law was enacted and
the country prospered greatly under 1t
until in 1888 q new bill making
Gradual reduction in the tariff was
Enacted into law. The results of this
low tariff bill are best shown In the
Following statement from the Guernsey
Times of Muskingi1m county, Ohio:
"The sheriff Of Muskingum county
sold ten hogs at 6A cents each. two
horses at 81 each and two cows at 81
each" The Hannibal Journal of Han
nibal. Mo-. said: 'In Pike county,
Missouri, the sheriff sold three horses
at $1.5O each, five cows, two steers and
one calf the lot at 1925, 20 sheep at
1914 cents and "a hogs for total of Is
cents"
That is what the low tariff law OF
1888 had accomplished in four years.
It brought on the panic OF 1887.
In 1912 another protective tariff went
into effect and in three years, Presi-
dent Polk was moved to say "labor IN
all its branches is being we'll paid, and
the happy condition of our country Is
without an example in the history OF
nations"
Then came the tariff bill of 1S46
mentioned by Representative Bailey.
This bill did not sweep away all pro-
lection at once but lowered the duties
a great deal. For time there
was great prosperity, but it would
have been strange had there not been,
for in January Of 1S4S, few short
months after the tariff had been actu-
ally put in force, gold was discovered
in California and the great rush across
and around the continent began. This
vast movement of people not only from
the eastern part of the United States
but from Europe, loosened millions of
dollars and put them into circulation.
Worthless old ships that ordinarily
would have been chopped up and
burned, sold for fabulous prices to peo-
pie who wanted to 60 around the
Horn to reach the gold fields Horses
wagons, stock or all kinds, breadstuffs,
in fact everything, sold at high prices
because the gold-mad prospectors
wanted them and at once. Then too
the preparations for the great Crimean
war in southeastern Europe were quiet
" being made and this put millions
more dollars into circulation. For time
there was great prosperity, despite,
rather than because Of the low tariff.
When the gold rush and the war
preparations were over, things took
another turn Business fell away,
shops closed down and it became evil
dent that something was wrong. The
democrats sought to relieve the situa-
ton by, a still greater reduction of
tariff duties President Buchanan him.
self ably described the situation which
followed when ne said. in q message
I i" /. Il III ~ 3 Z 10