Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1913-10-10
Our Washington Letter.


worthy purpose occasionally when it
brings to light views expressed on
public questions in times past by men,
bers of Congress who since have shown
change of 'front.' Take the case of
Senator Cummins for instance. The
Senior Senator from Iowa few weeks
ago filed several pages of the Con-
gressional Record with an argument
by which he sought to show that the
Underwood tariff bill Disseminated
against the farmer. To reduce the
duty on the products of the farm, he
declared with vehemence, was grossly
discriminatory. In the Register and
Leader Of Sept. 2lst he repeated this
charge, declaring that in the Under
wood bill 1.-THE agriculturalist is dis
eliminated against" because, $50 per
cent. of Iowa's products are on the
free list" He added that at present
''there is little importation of agricult-
ural products, but when the tariff bill
becomes a law, butter from Siberia
and Australia and cattle from Argen-
tina will be offered for sale in American
ports.
In a speech in the House showing
the fallaey of Senator Cummins' argu.
ment, Congressman Pepper, of the
second Iowa district, set forth two
general propositions
''First, that the tariff on farm pro-
ducts has never been of any benefit to
the farmer, and therefore its removal
from such products in no way Injuries
him or discriminates against him.
Second, that the real and SUBJ
stantial reduction of the tariff on
manufactured products, covering prac-
tically everything the farmer has to
buy, directly benefits the farmer by
enabling him to purchase his goods in
competitive market rather than in a
highly protected and monopolistic
one"
But Congressman Pepper did not
have to rely on his own argument to
answer Senator Cummins. He per-
mitted the Senator to answer his own
argument by quoting from the Con-
gressional Record, volume A page g.
O93, where Senator Cummins in a
speech opposing the Payne tariff bill
on June II, 1909, said /:
II know that my friend from North
Dakota, Mr.. McCumber, will not agree
] with me in respect to these things, but
II do not believe that we in Iowa
receive any direct benefit for the 400,-
'O00, 600 bushels of corn that we raise
every year; I do not believe that we
receive any direct benefit from the
duty on 100000 or 10000, 900 hogs
that we market every year; do not
believe that of the $500, 600, 900 of
agricultural products that we pour
every year into the channels of trade, |
protection advances the price of 1.-THE !
of them. We will this year supply the
people of the United States and the
people of the world with a product
that will surpass in value $500, 600, 900,
and it is idle for even an enthusiast to
assert that the price of these products
is directly affected by the protective
tariff
Congressman Pepper simply called
attention to this to show that Senator
Cummins, who now claims that his
principal objection to the Underwood
bill is that it discriminates against the
American farmer, did not then attempt
to claim that the tariff on farm pro.
ducts was of any benefit to the farmer.
Congressman kirkpatrick of the
sixth district has introduced a bill in
the House which will make it 90 hard
with government officials or clerks, or
officers of the army and navy who
gamble. His bill provides that they
shall lose their positions upon proof of
gambling being submitted to their
superiors. The bill was inspired by
disclosures of handbook gambling in
the Washington navy yard.
Suon "dH NSSO Willie III w dS0lnRtOn
expressed the greatest confidence in
the outlook for political success in the
congressional elections in Iowa next
year. National Committeeman Wade
shares this confidence. Chairman Reed
in an interview expressed the belief
that the next United States Senator
from Iowa will be a Democrat. He
also prophecied that Iowa Democrats
would increase their representation in
the House next year by two members
and perhaps three, while retaining the
three present representatives of the
party now in the House.
Avoid Sedative Cough Medicines.
If you want to contribute directly to
the occurrence of capillary bronchitis
and pneumonia use cough medicines
that contain iodine, morphine, heroin
and other sedatives when you have
l.