Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-07-23
THE FEARS AND HOPES OF sen.
ATOR CUMMINS.

Senator Cummins is not a stand
patter, but he is a protectionist. This
is a distinction without a material diff
ference. 1t means that Senator Cum
minis favors a robber tariff that will |
take less tribute from the consumers |
than has been the custom under re- |
publican tariffs since the civil war.
Senator Cummins made a speech |
last Saturday on the proposed demo- |
cratic tariff. in which he told what he
fears and hopes in the event of the en-
actment Of the bill without amend |
ment. He feared the democratic ma
jority under the whip of President
Wilson was forcing the ship of state
into an exceedingly dangerous channel
in which it might be wrecked in the
whirlpool of Scylla or on the rocks of
Charybdis. He had hopes, however,
that the worst would not happen, but
could see little that would prevent
serious. consequences. He hoped the
agricultural and manufacturing indus
tries would escape that utter ruin
which was prophesied by the stalwart
standpatters.
That portion Of the senator's speech
which was The most affecting and in
teresting was his appeal in behalf Of
the farmers of the west who were to
be deprived Of tariff protection on the
products of their farms. He dreaded
the effect the free trade on farm
products would have upon the horny
handed" sons Of toll who cultivated
the cornfields and wheat fields of the
wild and woody west and northwest
He saw them reduced from affluence
TO poverty by the withdrawal OF the
protective duties from these products.
Just how the disaster would result
the senator did not explain. He did
mo- even try to explain, and il would
have been impossible for him to have
made satisfactory explanation. The
fact is that the prices Of wheat, corn,
cotton and the important products Of
farm industry are regulated in this
country by the London and Liverpool
markets. There is no tariff on grain
or other farm products 10 hamper
these markets, and they set the prices
for the world
The grain dealers Of this country
watch with fervid interest the Lon
don and Liverpool quotations and fix
the prices they will pay home por-
ducers by these quotations minus the
freight and their own profit. The tariff
placed by the republicans on farm
| products never increased the price of
bushel Of wheat or pound of cotton
fraction OF a cent. This country
| produces a surplus of all important
farm products and the exporters of
| farm products must buy and sell at
the prices fixed on the markets they
/ export to.
! Hence II is manifest that Senator
| Cummins' fears for the farmers are
/ groundless, and that the senator Is
still suffering from the virus of pro-
lection with which he was inoculated
when in full fellowship with the late
republican party. -.
The hopes of Senator Cummins,
! however, are more than justified. The
democratic tariff which will become a
law before this extra session OF con-
gress adjourns, will no. be disastrous
to any legitimate and commendable
interests, much less ruin the prosper.
ity of the country. 1t will be true to
lis purpose and will free the country
from greedy, grasping hands of mon,
cpoly and special interests; remove
the tribute the protected barons have
levied upon the consumers, and by
doing these things create a general
prosperity such as has hitherto been
enjoyed by comparatively few at the
| expense of the many.
Senator Cummins' speech was in
the nature Of confession and avoid
ance. His fears are groundless. His
hopes will be more than realized.