Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1914-07-22
COST OF LIVING.
Democratic Promises Fail, Says
Congressman Hamilton.

AhS ilohs I'll WdEu I1dmllLOu, TSDu
can member Of Congress from Michigan,
raked the democratic election promises
OF the full dinner pail and reduced cost
OF living fore and aft in brilliant speech
In the House last week. He stated many
facts backed up by statistics showing
that the cost OF living had increased dur
ing the present democratic administra-
ton, and that the business interests OF the
country, especially OF the farmer and the
manufacturer, had suffered under the I'm
derwood tariff laws.
Mr.. Hamilton made especial reference
to New England, and said in part:
"This administration has been in power
now for about sixteen months. Every
body realizes that. Business depression
is widening and deepening dangerously.
The newspapers from day to day have told
| the story Of business depression, reduced
credit, show collections, men out OF work,
bread lines, municipal lodging houses,
and OF how even the morgue was used in
| New York as place Of refuge on winter
| nights for the living as well as the dead.
"Taxes we're never higher in time OF
peace than now, and yet excessive taxes
are being supplemented by the tax OF idle
| ness, and idleness is the heaviest OF taxes.
"The policy that sends our money
abroad to enrich foreigners at the expense
| OF our own people; the policy that gives
| our market away to foreign nations that
protect their own markets against us; the
policy that promotes foreign industry by
depressing American industry; the policy
that drives American labor out of work in
| order to give work to foreign labor; the
policy that forces American business to
the wall to increase foreign business-such
! policy deposits no money in American
banks, but it does deposit money in
! foreign banks.
"But yoa invite foreign importations to
force down the prices OF farm products
and offer wider range for dealers and inn
porters to enrich themselves at the ex-
pense Of both farmers and consumers.
"The money that goes to Argentina for
| corn and beef; the money that goes to
Canada for cattle, meat, wheat, oats, rye,
barley, potatoes and hay; the money that
goes to Australia for wool, beef and NUT
| ton; the money that goes to China for
eggs, builds no homes, builds no barns,
buys no tools, pays no wages and pays no
| debts. 1t goes away to stay.
"You invited foreign ships to unload
their foreign cargoes here, and forces
American farmers to tax themselves to
build roads and bridges for the conven-
fence OF Canadian competitors, whom you
invited across the line by low duties or no
| duties.
"Your tariff bill has opened no market
anywhere for American commodities, but
has opened the American market for for
| eign commodities everywhere.
'In a speech recently made at Bingham,
Me-, ex-Gov. Fernald, of Maine, speaking
from an intimate knowledge of conditions,
declared that Maine dairy farmers are los
| ing 5000 day. Gov. Fernald owns a
creamery, and in March, 1918, he was pay
| ing farmers thirty three cents a pound
| for butter fat, but in March, 1914, under
the new tariff law, the price of butter fat
was forced down by Canadian competition
to twenty-three cents pound, and butter
is no cheaper, and the farmer stands the
| loss.
"Gov. Fernald told his audience that in
| one day he counted twenty-nine carloads
of Canadian hay at Danville, on their way
| to Boston; and ever since the new tariff
| law was passed the Maine farmer has been
| receiving $3.50 less ton for hay than
profit and the farmer and the treasury
stand the loss.
"When the new tariff law went into
effect at 10 minutes after 8 O'Clock on the
| night of October 8, 1918, foreign; goods
OF the estimated value of S170, 0O0, 900 were
being held in bonded warehouses waiting
| to be released under the lower duties OF
the new law, and these importations have
gone ON until the first six months Of the
new law resulted in loss OF nearly $7S,-
0OO, 600 in our foreign trade compared with
the same six months year ago. Every
dollars worth Of foreign goods displaces
dollars worth Of goods made here, and
takes it's toll out of the pay envelope Of
every American workingman.
"You cut the duty on hay from "a to y
Ia ton, and the dealer and the importer
take the profit and the farmer stands the
| loss.
"You took the duty off from rye, and
the importer and the distiiler take the
profit and the farmer stands the loss.
"You took the duty off potatoes, and
the importer and the dealer take the pro-
| fit and the farmer stands the loss.
"But your secretary of agriculture now
admits that we have suddenly been
brought face TO face with the fact that
under existing conditions, in many in
stances, the farmer does not get what he
should for his product. [See annual re-
| port, secretary of agriculture, page 49,
SIS it good way to help the farmer get
what he ought to get for what he has to
sell to take away from him his home
market and give it to foreigners?"
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