The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1914-03-06
AFFECTS ALL ALIKE
Farmers and LabOrerS Suffer from
Free Trade : Protection for All
Only Safe Plan.

Washington, March Am article
recently appeared in the Detroit News
which intimated that Congressman
Joseph W. Fordney would not make
the same statements in the presence
of public gathering in his home city
that he made in his speech at st. Johns
on February 13, before an aud
composed largely of farmers The News
referred in particular to the congress
mans statements in regard to increased
importations of farm products caused
by the Underwood tariff law. The ar
ticle concluded with the following:
But then, it is nothing new for
statesmen to blow hot when ad-
dressing one class of their constitu-
ents and to blow cold when address
ing different class.
Referring to this article, Mr.. Fordney
said today:
I'm my remarks at st. Johns / criti-
cisei the Democratic tariff law, ald
pointed ont to my hearers that impor-
tations of articles on the free list have
greatly increased since the adoption of
the underwood bill, and for the month
of December alone, the volume of i'm
ports on the free list has increased $27,-
900 900 over the corresponding month
of the previous year, 1919"
IMPORTS oFsFARM PRODUCTS
Mr.. Fordney further stated that dur
ing the months of October, November
and December, 1913, the imports of just
few of the articles produced by the
farmers, namely, corn, breadstuffs, oats,
hay. fruits, and cattle, amounted to
SAC, $50, 7sO. as compared with $l4, 4,053,.
0sO for the corresponding months OF
1912, or an increase of over sec, 600, 600
for the three months. He said;
''If this ratio of increase keeps on
during the entire year, it will amount
to more than $1C0, ,000,U00 on the few
articles above named. This would mean
the expectation of 500, 100000 of gold
which, with tariff protection, would
remain in this country. 1t would mean
reduction of 100000, 900 to the
amount of farm products American
farmers could otherwise sell in Ameri-
can markets In short, it would mean
that $l00, 10000 900 which would other
wise go to American farmers, will go &c
farmers in foreign countries, that
American farmers will haye 800, ,O00, ,00(
less to spend which will and cannot
help but affect American industries al
down the line"
FOUR SQUARE TO ALL WINDS.
Mr.. Fordney said he wished to assure
the Detroit News he has no othcl
speech for other classes of his constitu
ents, that this Is a matter of equal i'm
portance to manufacturers and labor In
the city as well as to farmers aud labor
in rural districts, that increased impor
tations will ipjure the laboring mar
and the farmer alike. Increased i'm
portations." continued Mr. Fordney
"are not confined to agricultural pro
ducts alone, bat the new tariff law in
vites importations of manufactured ant
other products, and it is displacinl
labor in factories and on the farms, ant
right now, in the various cities of tn,
United States, hundreds of thousand
of men are walking the streets seeking
employment, and begging for an oppor
tunity to exchange their labor TO
money. with which to buy food ant
clothing, employment having bee,
taken away from them by the opera
tions Of the Democratic low tariff meas
ure.
II am not like the shifting sands