The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-12-29
Ask Repeal Of Underwood Tariff

INDUSTRY only Suus1s 1ESOlAt dS O@1
!, er industries which feed upon 1t suf
tIfer. also. BIT In the light Of wrecks
, all about MS In the iron and stee
mills We submit that we need mol
argue this phase OF our case beyond
the point OF calling attention to out
standing facts. Tney are so plain and
convincing that a vayfaring man
even though he be a partisan oppon
emf, may see.
i THE purpose OF this second letter
thus addressed to you is the same
i as the purpose Of QUIZ first letter. TIE
4 purpose OF that letter was an appeas
to you TO heed the call TO Washington
] OF the business world TO give US re-
I lief We have been asked what ne
! expected TO accomplish in tie WHINE
of that first letter. Our answer. made
now In the light OF experience ana
free from partisanship and the pas
sion OF an approaching election, -
clear and unmistakable-
THE purpose Of the relief we ask
ed In that letter was to avoid that
which we therein stated would come
to pass, viz. that women should SIT
helpless in cold dismal little rooms
and their children face starvation
I'VE stand upon this appeal and
fees that In the presence OF nation
with humanitarian instincts we stand
upon solid ground
Let all who win sheer at the sug-
gestion that the business men OF this
country do feel for the woe and SUI
fering Of their employees Nevertne-
less, the broad. clear fact stands out
that in our former letter to the Bust
ness Mems association OF Gontgom-
err county based their appeal on
humanitarian grounds We called Tor
help to avoid that which mas now
happened and we called for It from
Washington because II was only from
Washington that this help could
come. Only At Washington and only
under your direction can the tarin
which now paralyzes the industries OF
this country be so amended as to give
them that protection which VIII lie
this depression Read our former
letter, please, and refresh your mind
as TO what our appeal was
ut Is upon that appeal that we
still stand.
1T VIII not meet the situation to
answer Us by saying that the war
has interfsred with impoftations and,
therefore, we do not suffer from for
eigu competition In the first place.
fmportations have not ceased. That
faIlacy might az well be exploded
here as to be reserved FOR furtner
discussion. Destructive fmportations
have not ceased. In the second place,
the war has placed some business at
our disposal and to this extent help
ed us, but despite this fact 50 great
has been the blow against our indus
tries by the present tarfn law that
even with the help OF such war
orders as have reached us our indus
tries as . whole lie crippled or Idle
I'VE place this question squarely
before You. Why do you not make
your theories successfully work or
give MS those that will? The bust
ness world Is asking just that CUES
ton and we now bring IT to you di-
rect. You must accept the respons-
ibilfty for the conditions which we
now face. Had your theories, which
have been enacted into laws by do
Gle congress, brought forth peace
and plenty in the land you would
have accepted the universal gladness
as a part OF your reward, and the
business men OF this country would
have given you ungrudgfng praise.
since, then, these theories have
brought depression upon the indus
tries OF our land and idleness for vast
hosts OF the working class, upon
whom shall we place the responsible
tty for that result? 1t must come to
you. It rightly belongs there. From
that responsibility you cannot escape
and somebody ought to be brave an
patriotic enough TO squarely say 50.
I'VE assure you that we write this
letter from no critical attitude and
that It is presented In a spirit that
Ia free from all political passion.
Unfortunately, our last letter came
| to yon In the midst OF a heated polit-
fcai campaign, and for that reazon
you may have gained the impression.
az others did, that IL was written for
political purposes. No such suspicion
can attach to this communication
The election is over. We are not in
I the midst Of campaign or even aP
preaching one. There can be no ques,
tioning the fact now that we write to
YOU as distressed and shackled bust
ness men, as disheartened employers
OF labor.
i we have no desire to lay before
I YOU disastrous conditions from which
there is no remedy and thus to mere
Iy annoy you. We lay these cohdi.
tions before you for the very good
and solid reason that you can correct
them. We dare believe that in the
presence Of the want and hunger that
now stalks abroad In this land patriot.
fsrn demands a remedy, even though