Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-07-25


put forward in some quarters. princi-
Ipally on the part of persons seeking to
Iinjure the democratic administration,
to the effect that the revision of the
tariff permitting the entry of Argen-
tine corn into the United States free
of duty will ruin the American agricul-
turist, Is shown in letter written by
Congressman Henry T. Rainey to A. L.
Langillier of Havana, ILL.,, one of the
most extensive farmers in the state.
The fact is cited that last year there
was a shortage of over 1000, 600
bushels in the corn crop in this coun-
try and that the entire corn producing
area is less than the corn producing
area in the state of Iowa alone.
That Argentine corn can never be
a real competitor of the product of thu
corn belt of the United States is clear
ly shown by the authoritative state
ment that it would cost twenty-five
cents bushel in freight alone to trans
port corn from the Argentine to Chi
lcago.
In this letter Congressman Rainey
says:
Mr.. A. L. laughter, Havana, ILL.,, My
Dear Mr.. Langillier:-I am in receipt
of your letter of May 18th with refer
ence to Argentine corn
We have competed successfully
with Argentine corn heretofore in 9TH
er sections of the world, when we were
exporting corn. The bulk of the Ar
gentine corn is exported. They also
export chilled beef from the Argentine
republic, which is fattened on alfalfa
They do not attempt to fatten beeves
on corn. A country which exports its
corn and does not feed 1t to cattle and
also exports cattle fattened upon
grasses can never become competi-
tor in the markets of the world, or in
our own markets, with~corn belt farm
ers.
i Last year there was a shortage in
our corn crop of over 100000 BUSH
els. In order to supply this shortage,
up to the middle of February only
little over 100000 bushels of corn
came into the United States. l do not
have on my desk the figures of the i'm
portations of corn for March and April.
They do not raise as much corn in the
Argentine Republic as they raise in
Iowa, or Illinois. The entire corn area
in the Argentine Republic is not as
large as the corn producing area in the
state of Iowa. In the elements which
!, go to make up good corn land the soil
of the Argentine Republic is vastly in
ferior to the soil in our corn belt Corn
under various names, is produced all
over the world. In round numbers
about 130,00O,000 acres of corn is
grown in America. The plant is be-
lieved to have originated here. OF
this vast area of corn lands 105,OO0,-
600 acres are within the boundaries of
continental United States and only 49,
100000 acres are in Argentina. We
have in the United States monopoly
of the corn production of the world.
Nearly All to New York.
Nearly all the corn that has come
into the country so far from Argentina
goes to the Corn Products company in
New York city and is manufactured
into glucose and syrups and then ship
. ped abroad. This gives employment to
: American citizens. This branch of the
corn products company might just as
well be located in Europe so far as
ocean freight rates are concerned In
that event, with foreign labor, they
could manufacture Argentine corn into
glucose, syrupal, etc, and distribute it
; among countries of Europe. If that
were done the importations of Argen-
tine corn into the United States during
the present year, in spite of the enorm-
GUS shortage, would be smaller even
than they are. Importations of Argen-
tine corn are not new thing. They
! have occurred also in former years. Ar
gentine corn, when manufactured,
gives to syrups a rich golden color
which / understand is very much de-
sired.
!, have made some personal investi-
cations with reference to the corn
supply here in the city of Washing
: ton. l find that this city is supplied
| with yellow corn from Ohio. l have
, in my possession correspondence be-
tween the Gait Feed Store company
, of Washington, the largest company
in Washington handling corn for
, feeding purposes, and importers
handling the Argentine variety, and
the correspondence shows that it
would cost more to get corn to the
city of Washington from the Argen-
tine Republic than from Ohio or Illi-
nois either. For that reason no corn
from the Argentine Republic is
brought to Washington and no corn
has ever been brought here from the
Argentine Republic, so far as know,
except about half a bushel which,
after some difficulty, 1 succeeded in
getting delivered at my Office in the
. house of representatives Office build
ing in Washington. ! got 1t in order
to see what it looked like and to have
it analysed.
My information is that the Argen-
tine corn is good commercial corn
when used for manufacturing pur-
poses. Ii would not do for stock food
unless manufactured and it is not
used for that purpose anywhere in
the world. II is a hard, f1inty corn,
and -ould not be readily digested by
animals unless quite thoroughly
ground up.
Freight Rates Prohibitive.