The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1915-05-06
ALL IN THE MONTH OF MAY.

According TO our ulSpdSSlOudLo
republican friends, who desire moth
ing but the progress of the true, the
beautiful and the good, the Under
wood tariff was in process of wreck
ing the country when the Obliging
war came along and stopped up "the
breach in the tariff barricade." Now
it is no use for us democrats to
dodge; facts are facts. We might
as we'll face them. Here goes to
gaze on the Underwood tariff ct it's
worst.
In May, 1914, our importations
We're greater than they had been I'm
der the Payne-Aldrich tariff in the
corresponding month of the year be-
fore. This was the greatest excess
of the period before the war. Let
us analyZe it little.
OF the $34,OO0,000 excess $14,-
100000 is accounted for by increas-
ed importations of food. In 1913
this country was visited by general
drouth and the crops of the four
principal grains fell short of the
1912 yield by a full billion bushels.
Result: a greatly shortened food
supply and heavy importations in
the spring of 1914. Here are some
of the items of increase: Food ami
mails, 1865, 900; fresh meats and
dairy products, $3,9OO,000; corn,
$500, 900. Several millions of this
increase was in commodities which
had been taken off the dutiable list
by the Underwood tariff and made
free.
We respectfully asks our republic
can friends whether, if they had the
power, they would restore the tariff
on these things, SO that the food
supply of the nation should be
scarcer and higher in time of drouth
and shortage at home?
OF the $34,OOO,OOO increase more
than $l1, 100000 was in the four
items of coffee, hides, manufacture
ed rubber and raw silk. The
amounts were: Coffee, $2,429,OO0;
hides, $4,145,O00; manufactured
rubber, $1,75S,000; raw silk, 3d.
745,OO0. All four of these commod-
tiles were free under both tariffs
the Payne-Aldrich and the Under
wood. The change in tariff had no
more to do with this increase than
the aurora borealis had.
More than $13,OOO,O0O of the in
crease in this awful month was in
the importation of crude materials |
for manufacturing. OF these, raw
under both tariffs-in-
nearly $1,6OO,OOO, and raw
free by the Underwood |
tariff-s6,7S9,OO0. The tariff had,
therefore, nothing to do with the
first increase. AS for the wool, the
greatest wool producing state in the
union is Montana. They grow about
100000 pounds a year there.
These blighting wool importations
we're in May. They elected two
democratic congressmen-there are
only two congressional districts
by pluralities of about 10000 each
over their republican opponents, and
over republicans and progressives
both of about 1000 each; and they
sent a legislature to Helena demo-
cratic on joint ballot by eight mem
bers. And before we leave this pain
full subject we should like to inquire
what use American wool manufac-i
turers could have had for all that
raw wool in view of the fact
which every republican knows
hat the wooden business had been
oaralyzed by democratic onslaughts
IN schedule x in the tarln law 4
which went into effect in October of
he year before?
We ask the republicans whether |;
hey would change the tariff on wool !,
f they could? If SO, why?
Manufactures ready for consump- 4
ion increased this month $6,517,- /!
200. How large percentage of this
Increase was in goods free under
Doth tariffs we do not know; but
Increases in the two somewhat dis i
similar items of fertilizers and work
If art amount to nearly million
dollars, and both were on the free
list under both tariffs. Before any
charge can be brought against the
tariff on account of this
Increase it is necessary to show that
it took place in the case of items af-
fected nv tariff reduction and that I