The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1916-10-20
Underwood's Four Promise.

CiareQ that t would accomplish
four things: Reduce the cost ol
living; increase our foreign trade
collect enough revenues to run the
Government; and leave business
undisturbe6
Although war interveneu after
less than a years trial of the Un.
derwood law, not one of these four
things was accomplished, and ii is
plain that none of them would have
been, if there had been no war.
The law put most farm products
OH the free list, or greatly reduced
the tariff. 1t made free of all duty
cattle, sheep, wool, beef, mutton,
corn. eggs, milk and cream. II
made wheat and potatoes condition
all free. 1t reduced by about six
ty per cent horses, poultry, oats,
cheese and butter.
The theory was that by these
means prices of what the farmer
raises would be beaten down, and
the consumers would profit.
Foreign farm products came in
under the new law in large quanti-
ties. the increase for the fiscal year
of 19l4 over 1912 being valued a,
a hundred and forty million dollars.
This flood of foreign products did
cut down h e farmers prices.
Wheat went off fifteen cents, corr
ten cents, while cattle, sheep and
meat products followed suit. Blu,
the difference was absorbed bv the
importers and the distributors.
There was practically no decline in
price to the consumers, while the
loss of the farmers was large. And
the cost of living has gone OH climb
ing ever since.
Nor was there any increase in oul
own export trade before the war.
There has been a huge increase
since, but it is confined to supple.
for the warning countries. Peace.
full exports like agricultural imple
ments, sewing machines. typewrit-
ers and the like. have actually fall
len off hundred million dollars
while munitions and supplies have
more than tripled.
Asfor collecting enough revenues
to run the Government, the numer.
GUS increases in direct taxes laid b,
Congress are q familiar fact. The
Underwood tariff never did and nev
er will yield anywhere near enough
to run the Government, especially
when it is so extravagantly run as
under the present regime of " pork
and waste.
The fourth Underwood promise
of no disturbance to business was
promptly -negatived by the wide.
spread business depression that fol
lowed its enactment. The Presi.
dent declared that this was a psy.
Geological condition. +" But that
provided nocure for unemployment.
1t gave the idle no jobs and left the
soupkitchens running. Whatgreat
er disasters would have followed, nc
man can say. But that we were on
the downward road, when the wal
provided what amounted to pro.
hibitive protective tariff, is beyond
question.
| What will happen when the wal
ends, unless the people commission
the Republican Party to remake the
tariff, is equally beyond question
Every producer will suffer-the
farmer who produces food, the
manufacturer who produces a ii
manner of things, the workingmar
who produces labor, the railroad.
who produce transportation, the
merchant whoproducesdistrib
And the farmer will suffer mos,
of all, for against him the Under.
wood tariff discriminates mos,
previously. Minneapolis Journal.
Albert Olson of ortley was
brought before Judge Prindeville