Morris tribune., 1916-05-05

vital interest in this question. How
much greater returns would we have
received for our wheat, -four and other
farm products had it not been for the
enormous ocean freight rates incident
to the scarcity of ships and our want
of a merchant marine? Let me give
you some illustrations: The increase
in ocean rates on grain from New
York to Liverpool in the last two years
has been about 900 per cent; on flour
about 500 per cent, and on all pro-
visions about 400 per cent. The rate
on wheat in January, 1914, from New
York and Boston to Liverpool was Ale
per bushel. In January, 1916, the rate
was 40.6c per bushel from New York;
34c to SEC from Boston and 54.8c from
New Orleans. The rate on flour in
creased from 15c per hundred in Janu
airy, 1914, to 9Oc in January, 1916.
This means a loss of 36c per bushel
to the farmers of Minnesota and nearly
So on every barrel of flour.
But that does not tell the whole
story. The ocean rates on other farm
products have relatively increased
livestock, meats, and all other products
of the farm. We must remember that
the market price of what we sell at
home, as we'll as to foreign nations, is
made on the basis of these ocean rates.
The tariff will undoubtedly be one
of the issues in the next campaign.
Time does not permit me to discuss
the subject at length, but only to state
some general principles, for it is
almost inexhaustible in it's ramif1ca-
tions. We should have an efficient
non-partisan tariff commission. The
tariff, of necessity, affects all of the
business interests of the country, and
it's enactment with reference to those
interests and the stability of the law
is necessary to real prosperity Sc
many questions are involved in franz
ing a tariff law, that it is impossible
to have an accurate, just and efficient
law which shall meet the demand Of
the public revenue and protect labor,
industry and agriculture in a proper
way, and treat such law as the foot
ball of partisan politics, to be changed
whenever political parties change.
l am not an advocate of extreme
protection. AS member of the Sub
Committee on Resolutions which drew
the tariff plank in the Republican Plat.
form of 1908, I vigorously advocated
an honest and reasonable reduction of
the tariff on the necessaries of life. I
stated then, in letters and speeches,
that unless the Republican Party
should keep it's pledges, the agitation
would not cease and it would be disas-
trous to the country. Such proved to
be the case.
There are, of course, many problems
of Importance to the people engaged
in agriculture. The stability, indie
pendence and prosperity of the farm
ers is of vital Importance not only to
them but to the jewellers in the cities
and the people as whole. AS agri-
culture constitutes the principal basis
of the wealth and prosperity of the
country, everything which it is legiti-
mate for the congress or the states to
do to increase the prosperity of the
farmer should be done. Farming &C.
equations and farm life should be made
profitable and attractive as an induce
ment to keep the young men upon the
farm. The tendency in this country
during the last fifty years has been
towards the undue increase Of city
population.
The government should aid in every
way it legitimately can to increase the
productiveness of the soil, improve the
system of agriculture and make farm
life attractive, for unless the farm is
both attractive and profitable it will
not hold the ambitious rising genera
ton.
l cannot in this speech more than