The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-09-22
PEANUTS AND PROTECTION.

PEANUTS AND PROTECTION
It is pleasing to note that the largest peanut
products factory in the United States is to be
built at Tyler, Texas, and that IN order to
handle the crops from a million and a hall
acres to be planted to peanuts next season other
mills must be erected. Hurrah for Tyler!
Hurrah for any community that has the en-
terprise to undertake the construction of the
largest peanut factory or the largest any kind
of a factory in the United States.
As the chairman of political meeting would
say, the peanut needs no introduction to an
American audience, and yet there are some
things about the peanut that plenty Of good
people don't know. 1t isn't the purpose here
to tell the history Of the peanut, to describe
the methods of its production, nor to extol It's
virtues. The people of this country have been
buying millions of pounds of peanuts and hun
|dreds of thousands of gallons of peanut oil
from Spain, Germany, France, The Neither
lands, China, Japan and the East Indies All
of which is wrong. All through the south
peanuts can be grown successfully, and the
south needs the money. Undoubtedly the
Chinese grower also needs the money, but as
between the two all our preferences are for the
producer in Texas, Virginia, Alabama, North
Carolina, or any other place underneath the
Stars and Stripes
The reason why we buy peanuts and peanut
oil in other lands is clear-we can get them
cheaper there. We do not buy enough abroad
to supply our needs and entirely destroy
home industry, but we buy enough to break the
price of the home product and deprive the home
grower of fair profit in some seasons. Just
now the war is cutting off some competition,
but soon the war will be over and Germany
will resume her shipments of peanuts to this
country. Other lands will increase their sales,
The only remedy we see is for Texas, Virginia,
Alabama and the other peanut states to send to
the senate and house of representatives men
who are instructed to stand for a tariff duty
that will adequately protect the American pro-
Queer from his foreign competitor.
The suggestion by Mayor Mitchell, of New
York City, that the war department at once
establish in all parts of the country bureaus Of
information through which relatives and
friends of men in the national army may re
ceive accurate news from them and may COM
municate with them with assurance that tteir
messages and letters will reach their destina-
ton is timely. The expense and trouble Of
such an establishment would be little when con-
sidered in balance against the comfort it might
give to the men and their relatives and friends
More and more, accurate news of the me vement
of troops will be impossible in the press and
communications by mail will become less easy
Government bureaus would be able to give in
formation to those who have a right to it and
the ability to secure such information would he
a vast comfort to the home friends of the
soldiers.
Our adversaries are Huns and a nickname
for American soldiers much better than "Sanl-
miles, we Think has been suggested. 1t is
Hunters
Has anyone noticed how much cheaper
grain has become since the closing down of the
distilleries7