The Caldwell tribune., 1920-09-21
NEED Of TARIFF
CLEARLY SHOWN
Outside Agricultural
Products Begin to Hit
A m erican Farmers
With Reduced Prices.

Washington, Sept. 20 - Especial
correspondence)-The amazing spec
tacle Of Argentine corn being sold in
the markets of Illinois has been du :.
piicated by the sale Of Chinese pea
nuts in the great peanut producing
section Of the south. After the pas
sage Of the Wilson, u Underwood tariff
aw in 1918. Argentine farmers were
able to ship their corn. produced on
cheap land by cheap labor. and sell
it in direct competition with the corn
produced in America. Today. with
the same tariff law on the statute
books. the peanut producers of the
south find Chinese peanuts poured
into the peanut oil mills of their ter
ritory. A Jacksonville. Fla. dispatch
reports that.
"One thousand tons of Chinese
peanuts are being discharged at
the municipal terminals by the
The nuts will be crushed by the
peanut mill at Madison. Fla. This
Is said to be the first of many
such shipments if the experiment
proves satisfactory"
Cheao Labor Cause
The peanut mill is. of course, the
cheapest market. Already thousands
of tons of peanuts have fouad their
way to the American market for the
higher price that can be obtained for
the American market for the higher
price that can be obtained for the
nut shelled or unshelled for consump-
ton in the whole state. Shipments to
the mills indicate that the Chinese
producers have an immense supply
seeking q market and that they are
ready to compete with the American
producer to the iatter's ruin.
The conditions which make It pos
sible to ship Chinese peanuts to tho
peanut producing section of the
United States may be readily under
stood when it is known that wages
of farm laborers in China are about
three to five cents a day. Chinese
workmen living chiefly on a small
quantity of rice. living in novels and
changing their clothing only when
the garments drop off their bodies in
rags. 1t IS with such labor the Dem
ocratic party has thrown the Ameri-
can workman into competition. The
interest of the south in the subject is |
pointed out by the Manufacturers
Record. . paper which caters partic-
uIarIy to southern interests. That
paper says:
"The whole country is now con-
fronted with the question as to wheth-
er It will be flooded with the agricul-
tural and industrial products of the
Orient, produced at wages which
would destroy the earning capacity
Of American farmers and mechanics
or whether we shall protect ourselves
against such disasters.
South Rina1lv Ave> kAns
AT last the farmers of the south |
are beginning to realize what it means
10 them. Misled by unwise politicians.
fed on economic theories. the people |
OF the south were for years made to
believe that protective tariff did not
interest them. but that they should |
fight for free trade. mainly because in
former years It had been the custom
OF these politicians to train the south |
believe that anything the north and
west wanted was thing the south
should oppose. But the south is fast
coming to realize that it needs pro.
lection more than any other section"
Yet in the face of these facts, the
latest Democratic platform contains a
plain declaration of steadfast adher-
enee to the traditional policy of the
party-that protective tariff is un-
constitutional.
In view fthe changed view in the
south and Mr.. Cox's unqualified en-
dorsement of the platform. it is not
surprising that there is strong indi-
cation of revulsion among Southern
Democrats. Many members OF the
party will stay at home on eletcion
day. say the reports from that sec
tion OF the country. but many more
will have the courage to vote thei-
real convictions. and support the Re-
publican candidates. with the program
OF America First" in economics andl
in international relations.