Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1920-11-19
CANADIAN FARMERS FIRST

Washington, Nov. 15.-"NaturalS,
American farmers are enraged over the
immence importations of wheat from
Canada at time when their own wheat
will not bring the cost Of production,
is the declaration of the Republican
Publicity Association in statement is
sued through the President Of that or
ganization, Hon. Jonathan Bourne, Jr.
According to social tabulation of sta
tistics, there were importations Of near
iy 5000, 900 bushels of Canadian wheat
during the first half Of October, and
every indication was that the importa-
tons would Increase rather than dim
inish. At the same rate, the total for
the month would be around 10000, 600
bushels, or nearly twice as much as
had been imported in any previous
month in the past seven years.
at is to be hoped that the farmers of
America will give more than passing
thought to the subject, for the condi-
tons that permit the importations are
not new. Under the Republican tariff
law on the statute books prior to 1918
an import duty of Is cents per bushel
was charged on wheat, and duty of
Is per cent ad valorem on wheat flour.
The Wilson Underwood act of 1918 put
wheat and wheat flour on the free list
except that duty of 10 cents per BUSH
ell on wheat and As cents per barrel on
flour was charged on importations COM
ing from any country charging a duty
on American wheat and flour when ex-
ported.
"This arrangement contained two VII
cious evils. One was the odoption of
the policy of free trade and the 'other
was the adoption of plan which made
it possible for the rival country to de-
termine whether the United States
should impose duty. So long as Can
ada wanted to ship wheat and flour in
to the United States, she could do SO
without paying duty. If, by any
chance, circumstances should change
in such way as to make it desirable
for Canada to charge a duty on Ameri-
can wheat, that nation could do so with
out asking permission Of the United
States. In other words, the Democrat
ic tariff law left it optional with Canada
whether to have tariff or free trade
in wheat and flour. II was complete
surrender to Canada-the adoption OF
policy of leaving the American farm
er open to free competition while Civ
ing the Canadian farmer opportunity to
have protective tariff at any time il
his interests required.
at happened that Canada had no &C.
cassion to use this free market very
extensively until the present harvest
season. Soon after the enactment OF
the Wilson Underwood tariff law, the
war broke out and Canada had a ready
market for her wheat in Europe. Some
small shipments were made to the
United States either for special pur.
pose or for re-shipment to Europe
But the competition with the American
farmer was not felt. The foreign mar.
ket being almost unlimited, the Ameri
can farmer did not then need a protec
| tive tariff.
But the time came when wheat pro
ducers in the United States did neeC
an import duty-and they could moi
get it. Canada had complete contro
over the question whether the United
States should or should not charge 9
duty, and Of course that country want
ed the American market open, in &C
cordance with Democratic policies.
canadian wheat, under the encour.
agement of Democratic legislation, i.
today bearing down the market price
of American wheat, and the grain sec
tons of the west are suffering the loss. ;
A poet is born, not ma de-" we arr
informed, but amateur poets should
make il practice never to be born.