The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-01-02
ALLGOOD INSISTS DUTY ON PEANUTS
 MEANS SALVATION
State Farm Commissioner In Formal Statement Says Tariff Is Necessary to Protect
 Against CooIie Labor
By FRED H. GORMLEE Montgomery Bureau The Age-Herald, 221-2 First National Bank Building,

Montgomery, Janauary 1.-(Special) Declaring that the growing of peanuts in Alabama, an important vocation since the advent of the boil weevil, must be stopped unless there is pro- tection against the cheap peanuts and vegetable oils of the Orient, NJ. c. All good, state commissioner of agricul- ture, today issued statement in which he declared the democrats should favor the emergency tariff act and that any member of the Alabama dele gation who is afraid to commit him self on righteous policy is much out of place as a representative of the people.
 Commissioner Allgood said opposi- tion of the past to tariff protection had been due to the maintenance of the interests of the south, and that democrats will be in line with the policy of the party if they support measure which is sought by the major ity, the guiding rule of the party be- ing government by the majority. He said the emergency tariff act will not commit southern democrats to a gen. eral protection policy, but insisted that if it is found other commodities sde- mand some tariff protection, it should be given, while others which do not need protection should be removed from the tariff act
 ORIENT RIVALRY
 Equal and exact justice is the one guiding principle by which we must $ set the mark of our effort,' he com z mented. The whole question in a nutshell, from the Alabama point of view, is that the enormous volume of Oriental importations should pay tariff tax for revenue and incidentally to protect the production of peanuts and vegetable oils against the coolie labor of the Orient.
 Fifty cents per bushel on peanuts and 20 cents per gallon on oil will probably do both. If emergency sched- ules carry equally reasonable rates on the commodities in which other sec tions are interested, then the whole act should receive the support of the Alabama delegation. If any of the rates are unreasonable they should be amended.
 If any man among the Alabama delegation is afraid to commit himself on righteous policy for fear he can not deny himself to an unho1y one, he Is very much out of place as repre- sentative of people, 72 per cent of whom are vitally interested in the beneficent effect of a measure which will mean the difference between agri- cultural success and failure."
 COMPARATIVE RATES
 MT. Allgoods report states that the chief interest of Alabama in the pro- posal lies in the items of peanuts and $ vegetable oils. The present tariff on l peanuts is three-eights of a cent per pound, equivalent to about cents per bushel; the present tariff on pea nut oil IS cents per gallon, while all z other vegetable oils competing there With are on the free list. During one year ending November 1, 1920, pea nuts and peanut oil equivalent to 23.- VuV,V00 bushels of unshelled peanuts were imported into this country. This volume is equivalent to about 75 peri cent of the American crop of 191S
 Tn addition" the report continues there were imported many millions of pounds of other vegetable oils all com X peting directly with peanut and cotton seed oil, free of duty. The result has been an oversupply and a consequent Ial Tn price. The latter amounted in the case or peanuts to drop from an average of cents to 21s and in the case or cotton seed from $50 to $2O Ine emergency proposal carries lariii or cents per pound, or 50 cents per bushel, on peanuts and 20 cents per gallon on vegetable oils.
 So far as Alabama is concerned" |" MT. Alrgood's report says, without some protection from the products of coohe labor the growth of peanuts which has taken the place of cotton in the readjustment. of farming economy ~ rnaae necessary by the boil weevil must be discontinued. They cannot he produced at the present price; even their consumption by hogs at the present price of those animals will he unprofitable. Instead of any party cr political principle being involved if has resolved itself into one of the survival of an important agricultural Industry. Eight per cent of the popu iation of Alabama is rural and 90 per cent of that 80 is agricultural. This i. quite sufficient proportion to con- stitute majority, from whose decisions IT. 1etierson said here was no appeal"