The Washington herald., 1921-02-20
TARIFF NECESSARY
TO WOOL GROWER;
EXPERTS OPINION
Industry Must Be Pro
tected and Encouraged,
o. -
Says Hagenbarth. 49,
8 REASONS GIVEN
Facts and Practical Condi-
tiOns Render Free
Trade Nil.
BY p. J. HAGENBARTH,
President National WOoIErowers r.
AssOcia ton. D--

President National WOolErOwcrnr
Association. o--
Many nonpsrtisan economjEfs
claim that theoretically we should
not attempt by means OF tariffs 20
stimulate nor sustain domestic In
I dustries. II Is Contended thai al
( this particular postwar time. whtn
we axe a creditor nation 10 the cN-
! tent OF $4,000 600 900 which. with
/ interest, il Is ella lined must be paid
/ for by imports from abroad, when
. the bal$hce Of trade to the extent
/ OF over S2.5OO.OOO annually is rlin-
ming in our favor (which also must
/ be paid eventually by tho foreign
1 err. that il IS a short-sighted policy
on the part Of the United States 10
impose a tariff on imports. In rc-
: spect to the necessity OF having CA
ports paid for i'm gold or IN conde
We concur in tho suggestion that
such payments should largely d"
( made in the form Of securities OF
/ the countries receiving our exports
Let us grant that the thooUy of
no tariffs" is correct. Are there no
facts or no practical and d"hR-ts
/ conditions which would mo0HH
such a hard and fast proposition"
. Let us waive any question Of COM
petitivo conditions. any thought of
maintaining tho present high stand
ard N American life. any rcveRur
benefits to he derived from tari0:
any history Of the past economic
achievements of American industry
during periods of protective tarrT
any recital Of the decline and fall
Of industry during fre" trade pc
RODS and ar" there not still rc-
naming certain fundamental and
practical reasons why protective
tariff should hr levied II necessary
to sustain and dnyr'u0 certain i'm
. Gustri"s9 And this mot with q view
20 political cNiRonCs nor class Ia
voritism. hut as a necessary. nBH h
vital national policy.
Three Great Reasons.
Let US take the question OF wool.
There are thrcr PRONOUNCED reasons
why. for a generation at least and
perhaps for ffty years to come. oUF
wool growing industry must be pro
tected and encouraged
Yrs. because national prepared
ness for war demands it, Apparent
" neither the world nor the United
States is ready for peace. il hun
dreds Of millions can he spent Tor a
navy. a small pronortion OF the sum
may be demanded for so important
a mUnItion Of war as wool-enouEh
wool must bo nrdUrCd at home. ss
stated 10y Senator John Sharp Will
Jams. 10 make US iude pendent in at
least a degree and not leave the
United States wholly at the mercy
Of the foreigner. When all nations
shall have decided TO dwell together
in peace. then VIC can forget this
consideration
Second. because rational soil fer
tiItN demands 1.-Two stock. The super
feiaI theorist or unscienutc oh
server will fail TO observe the torgS
and necessity Of this argument You
cannot forever take from and never
add to without arriving At tSro
The rich Miss ssippi Valley loan no
tho area included in tho LouisIana
purchase have bern reduced in QUaI-
itv hy constant cropping until g.,
United States today ranks loves
among an nations as 10 production
from actual acreage under tilaEr
The feeding and fattCninE OF live
stock affords the principal ma Lk'i'
for our immense corn productiOT
and at the same time is the main
source OF maintaining soil fertility
Arv factor which acCentuEtes or
hastens decreased soil fertility spell
national agricultural baukruptCN.
Livestock is natures best and
cheapest fertilizer History prov,
that the decline of agriculture and
fan OF civilization 60 hand in hand
Depend on Livestock. -'.f
Third because for many years 20
come the great West tho far Vas.
the cntir, region tributary 10 th0
Rocky Mountains. will continue 70
be pastoral in character and mus'
have livestock. and particulars e
sheep. to live and develop. II thes"
areas were still d desert waste and
unpcoDIed as is Alaska today, then
no consideration OF their develop
ment or use might he thought sd-
visable bv the theorist and these
areas could then be allowed to re-
main as God made them. unutiliEcd
and Undeveloped by the hand Uf
man But people have come into
the West: they have homes and
women and children and a sterling
Citizenship-sU Of which depend
on the prosperity Of a livestock in
dUstry. Very large areas are pure
ly pastoral and have no other In
terests. They cannot meet foreign
costs Of production. What shall We
do for or with them? In time d.
versifCation Of Industries will Un-
doubtCdIy develop. hut that cor
summation is at least a generation
distant.
yoAT TTMnpE ppOnTTCF