The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1921-04-06
A MOsSBACH TARIFF.
That Will Deal a Hard Blow To
American Farmers.

The United States Senate has pass
ed tariff bill pretending to help the
American farmer But il that moss
back measure. totally unsuited to pre-
sent conditions, became law today,
as the Senator's know and cannot help
knowing, il would be the worst thing
that could happen to the American
farmer.
What American farmers are most
suffering from today is the fact that
from 100000 to 100000 wage earn
ers of manufacturing industries in
this country are out of work Every
one of these workeds is large con-
sumner of our own agricultural prod
ucts when he is getting a fat pay en-
volope once a week. So is his family.
When his pay is cut off he and his
family reduce their consumption of
farm products and everything else.
And when from 100000 to 100000
900 American consumers, the best
livers and strongest buyers of food
products in the world thus curtail
their spendings on the table the
American farmer with his food pro-
ducts to sell gets body blow
But If the tariff bill passed by Con-
grcss for the relief of the farmers had
a chance on earth to escape the Presi-
dents veto it would throw perhaps a
million, possibly two million, more
wage earners in manufacturing in
dustries out of work. Their present
purchasing power withdrawn from
the home market, in addition to the
purchasing power of the three to FIVE
million wage earners already out,
would put the finishing touch on the
misery of the American farmer
This crude, clumsy and dishonest
tariff, if in operation, would kill off
the purchasing power of another mil
lion or so of consuming wage earners,
because it would stop the purchase
of foreign countries which are now
buying our manufactured exports by
the billions of dollars Canada, our
second largest customer in the world
pays us, and must pay us, for what
she buys from us largely with agri-
cultural products and other raw ma
terials. So must South America So
must the West Indies. So in truth
must other continents and countries.
If our raw material imports from
them were shut out they would have
to stop buying our manufacturers, for
the good and sufficient reason that
they then could find no way to pay
for them
When our exports of manufactures
were relatively meagre, as they were
only few years before the war, cut
ting them off entirely would not have
been great shock Now when they
are so colossal as to be measured in
billions of dollars a heavy reduction
of our exports of manufacturers, not
to mention elimination of Them could
spell nothing but national disaster.
For Congress then to try to help
the American farmer at a time like
this by closing down more home in
dustries and throwing more wage
earning consumers out of work. when
the farmers market depends over
whelmingly on the purhasing power
of the home consumer, is like offering
to cure farmers toothache by CUT
ting his throat
But the Senate knows, and the
House knows. that this tariff which
would be deadly to the American
farmer, will not escape the Presi-
dents disapproval, will not be re-
passed over his veto, and therefore
will not become a law. So, not to
mince words, as Senator Moses has
not minced them in denouncing his
fellow members for their humbug ac-
ton, this tariff measure is nothing
but plain fraud-and a fraud on the
farmer himself.-New York Herald