Great Falls daily tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1895-1921, 1921-01-04
Ole SPIRIT
OfAMERICA
d A I L Y
EDITORIAL
d G. b S e
Exclusively for The Tribune by the
Consolidated Press Association
Today's Subject:
THE TARIFF TANGLE.

Today,s Subject:
THE TARIFF TANGLE.
If the United States senate depends TO
any extent on press opinion IN It's con-
sideration of theFordney tariff measure
for farmer relief, it will have pretty
hard shedding. The north is sure that the
measures IS vicious class legislation sole
" for the purpose Of currying lavot
with the farmers" the effect or Whlel
will be to increase intolerably the cost
of living Most southern papers are try
ing to convince the senator's that the
bill is mere "sop to the south tMemphls
Commercial Appeal, DEM going through
the motions of providing rehef Tor tne
southern farmer, while in reality II IS
only placing him where he cannot protest
when the next congress creates hlgh pro-
tective tariffs for northern industries.
Papers which support the measure claim
that what American agricultural inter
ests must have is profession. while those
which oppose are equally convinced that
what is needed is not protection from
foreign competition, but an outlet for DO
nestle production.
The senate would learn, from the kleh-
| mond lVa) Dispatch lDem.) for
example, that ''the fight for protection
for projections sake can be conducted
under a new alignment In when the
farmers of the south and west. once so
hostile to the principle, will be found
working shoulder to shoulder for new
deal" in which they find the east more
than willing to lend them every assist
ance in order to secure still more protec-
tiofl for itself" But senator's would also
be informed by the Milwaukee Journal
(Ind) that Schedule * is not the ma
TONS idea Of reconstruction for the new
day Possibly the situation will Justify
the prediction of the New York Herald
tInd) that when the Fordney bill
reaches the senate 1T will smash into a
stone wall"
The whole matter of tariff for farm
Newark IN j. News Ind.i points out,
| since ''the farmer, by and large, has been
the historic opponent Of the tariff.
Nevertheless the Spokane Spokesman
Review lind. Rep assures us that IT
is different now. The American farm
ers, north south, east and west are de-
manding protection a demand which
has been voiced By every large agri-
cultural association" and, the Reno
New Gazette (Rep) adds. the coun-
try demands it, The "desperateness of
the situation" as the San Francisco
Chronicle Ind) phrases it, arises from
the condition Of the exchange" since
| the foreigner can sell III this country
for real money" and further, the Roch
ester Democrat and Chronicle (Rep.,
shows. he secures "a higher price here
than he could at home. even If he IN
dersells his competitor A Democratic
paper in the woolgroWing area, the
Butte Miner, approves the move as an
anti dumping measure entirely justi-
| fled by present conditions.
1T has been a practice" 1t points ont,
for the citizens OF different nations to
break foreign markets while maintain
| ing their own at a high level, by dispos-
ing OF their surplus products at less than
actual cost in other countries.
The only argument against protection
/ of the American wool grower, as the
| Fort Worth StarTelegram lind DEM
sees it. lis that which assumes that it
would be an economic benefit for the
whole industry to be destroyed and de-
| pend in future entirely on import for
wool supply an experiment which the
| paper is not willing should be tried.
| All Of this suggests the fancy to the
| Fort Wayne Journal Gazette Dem.l
| that the markets of America are flood
/ ed with the farm products Of other ma
| TONS when, as matter of fact, the
/ trouble is hot that the farm products
of other nations arc coming in, but that
the products Of our farms are not going
out" The real help which the farmers
need. agrees the oklahoma City Okla
| homan Dem.) is in selling their pro-
ducts abroad not in keeping foreign
| products out Of the United States and
! the Ithaca IN. VI Journal News Ind.)
asserts won cannot create foreign mar
| kets by protective tariff duties" Fur
Their. says the Ohio State Journal Col
I u |. fY,
| cite immediate retalatorc tariffs in other
countries" which would result in greater
/. restriction Of foreign markets. NJ o q
| IN this light the New York World tDes-.i
assails it las fraud upon the farmers.
! knife laid at the throat of export
| trade, and crooked from first to last"
| The measure amounts virtually ito an
1 embargo on imports of farm products .
as the Florida Times Union jackson
Vile, DEM sees it. and was drawn up
| and supported by those who know 1t
! will not give the farmers relief, and
! intended merely to fool the farmer.
| The Lynchburg (Na) News (Dcm.l from
similar viewpoint. considers the Ford
ney bill only another one of the many
| fake legislative nostrums" and ''Guack
| panaceas'' that are being offered the
! farmer. no one Of which takes into con-
| siderat;on the fact that the fundamen-
| tai vice in the existing situation is repre-
scented by the difference in price the
| farmer receives for his products and that
which the consumer pays" This part:c-
ular ''nostrum'' i'll the opinion of the
/ Memphis Commercial Appeal (Dem.l is
offered the cotton producers lin this
/ section in order that if We accept we
would be deprived Of a protest when a
/ later and general tariff measure VII
| again put the country in the grasp of
the big manufacturing interests or in
| word" the Rochester On W Herald
adds. the farmer is invited to enter a
game in which the cards have already
| been stacked against him"
! But if the measure is not greeted en-
| tirely with JOY ny producers whom it is
designed to benefit, its reception by those
who speak for the consumer" is even
| cooler The protection which the bill
affords. the Johnstown pa Democrat
| (Dem. says, is ''of the American con-
sumner. against cheap food" AS class
legislation the Brooklyn Eagle Ind.
Dem ranks it among the most infa~
nous to which congress has given sane
| ton The measure is frankly for the
aid Of the farmer" the Bangor Me-
| Commercial (Id.) holds, and would be
Of assistance to that class alone. The
| Boston Herald lind. Rep sees in it