, 1922-07-17
Ignorance of Facts

'THE WALL STREET Journal editorially crit
L icises the emergency tariff enacted last sum
mer by the Republican congress in response to n
request by President Harding in his message and
in response TO the needs of the agricultural sec
tons of the country at that time.
1t asserts that tariff has not benefited the Amer
lean farmer at all; that he has not obtained any
more for his grain and other products by reason
of it
The Des Moines, Iowa, Register, probably the
leading free trade journal in the Mississippi valley,
reprints this editorial and agrees with its state
ment that the emergency tariff has not benefited
the American farmer. 1t then adds editorially:
son the other hand, what did it do? 1t immedi.
ately forced Canada to ship to Europe on Canadian
railroads and on Canadian or European boats from
Canadian ports, and increased the cost OF hard
wheat in American mills used to mix with orr soft.
er wheat for flour"
The editorial statement of the Des Moines, Iowa.
Register that one result of the emergency tariff has
been to increase the cost of hard wheat in American
mills is a complete reputation of its own argument
and the argument of the Wall Street journal that
the emergency tariff has not benefited the farmers
The price of wheat cannot be increased unless the
farmer is benefited.
The statement of the Des Moines Register that
the emergency tariff forced Canadian exporters TO
use Canadian railroads and Canadian ports in pref
erence to shipping their products through this coun.
try cannot be characterized other than plain stipid.
iy made without even the most elementary knowl.
edge of tariff laws. Grain or any other commodity
intended for export can be shipped from Canada
through this country over our railroads. through
our ports and on our vessels completely immune
from any tariff duty. Only goods shipped into this
country intended for consumption in this country
and disposed of for that purpoe paw a tariff.
Therefore, the emergency tariff of last summer did
not prohibit the shipment of a single bushel of Can
adian export grain through this country.
Canadian exporters used their own transporta-
ton lines, their own ports and European boats not
because of any tariff laws in this country, but for
the very simple reason that transportation costs
over Canadian railroads and to Europe by way of
European boats are lower than TRANSPORTATION
costs over American railroads and to Europe in
American bottoms.
Last year there was cleared from the port of Mon
treal a monthly average of 100000 bushels of
grain each month during the seven and onehalf
months shipping season at that port. This il a
much higher average than the largest grain port
OF the United The rea-
son for MontreaPs excess of grain exports over that
of Galveston is the tremendous amount of American
grahr which was shipped through. Montreal last
year. BY far the greater bulk of the export grain
out of Montreal came from Chicago and
the Middle West. 1t was shipped to Montreal over
Canadian railroads and shipped from Montreal on
European boats because of the lower transportation
costs. The emergency tariff had nothing more to do
with it than the philosophy of Buddha.
The bills of lading and cargo manifests at Mon
treal show many of the shipments out Of that port
ottumwa, Keokuk and Sioux City. Other midwest
ern points where large export shipments originated
which were shipped via Canadian railroads and
Montreal were Sioux Falls, 8. D, Kansas City and
st. Louis. A tremendous bulk of American grain
exported by Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit con-
Germs. was shipped the same way.
This Is not the expression of an opinion. It is a
statement of fact. There is no permanent benefit
to be gained any interest by disseminating. false in
formation for the purpose of discrediting an Amer
lean protective tariff and misleading the American
farmer in the great agricultural belt.