The Glenwood post., 1922-08-31
UNCLE TED DOWNS
FREETRADE ARGUMENT

81 just don't understand it, that g
all,' said Ruth.
"Well, 1 don't understand much my
self, but 1 know enough from what
Uncle Ted has told us that Freddie is
ALL wrong. 1t is silly to say that if
we keep other countries from sending
all the goods they want into our coun-
try to sell that we can't sell anything
to them.'' Jack was more than EN-.
phatic with his ideas about the tariff.
1.-The heat doesn' t seem to worry
You kiddies much when it comes to an
argument" said Uncle Ted as he came
into the room wiping the perspiration
from his face. "You know it is
MUCH coooler in your room and there
is big fan there, too, so what do you
say if we wind our way toward the
land of nod?'
"Oh, Gee! Uncle Ted" said Jack,
1--WE DOM want to go to bed yet. 1t $
too hot to go to bed"
"What is harder for you kiddies
than going to bed? III tell you. If
you will get undressed you can come
down here for half hour and I III tell
you something that will help both Of
you when Freddie asks you again
about selling goods to other countries. :"
1t was no sooner said than done, and
Uncle Ted had no more than seated
himself as comfortably as possible
when the kiddies were ready for their
story.
"You see, children, the Republican
party has always stood for what is
known as a protective tariff to pro-
tect American workmen and American
products against the sale of foreign
goods in this country at lower prices
and of inferior quality in many cases.
Now, of course, with a new tariff law
in sight those opposed to a protective
tariff are spreading all kinds of wild
stories. They say that if we don It
buy from other countries we can t sell
to them. That is not true because
anybody can write to the department
of commerce at Washington, as have
done, and they will find that in A of
the 4S years since 1874 we have sold
more goods abroad than we have pur-
chased. 1t is foolish for any one to
argue that other countries are buying
from us simply because we have bought
from them. There is no more senti-
ment in international business than in
national business. We don It buy or
anges from California simply because
we sell them automobiles. We buy
California oranges because we want
them and like them and they buy our
automobiles because they are good
ears. These free trade people try to
paint an awful picture of what will
happen to our trade if we put a pro
teetive tariff into effect, that other
Countries will stop buying our goods
etc. There is no truth in this argu.
ment.
ment's sake. During the year 1912
and 1913 the Payne Aldrich protective
bill was in effect, but there was no
snch trouble as free traders would have
us believe. In 1912 Canada bought
goods from US amounting to 1926, ,257 ).
1914 while our purchases from her
amounted to only $1os,s13,s6s. That
was quite difference, but in 1913 the
difference was even greater, the
amount of goods sold to us by Canada
totaling only $12O,571, ,1so while her
purchases of American goods amounted
to $415, ,449,457.
Everywhere you look there is ab-
solutely no foundation to the a,gu-
ment that an American protective tar
iff will destroy our foreign trade. All
the figures I have been able to run
down, taken from the years when we
had the protective tariff, show that
our export trade was greater than our
import trade.
"Going back to the year 1912 we
find that our foreign business amount
ed to a total of $1,341, ,732,7s9 while
Europe's total business with us
amounted to only $s19,5s5 1926.
"Many of those who are doing their
best to defeat protective tariff are