The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1922-08-16
THE REDWOOD GAZETTE REDWOOD FALLS, MINNESOTA

have saved the farmers from Dank-
President Harding recommended
such legislation in his message of De-
cember 9th last, and advocated it IN
his speech to the farm conference held
| in Washington during the winter. 1t
takes time, of course, for the farmers
to develop thorough systems of COOP
erative marketing, but l have that con-
! fidence in their business ability that
with wise laws and ample protection
| it will be made one of the most eff
fective means for the benefit of agri~
culture. It is, of course, not as easy
for them to cooperate as it is for the
great manufacturing and other in
dustries, which are fewer in number
These manufacturers, in many instanc-
es are consolidated into very large cor
porations, but this is impossible in the
farming business. Each farmer is a
proprietor, and must of necessity be
| Independent. The hope and stability
| of the nation is based upon the indie
| pendent proprietorship of the land.
This includes an individual spirit OF
initiative and enterprise, which is the
very foundation of all progress, and,
am happy to say, from the great
| farming communities of the nation we
draw the very bone, sinew and brains
| which is developing our twentieth CEN
fury civilization.
There are only two fields in which
the farmer can cooperate. One IS IN
marketing, and the other is procuring
cheap credits. This latter has devel-
oped in some countries to a greater
extent than with US. Much, of course,
can be done by individual farmers in
more scientific agriculture, rotation OF
crops, better live stock, greater diver
sity of products, and along other lines,
and while the government can aid with
proper and just laws, after all the
foundation of national prosperity and
progress must rest with the individual
himself.
EMERGENCY TARIFF ACT
When the Republicans came into
power on the 4th of March, 1921, prac-
tically all farm products were upon the
free list, placed there by the Demo-
cratic Congress in the Underwood bill
of 1913. It had been the Republican
policy prior to that time to furnish
the farmer reasonable protection for
his principal products, but this policy
was reversed in 1918, and while afford
ing a considerable degree of protection
to the manufacturing and other in
dustries of the country, farm products
were not protected. Thus the home
market was thrown open to the prod
ucts of Canada, with it's virgin soil
and cheap land; to Argentina, with
it's cheap land and cheap labor; to
Cuba, and other countries. In 1912
before the Underwood bill was passed,
only 47.47 percent of our imports from
Canada came into the United States
free of duty. In 1914-a year after
the Underwood bill was passed-SO.97
percent came in free of duty; in 1919,
1878 percent; and this condition ex-
listed until the emergency tariff bill
was passed in May, 1921.
l am not in favor of exhorbitant
rates of duty, which will burden the
American consumer. [ am in favor OF
reasonable protective policy which
will enable American industries to
keep their home market against the
cheaper labor and production of other
farmer having his share of that pro
lection. I have not advocated high
duties in the tariff bill now before the
Congress. I think I may say without
exaggeration that | led the fight for
free lumber and shingles in June of
this year, and the Senate adopted it
by very large majority. | am in
favor of free coal, free farm machln-
cry, free iron ore, and other prod
ucts which are necessity to the Am
erican people and where our home pro-
ducers do not need protection. joined
in the advocacy of a lower rate on cot
ton goods, some iron and steel prod
ucts, and wooden goods, and there are
other schedules for which l shall adj
vocate lower rates.
But because the farmers are not or
ganized, because they must produce
and because they find market for
their surplus in foreign countries, is
no reason why they should not have
local protection, for after all the Unit
ed States is their great market, and it
is demonstrated beyond question that
in many countries grain, cattle, and
butter can be and are being produced
cheaper than in this country.
A fair illustration Of what happened
under the Underwood tariff bill is the
following: During the war there was
an embargo on all shipments of farm
products into the United States from
Canada, those products being taken by
the Government for the use of the al
lied nations and the armies. This en-
barge was lifted on the first of No
vember, 1920. From 1909 to 1913, be-
fore the Underwood bill was passed,
the average importation of wheat from
Canada was 100000 bushels per an
mum, and of flour, 10000 barrels. In
the first four months of 1920, after the
embargo was lifted, to wit, Septem-
Der, October, November, and Deem
Der, there was imported into the Unit
ed States either in wheat or it's equiv
alent in -four, 35,074,676 bushels, and
in the first three months of 1921,
14,267 ,095 bushels, making substanti-
ally 100000 bushels. In addition
to this, 41,000,000 bushels were ship
ped into the United States in bond
and shipped through to foreign coun-
tries