The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-10-03
TARIFF WORKED
THE WRONG WAY
CATTLE RAIsERs COMPLAIN OF
THE LAW TAXING sTocKERs
FROM CANADA.
HAS HURT THEIR INDUSTRY
Canadian Farmers. Finding They Can
Raise Their Own Forage, Get Eng.
lish Embargo Lifted and Have Cap
tured That Market.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK

BY EDWARD B. CLARK
Washington.-It is an old and often
repeated story but it seems to be
worth recalling at the present time
the story of how Winfield Scott Han
cock, Democratic candidate for the
presidency in 1880, declared THE
tariff is a local ISSUE" and immedi-
ately was attacked by the opposition
as a man who did not know what he
was talking about even If he were not
an absolute ignoramus.
Since Hancock's day a good many
persons have come to the belief that
he was pretty nearly right. Certain II
Is that tariff laws hit certain locali-
ties hard while possibly they may help
other localities. Local complaints OF
inequalities In the tariff laws occasion
ally come to Washington. One CON-
plant has come recently, but in a way
it is considerably greater than local
In Its scope.
When the present tariff law was
In the process of framing, representa-
tives of some of the farm organiza-
tions urged hat a pretty stiff tariff
should be imposed on that class of
cattle known as stockerS and eeder
OF course the idea was to save an
American industry from competition,
principally from Canada. The pro-
vision asked for was put into the
tariff bill, and now complaint has come
to Washington from some of the peo-
pie who it was supposed would bene-
fit by the imposition of the duty.
Hurts Us, Helps Canadians.
The complaint has come from Mime
sofa and the Dakotas and from one
or two other states, that the farmers
no longer are able to get stockers and
feeders from Canada to fatten for the
American market and for the foreign
trade, notably the market of England.
Word also has come in connection
with the complaints that Canadian ag-
~riculturists and stock raisers have
found that they cannot send their
stockers and feeders into the United
and have found means to raise forage
crops to fatten their own cattle and
now have a ready market for them In
England and elsewhere.
1t is said that the agriculturists of
Minnesota and the Dakotas used to
make considerable money from the sale
of Canadian cattle which they import
ed and fattened for the market on
forage crops Of United States growth.
Now they cannot get the cattle, and
the market which they once had is
shut off.
1t seemed to be the belief in Can
ada for a long time that it was not
possible to raise forage crops in abun-
dance enough for the fattening of cat
tie from the Canadian ranges. AS
soon, however, as the American mar
ket was shut off the Canadian farm
ers started to experiment with forage
crops. They raised successfully al
falfa, forage corn and forage oats.
The silos have done the rest. The
Canadian cattle ~raisers and the Ca
madam forage raisers seem to be SAT-
isfied with the results, while Minnesota
and the Dakotas seem to be dissatis-
fed with 1t. 1t is stated rather en-
p%hatically by a good many Americans
that in this particular instance the
tariff has proved to be a local issue.
The information from Canada goes
TO show that the men engaged in an
industry never know all they can do
until trial is made along new lines.
1t is said that the Canadian agricul-
turist was convinced that he could not
fatten his own cattle for the market
and that it was necessary In order to
make any money to send his stockers
and feeders across the border into
the United States. Within eighteen
months the word Is that the Canadians
have found out that they can do
things which they once thought it
would be impossible to do.
English Embargo Lifted.
When the writer of this was In Eng
land a year ago, the newspapers there
were discussing somewhat sharply the
matter of the lifting of an existing
embargo on Canadian cattle. Repre-
sentatives of the Canadian government
were in London in conference with
officials of the home land. Confessed
ly, being on a restful vacation bent,
the writer did not inquire into the
reasons why England had any kind of
an embargo On Canadian cattle.
Now, in view of the complaints
which have come from Minnesota and
the Dakotas and In view of what han
pened in Canada, it is perfectly clear
why the Canadians were anxious to
have the ban lifted. 1t was lifted
and Immediately the Canadian stock
raisers and forage raisers started to
work to make a market for them
selves in England, a market that
would be unhampered by local Eng
lish restrictions.
1t seems probable that this matter
may engage the attention Of congress
during the coming session.
Talk of Convention Cities.
Recently President Coolidge has been
asked on several occasions to express
a preference for this city or hat city
us hostess for the delegates to the next
Republican national convention. With