The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1923-10-10
CHAIRMAN HULL. THE FARMER AND THE TARIFr

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The farmers have exported more products of all kinds during
the last three years than In any previous periods in America'sl
history. This fact shows they have not lost the worlds markets.
It is a hard fact for internationalists who clamor for Amer
lean participation in European policies and free traders who harp
on the profits in foreign trade to explain. Chairman Hull, of the
Democratic National Committee, attempts to sidestep it in a state
mentin which he says: "They (Republcans) point to the quantity
of farm products while they keep completely silent about the
prices, as though the farmers were interested in quantity exported
rather than prices received"
1t is not the farmer who is interested in the quantity exported,
it is the international free trade propogandist, like Mr.. Hull, who
is interested in that and who has been yawping for months that
the cause of low farm prices was the alleged loss of our European
markets, due to our Chinese wall" tariff and our foreign policy
of abstention from European entanglements. y
The Republicans have been telling the farmer the quantity
of his exports has little or nothing to do with his prosperity. If
so he would have been rolling in wealth during the last three
years; he would have been in clover in 1921-the year our farm
exports were the greatest in history.
The Republicans have been telling the farmer his prosperity
depends upon his home market. 1t is a fact; as cold as ice, as
tangible as g%rndstones. The record of farm prices for 80 years
proves conclusively that they go up or down according to domestic
not exports) and domestic consumption depends
upon American industrial activity. This fact has been set down
in black and white in an official report on agricultural conditions,
signed by such Democrats as Senator Pat Harrison, of Mississippi
and Joseph Robinson, of Arkansas.
Industrial activity in America depends upon American indus
tries supplying American consumers. They cannot do this if fore
ign industries supply them. Every foreign-made article sold in
this country means one less Americanmade article sold-and
cut of a job. The proof of this is written indeibly upon the pages
of American history. A Democratic tariff has invariably meant
INDUSTRIAL depression IN n united states, Unemployment on the
increase and the prices of farm products on the decrease
Continuing, Chairman Hull complains that the tariff has pre-
vented the law of supply and demand from operating in our inter
national trade affairs. True-for which the American farmer
should thank the Republican party!
Were the American farm producer exposed to the law of
supply and demand in international trade he would be compelled
to sell his wheat from IL to 20 cents per bushel lower than he now
does. He would be compelled to compete with New Zealand and
Scandinavian dairy products which are driving the dairy interests
of England into bankruptcy because they can and do lay their
products down in England at less than the English dairy interests
can produce them,-and England's dairy interests are producing
at much less cost than American dairymen can.
The Fordney-McCumber tariff is solely responsible for the
fact that the level of farm prices in this country-low as they may
be in many cases-is much higher than the level in other countries.
Repeal the tariff, destroy its protective barriers, admit the flood
of cheap grain, cheap meat, cheap dairy products and what would
happen? The law of supply and demand in international trade
which Mr.. Hall praises, would operate. American price levels
for farm products void be beaten down to foreign levels. Instead
of the American farmer getting more foreign markets, the foreign
producers would grab the farmers American market.
Mr.. Hull and the Democratic party cannot persuade the Amer
lean farmer to accept such a program!