The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1928-10-17
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER II, 1928.
Can the Tariff be Made Effec-
tive for the Farmer?
NO." says Smith.
eyes," says Hoover.

n.
has made an extensive study of the tariff cues
ton; he owns and manages several farms and is
man we'll versed in the affairs of the state
and nation. Because of the great interest the
author of the article has taken in the tariff ques
ton the Gazette offers it's columns to his dis
posal. The article follows:
When in May, 1920, during the Wilson Dem
ocratic) administration, the Federal Reserve
Board, in order to put end to wild speculative
expansion, raised the discount rates and with
drew from circulation sum in excess of over
billion (not million) dollars, making it impossible
for buyers to borrow money to purchase the
farmers produce, they threw a monkey wrench
into industrial machinery from which the
farmers have not yet recovered. On. patrlotical
ly purchased Liberty Bonds people lost over
three billion dollars alone.
1t is very easy to wreck highly organized
industrial machine; but once wrecked, it is much
harder to gather pieces and fit it back into the
same woodworking machine. Without doubt
both Doctors Hoover and Smith have their ideas
about how the machine should be doctored up
Neither of them depart from the TRADITION
AL DOCTRINES OF THEIR OWN PARTY.
Smith is avowedly and frankly low tariff man.
From his acceptance speech and speeches made
since then, he holds up the Underwood (passed
during the Wilson administrator tariff bill as
his ideal. This law placed nearly all of the
farmers produce the free list, giving the
farmer no protection. Mr.. Hoover on the other
hand, insists that the tariff farm produce
should be so raised as to make it effective and of
help to the farmer. So the issue is clear
"CAN THE TARIFF BE MADE EFFECTIVE
FOR THE FARMER"
Before we proceed with the complicated and
technical argument let get clear picture of
the farmers situation in minds. The aver
age farmer has difficulty in thinking in thou
sands, yet we are compelled to figures run
ming into millions and even billions. 1t may help
to call attention to the fact that it takes thou
sand millions to make billion. Our six millions
farmers in the United States produce food stuffs
of the approximate value of about ten billions OF
dollars each year. We ship out and export to
foreign countries about one and half billions of
dollars worth of food stuff each year. This one
and half billions in food stuffs is therefore
named Surplus" We import food stuffs from
other countries into the United States each year
of the value of about three billion five hundred
million dollars Not all of these food stuffs SO
imported can be grown in this country. Tea,
coffee and some of the other products cannot be
grown in the United States. These imports
States are of the approximate value of about
one billion dollars. The result is that there are
about two billion five hundred million dollars
worth of food stuff imported which is and
can be raised in this country and comes into dir
ect competition with our farmers. This two and
half billions of dollars of imports is used to
beat and batter down farmers ten billion
dollars worth of produce. The value of our inn
ported food is nearly twice that of our exported
food.
Governor Smith readily admits that crops
where do not have surplus the tariff is
highly effective. For instance, do not pro-
duce a surplus of flax. comparison of the
daily market reports on flax in the Winnipeg and
Minneapolis markets discloses that the Minneapo-
lis market is about 10 cents higher than the Win
nepeg market. While on wheat, of which we
have about 25O,OOO,OOO bushel surplus, Winnie
peg leads Minneapolis by few cents, due tt
Winnepeg's advantageous freight rates and higl
protein content.
Consequently, says Governor Smith, the tar
iff cannot be made effective the farmers
major crops such as wheat and oats on which We
a posed of in the world market. Consequently
the world market will govern and control thu
price of the entire crop. Consequently, Governor
Smith indicts surplus" the farmers arch ant
only criminal. If we stop here and look at hal
the picture only it would look as if Doctor Smith
had DR.. Hoover the run.
1t may now be well TO give DR.. Hoover hi.