The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1931-12-17
Writes REPUTATION of Mayor
Anders0n's Speech for
Minneapolis Paper
NO LOGIC IN FREE TRADE
Industry Should be in Hands
of Experts, Instead of
Politicians

Politicians
Legislation based on illusion is al
most certain to prove disastrous"
Judge A. R. A. Laudon of Redwood
Falls declared in a letter published in
the "Public Pulse" column of The
Minneapolis Tribune last week.
The remainder of the letter reads
as follows:
Your Mayor Anderson's contrlbu-
ton to the fog bank in his recent un-
employment speech at the Hamilton
hotel, if made as reported, should
not go unchallenged, when its COM
plete refutation is published in the
same paper.
AS reported by Mr.. Author, Mr..
Anderson is quoted as follows: "The
tariff on farm products with the
possible exception of fiaxseed, but
terfat and eggs, furnishes absolute
ly no protection to the farmer of the
northwest. The farmer must sell his
products which the home market can
not absorb upon the markets of the
world. The Liverpool price of wheat
and other grains, less the freight has
fixed the price the farmer received"
How seriously misleading Mr.. An
derson's statement appears to be is
disclosed by the market page on the
date the speech was made. Had Mr..
Anderson referred to Mondays mark
ct page he would have found Minnea-
polls December wheat quoted at 69h,
while his Liverpool price was quoted
at 53%. If Mr.. Anderson's theory is
correct, and the freight had been de-
Quoted from the Liverpool price, the
Minneapolis price should be less than
40 cents.
Based on Elusive premises, his
solution of the difficulty is certain to
prove equally abortive. 1t will not do
to ignore the fact that the hates of
the World War have caused nearly
all nations of the world to erect tariff
walls against each other.
The simple removal Of our tariff
walls will not cause the battering
down of the tariff wall of other ma
tions, consequently there is little
logic in free trade, considering the
already formidable free list affect
ing the farmers purchases. There is
logic in reciprocity, if the farmer can
get the proper consideration in such
treaties.
Likewise the general impression
left by the mayors speech, in effect
that the smashup Of the World war,
with it's destruction of millions OF
lives, and hundreds of billions in pro-
perty, has little connection with
world conditions, but that the TRACE
dy of our present social and econom-
ic system is due to the ignorance and
avarice of a few in the seats of the
mighty, is likewise open to serious
challenge. 1t is exceedingly difficult
to believe that our mighty captains
of industry and banking, the worlc
over, have joined in mighty compact
of suicide, because that is precisely
what tumbling values mean.
The time for illusion is gone. II
is high time that we faced the fac
that our serious situation is caused
directly by the disastrous dislocations
of the mightiest conflict of all history
coupled with riot of socialistic ane
Communistic legislation in which
through thousands of tax-eatine
boards and commissions, every posi-
BILE hurdle is placed in the path of in
duStrv and apricultllre
Between one board fixing income
and another fixing overhead, our rail
roads, the nations arteries of trade
are frozen into all consuming receiv
erships.
Government competition through
the postoffice and other departments
closes thousands of banks.
Taxpayers loss in government op
Grafton of merchant marine is $500,
100000. This list could be extended
indefinitely.
We are told that agriculture is the
basis of all wealth. The nation.
agricultural products are worth ap
proximately $12,0OO,OO0, 900 and yet
the nations tax bill is approximately
$13,O00,O0O,OO0. Yet in spite of these
paralyzing figures, we glibly talk as
if industry and agriculture had con
troll of its own business. It explains
the idle murmuring millions.
The simple fact is we take indus.
try out of the hands of experts anc
lodge it in the hands of politicians
and if it did not have more lives
than the proverbial cat it could never
have survived the lunacy of conflict.