Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1934-03-21

American agriculture we hear a great deal about selfish
nationalism" which, it is said, is going to force millions
of acres of our agricultural land out oil producuoh. hmer-
lea, we are told, cannot become sel1-conlalhed, ana lnele
fore we will have to seek the restoration OF our agrlcul-
ture in increased foreign markets.
The argument starts from a false assumption OF fact.
There is no responsible person III the Onited states WIG.
thinks that we can ever become wholly self-sufficient as a
nation. There are certain things which we must import.
from abroad. Let it not be forgotten that considerably
more than half of our imports have been coming III Tree
of duty all along, and this In the face OF what the Tree
traders, before the last election, were falsely denouncing
as the highest tariff in the history of American economies
So much for that. Uncle Sam is not going to build a
wall around our country and force us to live within our
selves. Nobody contemplates any such course. 1t would
be impossible. We might do it for a short period OF time
in case of military necessity but certainly we could not
90 on in an entirely isolated position and ENJOY a full
measure of prosperity.
Everybody admits that it would be a fine thing if the
farmer could have a greater world market. The question
is, how is he going to get it, III a way that will not hurt
him more than it will help? The first thing to take INTO
consideration is that the United States is a high cost
country. We cannot produce, with our present living
standards, commodities as cheaply as these can be pro-
duced in many other countries. So if American agricu-
ture is to compete with Australian, Canadian and Argen-
tine agriculture we will have to continue to accept world
prices. There can be no question as to that.
But, it is said, we can stimulate our exports OF agrlcul-
tural commodities by trade agreements with other ma
tions. By reducing our tariffs against them we can in
duce them to buy our farm products. 1t sounds good in
theory but how will it work out in practice? The one pros
pect for increased trade which has been bally-hooed
above all others during the past few months is Soviet
Russia. Yet what has Russia to send us in exchange for
any produce she may get from us? Nothing but raw ma
terials of which we already have a surplus in America.
Perhaps it may be argued that we can accept European
manufactured goods in exchange for our farm products.
But here again the promise is greater than the reward. In
admitting European goods, which come in competition
with American made goods we will destroy home indus
tries which are worth a great deal more to the farmer.
than any concessions he may possibly get in Europe. One
American worker is worth a half dozen Central Europ-
cans as a consumer of American corn, meat, butter and
cotton.
Even %conceding for arguments sake that European
trade deals will be practicable and helpful, it would not
be so easy as it seems. European agricultural production
IS on the upgrade. France now has a surplus of home.
grown wheat. Italy produces all the wheat she needs and
IN a few years under Hitler's plans German farmers will
be supplying the German market. One can imagine the
howl that would go up from the agricultural industry in
these three nations, were it proposed to sacrifice French,
Italian and German farmers to increase the output of Ger
man, French and Italian manufacturers for the American
market.
Perhaps it may be possible to arrange favorable agree
ments with nations which supply us with non-competing
products, but the task of stimulating our foreign trade in
this manner will be by no means easy. We run a grave
risk of losing far more than we gain, farmers as well as
industrialists.
What we really need to do is to develop our home mar
ket for American agricultural products. When all Ameri-
cans are working and eating the farm problem will be
considerably nearer a solution. They cannot be put on a
working and eating basis by foreign trade agreements
which will open up the American markets to the products
of the cheap labor of Europe and the Orient.