THIRTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART IV 209 



that the free interchange would result in great benefit to this coun- 

 try, because we could sell our live stock in Canada at a higher price 

 than we could get in this country. During the past year, probably 

 20,000 cattle have come from Canada to the Chicago market. Those 

 paid a duty of $25 a head. That is the best evidence that cattle are 

 not higher in Canada than in the United States. We opposed the treaty 

 as a matter of principle. It was the opening wedge. If we could see 

 that cattle could be brought in free from Canada, we had no ground 

 to stand on for opposing the entry of free cattle from Mexico; neither 

 did we have any ground for opposing the free meat proposition. 



The free list proposition which is pending before the ways and means 

 committee in Washington provides for free entry of meats, grain and 

 grain products, practically all the products of the farm. It takes off 

 the duty on some agricultural implements, puts boots and shoes on 

 the free list, some kinds of lumber, and certain kinds of leather. You 

 would surrender about 100 per cent and get back two and a half or 

 five per cent. It is a bill absolutely against the interests of the 

 stockman and the farmer. It takes away from you every scintilla of 

 protection or benefit that now inures to you by reason of the present 

 duty on your products. 



This tax question (because the tariff is in reality an indirect tax) 

 is as old as history. It has disturbed all nations at all times. You 

 remember the Boston Tea Party. I heard a man this morning talk 

 about the increased tax on his land in Iowa. The tax matter is always 

 one of great dispute, and the tariff is probably the most disputed item 

 in all our government affairs. If there was any possibility of this 

 country going onto a free trade basis, we might complacently view the 

 putting of our products on the free list; but free trade is an irri- 

 descent term. It takes a vast amount of money, about three-quarters 

 of a billion dollars annually, to support this government, and we raise 

 by import duties on the products coming into this country close to 

 $350,000,000 annually; the balance comes from the internal revenue taxes 

 on liquors and tobacco, and a small proportion comes from taxes on 

 corporations and from miscellaneous sources. When the income tax 

 comes in, that may contribute about $100,000,000 more; but I suppose 

 about the time we get that income tax in, our expenses will increase suf- 

 ficiently to eat that up. Unless some other sensible and less burdensome 

 method of raising $350,000,000 is devised, we must perforce pursue the 

 same plan of raising that vast amount of money to support the govern- 

 ment. Congress does not propose to put these items that pay heavy du- 

 ties on the free list; they will select only those on which the revenue 

 is possibly inappreciable. No one is talking about putting live cattle on 

 the free list, simply because live cattle pay a duty coming into this coun- 

 try in a very appreciable amount. We are importing from Mexico close 

 to 250,000 cattle annually (not so many right now, on account of the in- 

 ternal dissension), which will pay at least $3.75 a head. There is an 

 item of revenue which the government needs, and which the ways and 

 means committee is not going to overlook. They are tempted, of course, 

 to reduce and put on the free list those articles which do not yield to 

 14 



