ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED | APRIL 15, 1922 | THE CANADIAN COUNTRYMAN
Practically ever since the Harding Administration came into power a fight has been going on between the manufacturers and financial interests in the United States and the farmers as represented by the Farm Bloc. In this fight the interests of farmers in this country are identical with those of the Big Interests across the line. Farmers in this country want to be allowed to ship their surplus farm products across the border without any tariff restrictions. The Farm Bloc in the United States believes that farmers in that country should be protected from having to compete on equal terms with us, and accordingly were successful in forcing through the Emergency Tariff Bill which places heavy tariff duties on Canadian farm products.
Farmers in this country will be in hearty agreement with the following from the Wall Street Journal, the organ of the financial interests of New York:
“It seems as if every product of Canada must be taxed to a prohibitive point. That country is comparatively new, and must buy large quantities of manufactured goods, which are to be paid for with farm products. There is only one other country in the world that buys so much from the United States. And yet, we are aiming to treat this important customer in a way no merchant with a modicum of common sense would treat one of his customers.
“Markets are as essential for farm prosperity as for that of industry. But those who would sell must also buy. We cannot forbid everyone to come into our domain and at the same time ask them to buy, and buy heavily, of us. Human nature must be made over before Congress can take everything and give nothing.”
Manufacturers in the United States are opposed to the Emergency Tariff Bill because we are among the best customers they have for their products. For the year ending February, 1921, before the Bill came into force, our imports from that country totalled more than $886,000,000 worth of goods, while the value of the goods, while our exports consist chiefly of the products of the farm and the forest. As the Wall Street Journal points out, if we cannot sell our farm products to the United States we cannot buy their manufactured goods, and it is not much wonder that manufacturers are complaining that the tariff is killing their business with us.