AGRICULTURAL RELIEF 
without consideration of more factors than have yet come to my 
attenton. 
Mr. CLARE. Are these rates going to be determined in the long 
run as experience dictates? 
Mr. Stewart. There is some desirability of keeping in line the 
debentures on various products. In the case of Illinois, with our 
20,000,000 acres of land in crops, a debenture that would be too high 
on wheat, as compared with corn, would not be a desirable factor. 
An attempt should be made to stabilize rather than to disturb the 
economic relations between different belts and within the different 
belts in the United States. That is a pretty big story in itself. 
Mr. Fort. On cotton—you may be coming to this later, and if 
so you need not answer it now—the effect of this plan would be 
to make the cotton cost the American spinner 2 cents a pound more 
than it cost the European spinner, less differential of freights and 
insurance. Should not the tariff on cotton goods be correspondingly 
increased ? 
Mr. Stewart. I should imagine that the Tariff Commission, mak- 
ing a study of cotton textiles, would take that factor into account. 
Mr. Fort. It would have to. would it not, for the protection of 
American spinners? 
Mr. STEWART. I could not see how they could help doing it. 
Mr. Jones. They probab™s alreadv have enough tariff to cover 
that. 
Mr. Fort. But manufactured cotton goods come into this country 
.n spite of the fact. 
Mr. Jones. But there is not anything like the amount that would 
pe coming in but for the tariff. However, I agree it might be neces- 
sary. That could be adjusted if found necessary. 
Mr. KincrELOE. Doctor, let me ask you right there: I have tried 
to get these other gentlemen to go into it. I am asking the ques- 
tion for my own information. Take cotton here, with no tariff 
on it. Suppose you put a debenture upon it at 5 cents a pound, by 
which, of course, you hope to obtain for the cotton grower 5 cents 
a pound above the world’s price. I do not know how much cotton 
ls grown in other countries; I do not know anything about the 
markets there. But the thing I would like to know and would like 
to have you tell us, because we will be asked on the floor of the 
House, and I do not know—how you are going to keep the importa- 
tion of cotton out of this country in the absence of a tariff, say. 
with a debenture of 5 cents a pound on it? 
Mr. Stewart. If you are going to try to have an export premium 
under any kind of a plan, either debenture or any other kind of 
a plan, designed to raise the American price of cotton 5 cents ahove 
the European price, you ought to have a tariff on cotton. 
Mr. KincueroE. I was just thinking perhaps it would not do. 
Suppose there is no tariff on it. I am talking about a fact. because 
now there is no tariff on it. 
Mr. Stewart. I think that you could administer it for 2 cents 
advance, or $10 a bale advance, by requiring proof of origin in 
the case of any cotton of the typical American description coming 
nto our ports, in such a way that you could prevent imposition 
apon the United States Treasury. But if you make it 3 or 4 or 
5 cents, you invite “ bootlegging ** of cotton. 
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