Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1846-08-22
Hon. Andrew stewart, OF Pa,
On the Protective Policy.
BENEFITS OF THE TARIFF TO THE
FARMERS.

iOreBn trace. tney went ailOgelneT IN favor Of
importing foreign goods, and creating q market
for the benefit OF foreigners Would our own
agriculture be benefited by sprocess like this!
Nothing could more eireciually divert the benefit
from our own people and pour it in constant
stream upon foreign labor. No American inter.
est was so much benefited by protective system
as that OF agriculture. The foreign market was
nothing, the home market was every thing to
them; it was as one hundred 10 one. The Tariff |
gave US the great home market, while the gentle.
mans scheme was to secure US, at best, but
the chance Of market abroad, while il efectua. |
y destroyed our secure and invaluable market at
home. Gentlemen were very anxious TO compete
with the pauper labor of Europe. ! will tell
them one fact: With all the protection we now
enjoy, Great Britain sends into this country eight
dollars worth Of her agricultural productions TO
one dollars worth of all our agricultural produc. |
tons (save cotton and tobacco) that she takes
| from US.
This will prove by the returns furnished by
Mr.. Walker himself in support Of the bill which
he has laid before the Committee of Ways and
Means. Now, assert and can prove, that more
than half the value OF all the British merchan.
disc imported into this country consist OF sgricul.
tural productions, changed in form, converted
and manufactured into goods. And invite
thorough analysis of the facts. | challenge
gentlemen 10 the scrutiny. Take down all the
articles, in store one alter another estimate
the value OF the raw material, the bread and meat,
and other agricultural productions, which have en-.
tered into their fabrication, and it will be found
that one>half and more OF their value consists OF
the productions Of the soil-agricultural produce
in its strictest sense.
4 Now, by reference to Mr.. Walkers report, it
will be seen that, for twelve years back we have
L.
annually 52A millions OF dollars worth OF goods,
) but call it SO millions, while she took Of all our
, agricultural products save cotton and tobacco,
less than two and half millions OF dollars worth.
t, Thus, then, assuming one.haf the value OF her
goods to be agricultural, it gives us 25 millions OF
her agricultural produce to "a millions OF ours
, taken by her, which is jus! ten to one; to avoid
caval, put it at eight to one. To test the truth
OF his position, he was prepared, il time permit.
} ted, 10 refer TO numerous facts But for the in.
formation Of gentlemen who such great friends
E 10 the poor and oppressed farmers, ! will tell
them that we have imported yearly, for twenty.
six years, ESQ says Mr.. Walkers report,) more
than ten millions Of dollars worth OF Uoolen goods.
Last year we imported $10,666, l76 WORTH
Now, one half and more of the value OF this cloth
r was made up Of wool, the substance OF labor and
, other agricultural productions. The general esti.
mate is, that the wool alone is half. The uni
y versal custom among farmers, when they had
i. their wool manufactured on the shares, was to
give the manufacturer half the cloth. Thus we
import, and our farmers have to pay, for .fUe mil
. lions o(dollars worth OF foreign wool every year
in the form of cloth, mostly the production Of
sheep feeding on the grass and grain of Great
Britain, while our own wool is worthless for want
Of a market; and this is the policy gentlemen
recommended 10 American farmers. Yes, sir, and
not satisfied with .fue Millions they wish 10 in.
crease it TO ten millions year for foreign WOOL
, Will gentlemen deny lhsY They dare not
They supported Mr.. Walkers bill, reducing the
duties on woolens nearly one.half, with view to
increase the revenue; Of course, the imports must
, be doubled, making the import Of cloth twenty
millions instead OF ten, and OF wool ten instead OF
five millions OF dollars per annum.
F., This was the plan to favor the farmer, British
farmers, by giving them the american market
, Their plan was 10 buy everything, sell nothing,
and get rich. "a laugh) What was true as to
cloth was equally true as to everything clse.-
Take hat pair Of shoes, yard OF silk or lace,
analyze it, resolve it in its constituent elements,
E and you will find that The raw material, and the
substance OF labor, and other agricultural pro-
ducts, constituted more than one half its entire
value. The pauper labor OF Europe employed
in manufacturing silk and lace got what It eat,
no more; and this is what you pay for when you
/, purchase their goods. Break up your home
/ manufactures and home markets, import every
thing you eat and drink and wear, for the benefit
ofMe farmers. Oh, what friends these gentle
: men are to the farmers and mechanics and labor
ers OF this country-no, sir, am wrong, OF
Great Britain
: As a still stronger illustration OF his argument
Mr. S. referred TO the article of iron. Last year.
according TO Mr.. Walkers Report we imported
, S9,043, 1896 worth of foreign iron, and its man.
ufactures, mostly from Great Britain, four. ffihs
OF the value OF which, as every practical man
knew, consisted OF agricultural produce nothing
else. Iron is made OF ore and COAL and what is
the ore and coal buried in your mountains worth?
Nothing-nohng at all, unused. What gives
il value? Tine labor of horses, oxen, mules and
= men. And what sustained this labor but corn
and OATS hay and straw for the one, and bread
and meat and vegetables OF every kind for the
other. These agricultural products were pur.
chased and consumed, and this made up nearly
, the whole price OF the iron which the manufac.
turer received and paid over TO the farmers again
and again, as often as the process was repeated
Well, is not iron made in England OF the same
r materials that il is made OF here? Certainly; then
is not lour-ffhs OF the value Of British iron made
up Of British agricultural produce? And If we pur
chase nine millions OF dollars worth Of British
iron year, do we not pay six or seven millions
OF this sum for the produce Of British farmers
grain, hoy grass, bread, meat, and other provis