The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1862-12-20
Eject oTthe W ar upon the Interests Of the
NOrthWests

Erect osthe W ar upon the Interests sfthe
Northwest.
The Western farming interest - I'M
doubtedly at this moment the most &c.
| pressed interest in the county Weooce
days ago showed the extraordinary dissd-
vanoges at which the Western farmer 10
] placed, BY an enumeration of the prices IF
| his psoducts two years age compared with
thoseprices now. aud smila r esnparison
between the prices now and then of the
articleswhich his necessities and comfort
require1 im to buy.
Is Is yry easy to see why this Is So
Something of the oppression he feels is
due to tie tariff arrangement, by which
the Easten manufacturing States have
contrived 70 save themselves from their
fair share z the sf%rdens growing out Of
TINS war. ma anu hiring stocks are. in
c co n,,f.c,ure,. sh at this time, and
'us .:.," ..a. !, as we are told. have at
no ..ne M. ~o az. aIetter profits. But the
cau s,t1.t ~ ~, depression i. the want Of
:" Oft Of the South. he Mississippi. and the
",,sn..s are ths,s.A market The conse>
;p.endaa f,s."sw estern farming produce
49,, - an Eastern market has to
th-ns It's way there without any choice in
,-ise channels OF CONVEYANCE. 1t must 70
over railroads. which arc burdaned by the
I mass Of matter seeking transportation, and
which, having monopoly can make their
own terms Of transit The freightaRe,
which is necessarily very high, has 10 be
paid, in great part by the producer, the
consumer not being much benefitted-the
only party specially advantaged being the
transporter
! But the West~ra farmer has not only
lost the choice Of channels nf conveyance !;
he has lost a choice IF markets Before
this war the East and South were both
open TO him He has now only the East
The South wa. q good market aad in this
respect better than the East. because it
ws.ted what the West raised, and the
West wanted what the South raised. At
the East Western crops came in competi-
ton with crops raised farther East.
What the future is to open for the
Western farmer no man can predict with
any certainty The Mississippi will be
opened but that alone will bat partially
relieve him II the industry Of the South
is tn be destroyed for a ceneration-as the
madness of fanatic hate seems now to in
d,cate-it is certain that the Western far
mer will feel the loss next only In degree
to thu actual sufferers In that event.
unless he is 10 be the nlrrest newer OF
wood md drawer Of water for the East
unless he is 10 continue 10 rase raw pro-
ducts ~ the lowest cost at which he can
sustain the toughest sort of existence for
himself and iamily-the etfor' must be
made to shake off as far rs possible, from
The West the dominion which the manu-
!acturers of the East have now acquired
over her The West must increase and
multiply its mills of all sorts-its factories
FORCES foundries--so as 10 be far more in-
dependant than she now IS for her supplies
of manufactured articles. That in the
natural course Of things, indeed, this may
+ happen, there is no great reason 10 doubt.
The " eat is blessed with all tn. natural
resources necessary for prosecuting almost
all sorts Of manufacturing industry success
fully We have better climate than
New England. and one which, when the
country /. more cleared and cultivated
will be Acknowledged to be more healthy
The events of this war may drive our PEG
f. pie, whether they otherwise would or no
into manufacturing pursuits. If Southern
iRdusry is destroyed. II will take two eene
rations to revive II in new form 1ha,
form will be less friendly to commercial
connections with either the North or West
Than the one now apparently passing away.
II viii be much more self dependant, re
( living less than the old one on the supplies
furnished by either the North or West -
+ This again will make il necessary for the
West 10 look more for providing hersslt
/ from her own resources ami living more a
home This war may. then. result in &C
/ comllishIng so much good for the West
/ Our e,tion Of tie country may be eman-
| cipa,ed from its Eastern bonds. and may
console itself for the comparative diminu
! ton of its trade with the South by the
/ reflection that the development OF q n ore
varied Industry at home has enabled her
! to live. and perhaps flourish. notwi,hstand-
ing the loss OF Southern custom.
After all, the events We are looking at
can come only slowly. A generation must
pass BY. before they can be realized. In
the interval. the hope Of the Western far
mer mus, centre OF either a reduction in
the price OF the article he has to purchase,
! or in equivalent prices for his own pro-
duets. If what ne has to buy does not
fall. what he has 10 sell must rise
Because it is perfectly evident that the
/ farmer cannot 90 on much longer and fully
supply the market at present prices on
both sides. He is now. taking everything
into consideration, selling his produce
much below cost This he cannot do a
great while longer.-.S LOUIS Rep.