The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1865-12-07
Agricultural.
Tho National Polioy--A Word 20
EAUNTR4.

lower than they did last ycar. they
arc compelled to pay moro for the
cloth they buy. That so palpahlc an
error prevails r. rny considerable oN.
tent we Do not believe, Nctitis dccm-
cd proper to giyo thi. complaintasiu-
glo notice.
That dealers who have on hand
goods at last years purchase, sell,
when they can at last years prices, is
quite probable We assert, however
upon unqucstionable authority, that
there has been n material decline in
the prices fwoolcn goods that goods
of the quality which brought last year
one dollar yard are now sold by the
same manufaciurcr for siN,y five to
seventy cents. Thi' is confirmed by
wholesale merchants, who are now sell
ling some kinds ofwuolcu cloths from
stock which cost them 10 TO 20 per
cent. higher than The prices asked
And they say, If largo profits arc be
ing made on such goods, the farmers
have to thank retail dealers Cor it.
1t is stated also by these men that
wooden manufacturers doVbic their
capital every few months; aud that
ihis is the effect of a universal comLi.
nation formed by them to keep up
priccs. Incredible as these state
ncnts may appear to most persons,
there are doubtless some who believe |
them. Manufacturers of undoubtcd |
yaracity Aotly dcuy having any knowl
edge or belief Of tho existence Of such
combination; and they declare that,
llthough they pay less for wool, their
profits are less than they were last
year on tho same Mind of goods
But it i, not so much our object to
1orrcct these erroneous impressions,
as to call the attention Of farmers to
u few facts, to which thcy will do well
20 give heed. Admitting that manu-
.acturors are just now making large
proGts-will any candid, intelligent
nan say that this is tho effect of high |
lutios on foreign goods Taking in
% account the internal taxes paid 10y |
manufacturers on their business and
heir incomes, and the additional cost
If labor, the protective duties do not
xcocd-thcy are oven less than--what
hey have been at timcs wh'n these
complaining farmers bought goods at
ho lowest prices they over paid =
which proves that present high prices
IRE not, either wholly or chiefly, ow
ing to the high duties imposed upon
foreign goods. Besides, some kinds
Of goods imported free Of duty, orr
nearly SO, have risen in about the
same proportion,
business of all kinds has boon moro
or less effected by the war The vast
expansion Of our currency and the
consequent rise in the price of gold,
are sufficient TO account for most of
the increase ofpricts. Much Of last
year gold ranged from 200 to 2s0 per
cent. Does not every Intelligent far
mer believe this TO I've the reason whyI
he received 81 a pound FOR his wool ? !
Andi is he not aware that the .fdH inl
the price of gold to less than 1870 per
cent. has naturally tho effect to re-
duce, proporiionally, the price of his
wool2 Cloth at the manufactures
and Wholesale stores has fallen nearly
as much por yard as is the difference
between the last aud this years value
Of the quantity of wool worked into a
yard Of cloth,
Manufacturers are doubtless doing
we'll, and SO are farmers. Probably
the former might afford to sell at pri-
oos somewhat lowct. But they antic-
ipato loss ON the wool and the goods |
,hey shall have on hand when prices
Gll, as they certainly will, and per-
haps suddenly; which must make q |
great drawback on their present gains.
Would not farmers observe like pru-
dence undcr like circumstances?
But reduce the duties, aud what
would those tAvmers gain, oven though
they should buy cloth vt somewhat
reduced money price2 Would they
sell butter, cheese, grain aud other
products at present prices, when our
manufacturers are brought into a ru-
inous competition with the foreigner
whe pays starvation prices for labor ?
What was the condition Of North
. Western farmers after the "crash -
of 1887, under tho semi free trade
tariff then existing, aud the natural
and usual consequence Of excessive
importations2 Goods were low, labor,
too, was low, because there was little
demand for it. Did farmers then
make. money as fast as they do now ?
Did the day loborer feed aud elothe
his family as oasyS Judging from
present indications, unless a more
healthy revenue system is early adopt,
cd by consress two years will not
elapse before the farmers will find, by