The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1869-10-06
THE WEST ROBBED.
HareSt-HOme Speech by a Re-
publican.
Lucid and Instructive ExPIana-
tiOn Of the workings and In.
nuence of a Tariff on tne
Industrial OIaaSes of
the West. ~
rReportod for the Cincinnati commereial.l

OhAOs VIC SAO"O observing colonel | ,
Dom Platt on the ground demanded
Yociferously that he should take the
stand then being occupied by other
orators, and give them a speech.
After some hesitation Col. Piatt con-
sented, saying:
Ladies and Ge'1tIeme1l-I comply
with your complimentary demand, |
although am not advertised ais one
of the speakers on this pleasant oc'
casiOn. l came here with the fixed
determination to assist you in doing
the hardest part of the performance,
and that Is to listen. Laughter.7 l
regret that l was not invited to ad. |
dress you to-day, by your Committee |
of Arrangement for / am a practtc. |
al farmer myself. and probably know !
less upon that subject than III on any |
other-and perhaps as little as the |
eloquent gentlemen who have pre-
ceded me. More laughtor.] I'd
rather you wouldn't laugh, for that
agricultural education of mine has
cost me and my creditors a deal of
money, and am rather respondent
over the slow progress made.
But had been honored with an
invitation, L would have made an
effort to gather up a few statistics
/
| amused you. For hold it the duty
of man, when thus honored, to do
J his part by appearing on the stand
| with something worth uttering, and
| profitable or entertaining to hear.
AS have said, l am not very sue
cessful farmer, but 1 have the conso-
latiOn OF knowing that in this re-
spect we differ very little. You are
not successful farmers, and you haYe
the fact brought home to yOuon this
happy occasion by the price Of wheat.
| The difference between US is TO be
found in the fact that my very ILL
luck is my own fault, while your
failure is to be attributed to other
I causes than your ignorance or skill.
And nov, why IS it that our rejoic'
ing on this memorable occasion are
dampened by the fact that we are
called upon to be merry over a loss.
L need not tell you that wheat, at
; one dollar and ten cents per bushel,
/ does not pay sufficient to clear the
; expenses of its plauting,, reapiDg,
l threshing and hauling to market. ]
! need not tell you that, while oul
l mats, shoes, coats, pantalOons, shirts
t hoes, harrOWs, plows, and in ~ word
r all that we are forced TO purchase
1
: wheat, our great staple, brings les
= to day than previous to the war
j. There is no explanation in that 81
glibly given to US, that this is be
j. cause Of the heavy surplus, whicl
8 means that the more we possess tn
e poorer we Will be-like the owner
n ship Of the hoop-pOle region, to tn
o north of as, where the more lam
:, one owns, the poorer he is. A trien
le told me of q pOor-house, in tha
is part of the world, where .nearl
every pauper owned a quarter SCI
, tion, and the more destitute paupel
n each had two. LSug hter. -
Well, my friends, it is ''becaus
r everything we are forced to purcha.
r. is so high in price that our wheat
:. so low. And there is a probleI
here would have liked to work ou
for our mutual satisfaction, had yoE
n committee given me the opportunity
IL. We take a bushel of wheat to II
A nearest railroad depot, and sell it f
what the commission merchant a
y sures us is its value; and there y
TO lose sight of it. ! would wish
>, follow that bushel of wheat to i
h. final destination, and believe tina
: in SO doing, l would solve the prOl
| L L
that not only the value of our staP
o. depends upon the demand abrOa
n. but also upon the purchases we NAL
'er abroad. That is, the dealer in l.
'or rope says to US, al will take yO
cit wheat at fair profit to you if "
If in turn will purchase of nae what
ms have to SELL" This is the law
nd trade the world over, and you c.
Oh not have a market that Cover
trade If you do not obey the law.
RUSSIAN COMPETITION.
ost This has been demonstrated I
rs. years past by the Russian whe
grower. The grain-grOwing regi
ing Of Russia is of sufficient extent, a.
IN rich enough in soil, and so well
nv YOred by climate, that it could
4N made the granary OF the world. I
q laborer there tolls in his skin cC
and wooden shoes for sixteen dOlli
a year. And yet / could raise
- bushel of wheat in Logan Count
10 Ohio, cart it across good share
10 our continent, and then ship it OK
Iy q wide ocean, to Liverpool, and 1
eet dersell the Russian wheat grow
tne and why? Because 1 would ia
\ =, broadclOth the Russian did not we
Inc nor want, and silks he had no I
for, and ploWs, and hoes, and h
rows, and the thousand and c
and manufactured articles the Engli
the man had, of the best quality, at
ear lowest rate.
THE HOME MARKET.
are But, says one, is it not better
ical have this market at home, and Sc
the heavy cost of transportation, q
so keep the profits among ourselvt
Certainly, my Christian friend,
BILE the thing were possible; but we
Inn trying the home market now.
American commerce abroad, 'ol
our pride, has nearly disappear
OUT Ship-building has ceased to be
nuI item IN our statistical returns A
what is the result? A ruin to al
culture. We sell our wheat at Il
3 There is, at this moment, not s
,-v gle farm in Logan county that is
- for sale Our young men crowd 4
Of the towns and cities our old u
ba look longingly to the far WesC. A
,-ot WHY? Because we are trying
experiment of q home market. Z
by the law of trade, our wheat vi
ia be taken to Europe and return to
in the shape of manufactured AZ
rv, \ cIes, a law of Congress has been pa
- ed fOrbidding such exchange, 8
sieS forcing us to sell to, or at least
he'd. purchase of, New England.
and And what is the result? WI
ohm while New England has no enc
manufactured articles to sell US
very high figures, she has no denla
for our produce, New Engls
,oad raises sufficient on her rocky sol
support her population, so our VIII
on may rot in our graneries or be s
ecu at loss, to be paid for there in M
ufactured articles that are enormo
ly dear.
My patriotic and Christian frie
ket who suggests the home market ]
II in gets, if lac ever new, which is dOu
and fll, that while we have q surplus
Do agricultural production, there il
,nce surplus of labor in Europe, 5
ates common sense, which Is the foun
yhts tion of the laws of trade, dictates
YOU exchange.
tous And this great continent of OF
the over which the American eagle so
a of and screams. and the star Spang