New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1871-04-13

II is the theory of the free trade mposters
that every dollar In the shape of tariffs col
leeted from foreign Imports is just SO much
stolen from the pockets of the consumer.
Every manufacturer of iron, cotton, wooden,
W ooden-ware. watches, jewelry, salt, or other
articles. is a shameless, barefaeed robber, steal
ing from the people to enrich himself. AS
the farmer belongs to the most numerous in
dustrial class of our people, these free trade
demagogues have directed the most OF their
efforts to arousing his prejudiees and organic
ing his opposition 20 the doctrine OF protec-
ton to our manufacturing industry. In their
labors to accomplish this dishonest purpose,
they have either absolutely ignored or dlshon-
estly denied that there is any protection afforded
by the laws Of the country to our agricultural
products.
But the fact is that no class is more amply
protected than the farmer, as the British free
trade advocates perfectly well know And &C
cording to their doctrine, that every one is a
robber whose industry is in any way protected,
farmers most emphatically belong to the swind-
ling ring of monopolists who are plundering the
people to enrich themselves If we produce
two million tons of iron annually on which
there is a duty of seven dollars ton, they as
sert that the people are robbed" of fourteen
millions of dollars annually by the iron manu-
facturers. In the same way they assert that
every dollar paid in duty upon wooden, cotton,
wood, coal, and every manufactured article i'm
ported from abroad is stolen from the people.
Of course, the charge is falsehood IS ridcu
lous as it is intentionally dishonest. But If
true, the six millions of farmers in the country
are the greatest of all robbers and thieves, for
theaggregate protection afforded them is greater
than that given any other class. If the duty as
sessed by law on iron, or wooden, or cotton
goods is robbery of the people, so is the duty
on wheat, corn, oats, hay. and all other sgricul-
tural products.
This whole free trade assumption, however,
is unfounded and wilfully untrue The argu-
ment is intended to deceive. The farmers are
protected by the tariff and "rob' "the people"
of hundreds of millions Of dollars every year.
This will be shown by the following table
giving the total annual amount of the principal
agricultural products in this country. the duty
on each article, and the amount of plumber"
which the agricultursts manage to put into
their pockets
Product. Dufy plurder"
Wheat 200 oo0 900 bush 90 cts per bush- s52Oo0eoo
Corn, loo 0JU0 bush 10 cts. per bushs 40 900
Butter aud cheese {24o.
100 value. Per cent 81 100000
Hay 20oO00O0 S. per ton......... 60UJ0,000
Live stock, si,sls, ooo,OoO
value 20 per t........ 1854 900 900
Potatoes II 900 900 bush rs cts per bushe Is 00OoO0
Wool III 100000 10 st, per ts h.. SO09"o
Oats 2ss 900 U00 bush 10 ots per bu.hsl. 20 10000
s730OOOO0O
Here are seven hundred and thirty millions
of dollars out Of which the farmers annually
rob the people, if the free trade theory, as
above fairly stated, be true. Does any sane
man in the Union believe such nonsense as this!
Is there q man living, with brains enough to
keep him out of the fire, who believes that these
$3.50, 100000 90 int the pockets or stick to the
fingers of our farmers, as so much stolen from
the people? Free trade requires the repeal of
all these duties on agricultural products, be-
cause they are produced by our own farmers.
What we don't produce, like tea and coffee,
they are willing should be ''taxed' in the shape
of q duty. But there must be no duty on any
thing we raise, because that is protection, and
protection is "robberry.' This is the whole
free trade scheme in nutshell. Is it not
beautiful one?