The Hickman courier., 1873-10-11
For the Hickman Courier.
The Protective Tariff.
The Farmers Real Enemies.
q Letter from EEoD. Ed. Cross
land.


vented an earlier compliance with that
promise. 1t will not be expected that
shall enter inso an elaborate discussion Of
this great subject in all og its details aud
relations, bu, shall Offer few plain
f9sts taken from the records OF "
eopsiry.
From every ouartlio of the land com
plants, loud and dSer, reach US fran
the sons OF agriculsre. They tell US
that they are oppISsed, that toll and
sweat as they may aey are without pros
perity, while other pursuits are re.ain-
ing large profits. are these complaints
just and truthful sLet the figures an
swer. The last ceR&s tells US that there
are in the UnitedA, 5,922,47l people
engaged in agriceE That they have
capital invested as tlows:
In farms s............. a. 49,. S9,262, SOB SCI
IaF@'aS Lirs sisei 1npiym' l,SsS, ,s7S, i57 81
Total. u 4l.958, a.
They have an eleven
investment the gr4S annual product is
only -, Al, ,53S, 6dS.
There are about O8S, ,996 people en-.
gagged in the business OF manufacturing,
they have a capital employed of - 49,
2uS. 769, on which their annual product is
81 232 $50, HI.
Six millions of Arers on capital of
eleven billions OF rs make only two
billions per annn;' Ale two millions Of
manufacturers on pital of Two billions
make four billions of dollars annually.
look again and the census tells rs that
in the great agricultural State of Ken
lucky. the wealth of the people does not
amount to over 100 dollars per capita.
while in the manufacturing States Of
Rhode Island New Jersey, massachusetts,
Connecticut and Pennsy lvania it is near
" two thousand dollars per capita Look
again TO the statistics and you will see
tha-athe value of farms and farm presucts
pfr at low prices. that thousands Of
farmers are scarcely able TO keeD errn
Then look and see what profits are real
lied by the manufacturers. They do not
tell us what dividends are made, but
when we see the prices that the stocks in
the associations ana companies sell tor
we know that they must yield enormous
profts. | give a few The ChicOpee
1llAlS GdllRhl - tAth AAttii ilitD Sttttt- which
cost Sl0U. and sells readily in the market
for $500 Merrimack Mills shares which
cost $1,000, sell Tor Sl,700. Middlescx
Mills shares Of 500, sell for 500. Pa
cifc Mills shares Of $1,000. sell for :. .24e.
Salisbury Mills shares Of 500, sell for
$500 Many others could he given which
would show equally as high prices for
shares. They may conceal the amount Of
dividends, but we know business must
be uncommonly profitable when shares Of
stock on the market sell for three and
four times as much as il cost.
Then. sir, we see plainly that one DEPART
meut Of industry IS without prosperity,
while another is confering fortunes and
wealth Why is IL so2 Do.our farmers
lack industry NQi they toll the year
round from daylight tiil dark DO they
lack economy Are they proligal and
wasteful2 No; they are frugal and eco
uomical in a degree that often amounts to
self-deuial. What is the reason Of this
inequality? The profsehrs fsriF produces
IL all 1t keeps the farmer poor and
makes the manufacturer rich. l. is hid
den. invisible and mysterious. What
does "tarif mean? The word has q very
appropriate derivation. During the
twelfth century, Jarit i5u Malik, a Moor
sh ro6ber, crossed eSe from Africa ss Viz
HarrOwest part Of tie Strait Of Gibraltar,
Oh the Spanish shore, and built Il walled
town which he called Tarifa, whore he
compelled the passing vessels TO stop
and pay duty IeBee the word tariff " in
the English language. Afterwards the Gus
tom of the Moorish robber Rs adopted by
European monarchs rs O means Of collect
ing large revenues from their subjects,
ns it could be done By this secret, in
sidious plau with5ut the people knowing
IL They feared 70 send tax collectors TO
the people demanding such oncrous and
burdeasome lcvies rs they desired 10 i'm
pose, and employed this tariff custom
Of putting the taxo articles the people
were obliged 10 buy and consume, and
making them believe the tax paid was
only "a part of the legitimate price. On
the establishment Of our government the
plan was adopted just to raise needed
revenues, but afterwards it was urged az
means of protecting the then infant
manufactures in the country. II was an
important issue between the old parties,
but Mr. Clay, the strongest and ablest Of
all the friends of protection said in 1888,
while laboriug 70 secure the passage OF
his tariff compromise: "After accumula-
ton of capital and skill the manufactur-
ers viii stand alone, unaided ny the Gov
ornament, in competition with the import
ed articles from any quarter Now give
Us time, cease all fluctuations and agi-
tations for nine yeaYs, and the manufac-
turers in every branch viii sustain them
selves against competition More than
fifty years have gone by. the manufactur-
ers have got all the capital they want,
tLey have he services OF the most ski .ful
oneratives on earth and still every. other
inStstry, occupation and pursuit n the
land Is taxed to protect them. They have
natural advantages and protection in the
expense of transportation, and which
foreign goods have to pay in coming here
10 compete and they claim for and keep
up an average of forty FIVE per cent. by
statutory protection or tariff duty.
Now look at the amount consumers pay
annually directly into the pockets Of this
favored class 1t is estimated that the
annual total co9 jon Of articles i'm
is abont -, 334, 4,OUO ,COO
or fhis we import $500, 900, 900
which shows that Sl,7S4OOO OC0
of the total nnuaksonsumption is manu-
ra.....,.,,l bn-a af home The StiJO Ut,1 WlU