, 1873-03-07
THE FARMERS TRUE INTEREST.

:. 1b the Editor Of The ChteHgo Tribune: ,....
6m: The many meetings Of farmers which
have been held the past winter, and tho violent,
yet SO far unavaiing struggles which this great
State interest has made, and is now making, to
relieve itself, show that, while the farmer ia
really distressed by reason Of being compelled
to sell his products at much less than they cost
him to raise, he is yet gropng in the dark, appa-
reptly ignorant Of tue true direction in which his
xzl1er surely Lies. 49,:
:: Many violent objurgationB are just now made
against the railroads. That their course is in
iurious to farmers, is probably true yet this il
only secondary cause Of the oppression and
distress the farming interests now suffer.
It certainly coats the Eastern farmer, north
and east Of Pennsylvania. 81 bushe1 to grow
corn: At this price there is no profit, Yet this
corn now sells there at 60 to 65 cents q b1shel.
il tue cost Of taking it there from the West we're
reduced 10 or 20 cents q bushel, would the latter
benefit by tho reduction, or would the price
simply fall that much In those markets Would
it not certainly be the latter ? II 30, what hopo
Ought not. the East, instead Of the West, to
oEraor fer cheap railroad freights and increased
facilities OF transportation
No, there is little hope In looking that way.
But, it the farmer canpot combine to raise the
price Of his productB at any moment lie sees fit
to do 30 he can decrease his expenses from QUE
third to one-half. If ho cannot sell dearer, he
can eel taiuly buy cheaper. II he cannot increase
his income, he can lessen his outgo. Tariff
demagognes have robbed these men Of thousands
OF millions OF dollars with the pretonse OF q
"hqme 1narket;'' and now, after ten or twelve
years Of this swindling, the cries Of distress
everywhere show what the result has been.
Every thing tie farmer consumes now pays a
tax, in gold, from ono-fourth to four times it's
actual ya1ue. Nothing is missed. Tariff rings
Al 9f 1iFas
one o! these interests bo it erer &c slight, gets
in pinch, all it has to do ID to 70 to Congress
and ask leave to tax the people; when It gets all
it ns!ls with scarcely an effort.
farmers cannot do this. Great as their inter
est is in the aggregate, individually it is isolated
ihe prey Of demasosues sna politicians. They
cannot ran bowling to Congress for relief, be-
cause their products arc exported, not imported,
Farmers are the only. Producers in this country
who rally have to compete with ''pauper labor. y
the English far1n-laborer. he works seven da3s
in week, u to 18 hours dry, tor shilling, or
$1.50 Feek,. with positive certainty Of dying
pauper American farm products comp into
competition With his labor, e7en In Chicago,
5000 miles from England. Liverpool f3os the
: a1eyage, brokerage: insurance, interest. waste
epd r9ttnge,. aud labor of handling, as we'll rs
profit or yisk pf investment EgerT american
farmer pays for what be consumes At English
prices, With all the above iIanla added, as well as
tax ranging from 25 to 400 per cent in gold.
THUS he burns his candle at both ends, and is
robbed right and left: before md behind,-erery
shroYd kaave pluel:ins hlsa soz2evhero.
Thirty rears. ago farm -products woro as low as
nor, yet ttere Eas nothing Like the present dis-
treaa, for commodities of NECESSITY, as 3 rule,
we're cheap, Iron wae end cents pound !;
cotton cloth. s and oants yard sugar. 20 to
Is pounds for dollar shoes, much better than
thoee now made for So, at ono-fourth the price,
or rs cents. Taxes wore low, for swarm Of tax
leyiers ta1-eaters, and drones, who devoured,
br.t did not earn, wcro not in existence in the
West. Do your farmer-roaders SEQ tho point,
and discern in what direction, mcst surely and
without fail, certain si,d absoiuta relief can be
found ? It IS, make tho present tariff ono Of
revenue alone. PIONEER.