Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-10-09

| gold in 1850; hams were not lard was not
and salt pork was not. These nre all ex-
portable agricultural products, whose cur
rent price is determined by the gold money
OF the worlds great market. These things
are what farmers sell. But harnesses, boots
and shoes, hats and caps, blankets, all man
ner of clothing, were much higher in 1873
than they were in 1860. These manufactures
are what farmers have to bly,
Farmers always have been and always
will he the greatest losers from rug-money
partly Tor the reasons that have just given,
namely, that what they have to buy is en-
HANGED IN price by III and partly also, be-
cause il takes the farmer almost II year to
realize on his crops, and he cannot mean
while insure himself against the inevitable
changes in the currency. The dollar in
which ho calculates the expenses of his crop
is almost sure not to be the dollar in which
he realizes tho results of his crop. lie can
not calculate. He cannot insure himself
lie is helpless The manufacturer, who
turns off his product weekly or monthly, can
vary his prices weekly or monthly, and save
himself at least in part; but the farmer, poor
man, can do no such thing. lie is Mt the
mercy of currency thinkers.
The Second Foe TO Farmers.
Next to the irredecmablc paper money,
the greatest obstacle TO tho prosperity of the
farmers of the United States Mt the present
moment is the so-callcd protective tariff.
This is not so bad rs it was two or three
years ago. 1t has been twice reduced and
simpifed in the. fear that the honest indig-
nation Of the people would otherwise over
throw it altogether. But it is still bad
enough. 1t is still too bad.
TariT-TRHes.
! The United States has been accustomed
from the beginning of the government under
the present constitution to raise the principal
part of its revenue from tariff-taxes on i'm
ported goods. These taxes of course raise
the price of the goods on which they are
laid considerably more to the consumers
than the amount of the tax itself, because
the tax, having to be advanced by the i'm
porter and the jobber, becomes larger from
the profits on the money advanced, and ire
| quenty also the tux is made cover or ex-
cuso under which the consumer is charged u
sum additional to the original tax and the
profits on it. In the ultimate price of the
taxed goods the consumer pays for the goods,
pays the tax and all profits on the tax and
frequently also something additional under
cover of the tax. 1t is very plain that, when
ever tariff-taXes are levied solely for the
sake of the rCUenuG to be derived from them
they ought to be laid in accordance with
| III c,,.l al G,st
like tea and coffee, for example, which are
wholly imported from abroad, and not also
grown or made ut home, otherwise the tax
on the portion imported will also incidental
ly raise the price of the portion produced ut
home, and the people will have to pay more
in consequence Of the tax than the govern
ment gets in revenue, because the govern
mcnt only gets the tax on the part imported;
second, if such taxes are 10 he productive,
they must be levied Mt comparatively low
rates, so us not TO interfere essentially with
the bringing in of the goods, or encourage
smuggling mt all, for in either of those cases
the revenue from the impOrtations would
| fall off; third, the taxes should he simple,
so that everybody can calculate their amount
and know how much of the price paid is
owing TO the tax, aud it is Just rs much
for the interest of the revenue us for that of
the people that these taxes should be simple
and honest, so that both importers and con-
sumers, calculating them beforehand, and
knowing just how much the government is
TO take, will not be deferred from importing
and buying by indefinite taxes.
"Protectiye', Tariffs.
Protective tariffs, SO called, will doubtless
pass of from our statute-books, us they have
already passed out Of the laws of Great Brit
ain, Belgium, and largely also of France,
because they are monstrously unjust; be-
cause by raising the price of the correspond
ing domestic article rs well rs of the foreign
article taxed, they make the people pay in
ostensble taxes great deal more than the
government gets; because, since all foreign
trade is an exchange of commodities, just
so far MS II protective tariff keeps foreign
goods out, it keeps in of necessity domestic
goods that would gladly go out, and thus do
nestle producers lose their best and freely
chosen market; because there is no general
gain in taking money out Of one set of peck
cts in the mostly vain hope of transferring
it to another set of pockets because, so
soon as the system becomes general, oven
manufacturers, who have to buy protected
materials, soon have to pay more protection
than they get; and because, just so far rs
the importables are raised in value by pro-
tcctive tariff taxes, the eXportables are de :
pressed in value, thus throwing the vast
losses of the system upon those who grow
the cxportables.
Protection Is Pure Loss to Farmers.
No man in his senses can pretend that
protective tariff taxes are II benefit to farm
ers, since these taxes cannot increase the
number of mouths that eat the farmers pro-
duce, and since VIC do not import agricu-
tural produce to amy great extent to be
raised in price by these taxes so that our
farmers can sell their produce for more.
On the other hand, it is perfectly plain that
these taxes cause an enormous loss to farm
ers, because they grow the expertlblos that
are necessarily depressed in value by just so
much us the importables are enhanced in
value by these taxes.
Party Spirit the Farmers Third Foe.
| IhllS splIll ll'tS Dceh pallICuihIIS Injurious
TO the farmers of this country, because they
have ranged themselves pretty evenly in
both of the two political parties and the two
parts have thus completely neutrllized each
other. The interests of the farmers have
had no weight in either Of the political par
ties, simply because the farmers themselves
stood over against each other in two Oppos-
ing camps. Thus the farmers, rs such, lost
all weight and influence in political affairs,
They are TO be congratulated and applauded
that the mass of them have made up their
minds to act no longer with the old political
parties, or with any other parties in fact, for
the present Let them adhere to this deter