Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1874-10-02
The Tariff.

LOW uOtS, hep
The Tariff.
The present low price of wheat should
cause the farming interests to think seri-
ously on the iniquities of our present sys-
tenn of protective tariffs. The information
is that this year there will be but one pur-
chaser for our wheat crop: The crops are
50 unusually abundant in Russia, Germany,
Turkey and Hungary, that England is
likely to be the only buyer and that to the
extent of only some 100000 or a little
more perhaps. In the sale of this amount
we have of course to compete with the
surplus made in the other wheat growing
countries. The effect of all this is already
being felt in the reduced price of this
cereal, which is now selling for about $1.20
and probably will, before long, be down
lower, when the farmers send their wheat
to market, which they are now foolishly
holding back. 1t may then drop to per-
haps 80 or 80 cts. At this rate or even at
81, it will bring the farmer in debt, because
it costs him 81 per bushel to make it. Now
why is it that it costs this much to raise
wheat9 Simply because of the swindling
tariff, which taxes everything which the
farmer has to buy for the benefit of the
favored monopolists of New England and
Pennsylvania. Let us see how it works
Take any single item, which is an actual
necessity in every household-say, for in
stance, blankets. 1t is estimated that we
use about $2O,OOO,OOo worth of blankets
per year. With such large consumption,
one would naturally suppose that the people
ought to be allowed to have the markets
of the world from which to choose. but
present Ubiquitous tariff, we can only buy
from the New England manufactures. The
duty on this necessary article is nearly
prohibitory. If ranges from 80 to 140 per
cent. AS might be expected, under this
tariff very few blankets, and those only of
the very finest and most costly fabric, and
which can alone be bought by the wealthy,
are imported. The amount of this impor-
tation for the last year only amounted to
$3,445. In 1860, under the Democratic
revenue tariff, pair of 1914 blankets cost
$3.50, now they cost $3.50. So that it
takes six and four fifths bushels of wheat
to purchase what ought only to cost little
over three and a-half bushels. And so we
might go on through the whole catalogue
of every thing the farmer has to buy. He
has to pay higher wages because the laborer
IN his turn has to pay more for his blankets,
his shoes, his clothes, and even his medi
cines, or any other necessary. So the far
mer has to pay more, not only for his house
hold necessaries, but for everything used
on the farm. Every implement, whether
made of wood or iron. is protected" by
prohibitory duties, which enable the mon
epolists to sell them at double price. If
iron, then the Pennsylvania gets the bene-
fit If made of wood and paint, then the
New Highlander pockets the profits. But it
I'LL COIlcS ouI VI eHC lol iiSi. W hSeiSi II pS
nails or paint, a cradle, with or without
rockers, or a coffin, it is all the same-it
is taxed, taxed by our odious protective
system until it costs the tiller of soil from
thirty to fifty per cent more than he could
buy it for In the markets of the world, if
lie were allowed to do so. Ifthis enormous
taxation resulted IN putting anything into
the public Treasury, or helped in any way
to pay the national debt, perhaps we would
not complain so bitterly. But it does no.
thing of the kind. 1t only puts money
into the pockets Of the monopolists of New
England and Pennsylvania Is it any
wonder that those people are ''truly loil'
and strong adherents of the Republican
party? They know we'll enough that the
Democratic party will never consent that
the masses shall be taxed for the benefit
of the capitalists, and the moment this
party gets into power the present tariff will
be repealed, and one for revenue alone will
be enacted. When THAT day comes then
prices for their crops and be able to buy
nesessaries for their worth. AS it is now, it
is only by the utmost parsimony that they
can live. Indeed, when we come to con-
slider the further fact, that they are cheated
out of ten per cent by the rag money in
which they are paid, it is wonder that
any of them cam make both ends meet
Oranges and grangers may all be very well,
but the safety and salvation of the farmers
il only in getting the present protective
system abolished, and that can only be
done by voting with the Democratic party,
which fights under the banner Of Free
Trade.