Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1880-10-28
The Farmer and the Tariff.

From the Columbus Journal.
The fifty millions of American people
cannot all be profifably employed In
agriculture. We have now in the United
States over twenty-five millions Of peo-
pie who produce morning in the way Of
food. These people are mainly engaged
in manufacturing mining and mechan.
ical pursuits. .
Without our manufacturing establish
ments more than One-half of the miners
would be out OF employment; and with
out miners there would be but few
operatives in factories and workshops OF
Ohio.
The Democratic idea OF a "Farmer
Republic" therefore, means the trans
formation OF from fifteen to twenty
millions of miners and operatives In
factories into agriculturists, thus add
ing fifty per cent. to the production OF
grain. beef, pork, butter, etc., and at
the same time diminishing the market
for these articles sixty or seventy per
cent.
The central idea Of the Democratic
statesmen who talk of a "Farmer Re-
public" Is that the American people
should confine their industries to ag-
riculture and buy their manufactured
articles in the markets OF Europe,
for the reason that, labor being cheap
in Europe, manufacturers there can
produce fabrics cheaper than In Amer
lea.
Just now the farmers Of the West are
receiving millions of free trade PAM
phlets, bearing the imprint of London
publishing houses, but sent out under
the auspices of the Democratic National
Committee. In these pamphlets the
argument is used that the Western
farmer should support free trade cam
didates for Congress, and thus en-
courage trade with the "mother coun-
try" Great Britain needs our grain,
beef and pork, and of course admits
such articles practically free of duty.
The Western farmer is urged to vote for
members of Congress who will recipro-
cate, and admit British fabrics free OF
daty.
These British free traders and their
American allies assume that the Western
farmer is stupid ass; that he does not
read the newspapers; and does not know
that the value of the products Of his
farm depends mainly on the home mar
let. They assume that the Western far
mer is prejudiced against manufacturers
and manufacturing corporations, and
that he is ready to vote them out of ex-
istence at the first opportunity. They
assume that the farmer is desirOus of
adding to the number of American agri-
culturists and diminishing the number
of American artisans, thus augmenting
agricultural products while contracting
or diminishing the market.
Were 1t not for the twenty-five mill
Ions of American consumers who are
not producers Of food, and If the Western
farmers had to depend upon the Euro
pean market, wheat would not bring
fifty cents per bushel, and pork and beef
would not find market at two cents
per pound. There are thousands of
farmers yet living in Ohio who have
sold grain, pork and beef at these fig
ures, or less, simply because we then
had no home market that amounted to
any thing.
Do these farmers want to drive out of
the State, or into agricultural pursuits,
the thousands Of skilled workmen now
employed in our cities and manufactur-
ing villagess If they do not they
shoul vote for Garfield on the I'd Of No.
vember.