Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-14
4 WATCH ON WALL STREET.
AGRICULTURAL.
The National Agricultural Co ventiOn at
ChicagO-Address on Free Trade by
Joseph Nj adili.

The National Agricultural Co vention at
Chicago Address on Free Trade by
Joseph Nj etliH.
HIcAGo, Dec 13.-The agricultural con-
vention this morning heard an address by
Hon. Joseph Medill upon free trade. Resp
buttons indorsing the Maryland and Della
ware ship canal were introduced and re-
ferred TO the committee on resolutions.
In the afternoon session, J. Sterling
Morton. of Nebraska, spoke on the tariff,
arguing that all tariff taxes not actually
needed by the government should be
abolished at once. President N. L.
Sprague, of Vermont, gave his experience
with - siios and ensilage," and WAS deluged
with questions at its close. The reports
Of the committee on forestry recommend
ing cooperation of state and national
government in planting trees
along water courses and of
tha. Or transportation recommending the
development of water competition by the
i'm provemert of rivers and building canals
We're laid over for discussion at the even
ing session. DR.. W:n. Hope, of Levi,
Scotland. read paper on The exhaustion
OF the soil in its relation to fertilizers, and
Hon. J. 3. Grinnell, of Iowa, one on the
subject What is due from agriculture to
posteritY."
Mr.. Medill spoke upon the theme, 8 the
tariff commissioners report" The speaker
said he had been boru and bred in the
high tariff school of Henry Clay and of
the higher tariff school of Pennsylvania
Democrats. but time. reading and observa
ton led him to change his mind, and be-
gin to doubt whether high duties are good
for the American people. The speaker
said the report of the tariff commissioner,
in some respects, was a surprise to him.
It was better than he antici pated from a
committee selected with special reference
to how not to do it. The
committee appointed was supposed
to be for the purpose of maintaining all the
monstrosities of the present tariff, and
adding new ones. if possible. It was not
for him to say how much the recent cleo
ton had to do with changing the original
intention. At all events the commission
had made fairly good report-a COM
mercement in the right direction of tariff
reform. According to their claim they
had taken OIL 20 per cent. and simplifed
imposing and collecting by throwing of
com pound duties. He noticed, however,
that the wooden manufacturers had
influence enough to retain
the present abomination, and 55,-
100000 wearerS of wooden goods
must still stand me tax. The commission
admitted the need of a free list. but fell
short in Carrying out this concession 10
common sense. An extended free list on
raw materials was specially needed. The
speaker instanced asphaltum, Potland ce-
ment, soda ash, bleaching powders, clays
of all kinds, coal, salt, lumber, copper, iron
ore. tax, tow. SEEDS, coarse woods, as
among the proper things to so Oh the
free list. and proceeded to argue from
the amount of goods manufactured and the
amount imported that farmers alone pay
5000, Geo to $500, 100000 annually more
than they should for their necessaries.
Farmers sell on free trade principles; the
tariff put down to their credit being mere
straw, chat, and worthless. The argument
that without tariff foreign goods would
press in and drive out home manufactures,
applies to but one-third of the people in
cities and towns, as the articles consumed
by the other two-thirds, not to mention
the farmers, are unprotected.
Wouldn't the manufacturers continue to
supply this two-thirds and the farmers, if
protection was taken of, the other fraction?
Protection, he said. was a system OF
reciprocal robbery. One manufacturer
protected TO the extent of so per cent. rob-
bed brother manufacturer to that extent.
The other manufacturer in turn robbed
him. II protection be take n of both they
would be atevens on a lower scale of prices.
He held our men are no longer babies, but
able to take care Of themselves. As result
of personal observation he found the Eng
fish free trade laborer as well paid as the
American protected laborer. Farmers
wages are one-third less. The price of
things he had to purchase were proper