National Republican., 1883-02-17

cultivation of tho soil has little wealth, few
markets, aud no inducCment TO produce q
surplus oC anything. Protection Increases
tho vauo of production. In the carly days
Of our manufactures wheat has boon sold ut
less than DO cents u bushcl. There was
surplus for which there was little
demand because nearly every head of q
family provided his own supply. Sixty
years ago the price Of our wheat exports at
the place of shipment was but 90 cents pcr
hushcl. and IL required SO bushels Of that
wheat to pay for n ton Of pig iron imported
the same year. Last ycnr2j bushels of wheat
would pay for n ton Of pig iron of our own
manufacture, and yet we are told that far
mcrs arc ruined by the tariff on iron. Tho
reason of this great difference is in the fact
that between four and five millions of pig
iron arc now made annually In the United
States or moro than ten times us much
as was produced In Great Britain
sixty years ago and moro than was made
there In any year prior to 1853 Take nota-
bic example of the crushing weight OF over
productivcnCss upon prices. y few years ago
when cotton was % cents a pound, tho plant
ing returns disclosed the fact that in June
onc-third increase In arcH had boon made l
at once predicted that with season favorng
an average yield the price of middling cotton
would fall in six months to 10 cents pound.
Tho increase was more than million Of bales,
tho average price less than 10 cents pound,
and the total crop brought 60 the growers
$t5,OOOoOO lcas than the last years crop.
4 striking illustration of tho influence of
manufactures on the profits of agriculture is
presented by the census Comparing the av-
cragc value of production for each person
farmer or farm laborcr-cngaged in farming,
we havo $i3 for Pennsylvania and $3.50 for
Virginia; 1891 for Ohio and $50 for Ken
tucky; Si61 in Illinois and 1916 in Mime
ta 81 a IA a INF
four sections, the first comprising tho manu-
featuring and mining areas, and including
all having smaller proportion than
30 per cent. Of the occupied population of
the working class engaged in agricultural
employments tho second section comprising
states having more than 30 and under 80 per
cent: the third including all having over so
per cent. and less than 20 per cent, and the
fourth including all states with more than 75
per cent. engaged in farming, we have the fol-
lowing perfectly natural, not TO say inevita-
bic. results: First section, average value of
product per man, Si67; second section, 1894
third, S26l fourth, SlGl. Thus the states
with less than per cent of their people en-
gagged in farming realize nearly three times
as much per man as those which have over 20
per cent. in farm work, In other words, one
man in the first section realizes as much as
three men in the last.
Protection increases the wages Of farm
laboy In 1870 when wages and prices gem
orally were high, the average wages of farm
labor in the first or manufacturing class of
states was S3i, vi,ilc la the last, exclusively
agricultural, it was but $l5. When the panic
came, and years of manufacturing depression
followed, mechanics and artisans competed
with farm laborers and reduced the price of
rural labor. This fact has been denied, but
is proved by official statistics,
The influence of manufactures ON local
prices is plainly traccable in different por-
tons of the states themselves-by tho furnace
fires, the mines, the factories that thicllly dot
the locations whore high prices for farm labor
prevail.
OTHER ADDRESSES.