National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-03-14

American and European Farmers.
The American farmer scarcely realizes his
prosperous condition as compared with
farmer in any other country in the world
Those of our adopted citizens who have expe-
rlcnced something of the hard conditions that
obtain in tho old world ought to turn deaf
ear to the theorists, on both sides of tho
ocean, who invite them to pull down Amori-
can labor-agricultural and mechauical--to
the level of that of Europe,
| Let our farmers lend themselves TO the re.
| duction Of our tariff low enough to flood our
markets with foreign manufactures, and so
stop our mills and factories, and let US sup
pose that thereby they would be enabled to
purchase tho very fcw foreign articles which
| they require at loss than they have to pay for
home manufactures. What would be the
rosult2 In the first place they would not
sell pound Of wheat more to Europe than
they do now; and, in the second place, by
reducing the purchasing capacity of tho
working people Of tho United States, they
| would find themselves without home markets
for their products. This would cause elut
and tho prices would SO tumble that for overy
dollar made in the purchase of foreign manu-
features they would lose ono hundred dollars
by the fall in the prices of their products.
DO our farmers--or, in fact our legislators
stop to consider tho relative value of the
home and foreign markets? II not, it is time
they should and to aid them in this very
necessary knowledge the following analysis,
prepared from official returns, is presented:
Ninety per cent of all the agricultural pro-
ducts raised in the United States is consumed
in the United Statos-tho exact percentage is
! o. but tho margin of per cent. is given to
the foreign consumption-and only 10 per
cent. exported Our exports being grouped
and aggregated and continuously paraded in
all their magniGcence of volume and value,
before the public eye, this statement will sur
prise many of our tariff reformers who seem
to imagine that our whole national existence
hangs upon the wheat and corn exported TO
Europe.
1t Is a most conservative estimate, when
We assume that free trade, by the destruc-
ton Of our yet unprotected industries, would
inside ofthree years reduce this homo con-
sumption one-lourth, simply because idle or
pauper-waged men and women could not pur-
chase as they now purchase This would at once
swell our available exports to more than
three times their present volume. Where
would we find consumption therefor? Think
what a tumble in prices would be the result I!
1t would also give food to the people of
Europe at such prices as would render it
utterly impossible for its farmers to exist.
Then would the cry go up for protection
against American agricultural products, and
cvory country in Europe, for its own salvation,
would bo forced to shut out our meats aud
cereals.
Already the farmers of Europe are crying
out for prohibition of American agricultural
products. Our consul at Liegc, Belgium, an
official who has given the subject good deal
OF thought, and who has time and again
warned our government and people of coming
events in Europe, has forwarded to the de.
partment of state report on the cereal and
meat markets of tho old world which con.
tnins some statements calculated to open the
eyes of our farmers to the fact that in pulling
down our manufactures they will pull down
the whole temple and kill themselves in
their blindness. "Low prices of imported
. grain" says the report, that benefit the
e bulk of the people are an injury to the farmer
both of this and other European states. Mos
Of the farmers in Europe are strong prohi
bitionists They would establish prohibition
on the necessares of life, even knowing tina
they could under no circumstances make VI
Q the deficiency"