Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1884-10-07
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.

Mr.. Wilmington, editor of tllG Win.
field Courier, takes theBtaAd In the
last issue of his excellent paper, aud
gives his own recollections and expert
ences, showing how life and industry
have been affected in the country by
the various tariffs.
Mr.. Millington was born in the
spring of 1923, about the middle of the
last term of James Monroe. He re-
members, therefore, the notification
measures melted by John &. Calhoun,
and the agitation which led to the
"sliding scale" tariff growing lower
every year, from 1883 to 1884. He re-
members how, from year tc year, the
prices of labor, wheat corn, potatoes,
beef, pork, everything which the
farmer produced, went down also.
And how, in the midst Of these
wretched years, came the crash OF
1897.
1--WE were raised" says MIR. Milling.
ton. sin Rutland county, Vermont,
Our father was Wing, a warm advo-
cate of a protective tariff ; and farm
er. From 1887 to 1912 we we're IA to
10 years old and can remember well
the situation of those times. The
country where we lived was an old
country as compared with what Cow
ley county, Kansas, is now. The farm
ers had large orchards with plenty OF
first-class fruit, but they sold best graft
apples at IL l-2 to Is "a cents bushel,
when they could sell at all. They
made cider and could only get about
81 90 per barrel. They raised plenty
of potatoes and sold at 10 to IL IL
cents per bushel. Corn was worth 20
cents and wheat so cents per bushel.
They made maple sugar and sold 1t ut
the next town at 6 Ia cents a pound
Pork was worth S6.0 to 81. 90 per bar
rel and fine wool 25 cents per pound.
Everything else which the far mer had
to sell vas in Similar proportion"
People who have poor memories, OF
are incapable Of continuous reflection,
speak of these as the "goOd old tines
They were times, as Mr.. Millington
truly portra.s them, when farmers
were in the fields at lard and unre.
hitting work from six CLOCK in the
morning 10 seven O'Clock at night, and
in haying time from five O'Clock in the
morning 10 eight O'Clock At night, and
when able-bodied men hired out to
do this kind Of toll tor 800 year
The women worked as hard and more
hours than the men, and if Young
woman sought relief from this sort OF
drudgery in school teaching she re.
ceived IS cents a week.
In lS42,- when protective tariff was
enated, Mr.. Millington goes on TO say,
new era idawned upon Vermont
and hundreds of Vermont girls left
their .75 per cent. per week house
work or school tenching and went to
Lowell and other factory towns, to
work for three to six dollars a week
and more when they become experts
In the course of four Years prices OF
farmers prouduce, and of labor had
on an. average doubled. Wool went
up to rs cents per pound for fine Me.
rino fieeces, flour to ten dollars pei
barrel, potatoes to 25 cents per bushel
at the door, pork TO $l4 per barrel at
home. The farmers began to get
ahead. Carpets, pianos, paintings,
libraries, fine furniture, new houses,
and other evidences of thrift appeared.
In 1916, they were in the highest state
of prosperity the country ever
reached.
1t was just at this period, in face of
this prosperity that the Democratic
party enacted the tariff for "revenue
only" OF 1916; and now, as then, the
same party, when it dares to, assails
the industries of the country, immeas-
ureably greater than they were in
1864.
The great principles of political
economy do not change, aud if MIR.
Wilmington continues his recollections
in another chapter, he will only furth-
er demonstrate the need of protection
and the blind hostility of the Demo-
cratic party, TO that beneficent princi
p!e.-Champion.