The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1884-04-10

\
. preston so solemnly made. Man
= from that hour foreswore the soci!
glass.
The Farmer and the Tariff.
Mr.. EDITOR can n
more afford to be free traders tha
manufacturers, mechanics and Is
borers can. Judicious tariff for rev
enue and protection protects tn
farmers as well as the other classes
This is not well understood by tn
masses of the people because the,
have not considered the question
thoughtfully. They have Listened
too much to politicians and dema
gogues clamoring falsely to be the
followers of Jefferson and jackson
neither Of whom ever favored fire,
trade. They were for incidental
pratection, i. e., tariff so framed
as to provide revenue and at the
same time so wisely adjusted as to
I give protection to home Industries.
Any other policy would be undem-
ocratic, suicidal and ruinous, not
only to manufacturers as a class,
but to farmers as well and to com
merce. 1t would :paralyze the
country as completely as a cyclone
would destroy a forest. Free trade
would dethrone king cotton, de-
stroy the growing manufacturing
industries of the south, ruin the
sorghum industry now developing
SO rapidly, and completely check
mate every advance move. You
ask chow can this be? We have
been taught just the reverse. We
have been told that farmers are
made to pay the cost of tariff and
virtually to support the manufac
turers." Yes, we know this is the
teaching of the politicians. But let
us think for ourselves for a little
while and see the nonsense of the
idea. Suppose we repeal the tariff
and admit everything free, what
will follow? OF course prices of
manufactured goods fall at once
and apparently consumers are ben
efitted, but in fact they are dam
aged. Listen. The old countries
with pauper labor can manufacture
cheaper than we can, and they
would flood America with goods,
wares, machinery and agricultural
implements cheaper than we can
make them. This of course would
drive manufacturers out of business
in this country and when you shut
up shops and factories you drive a
large population out of business.
What are they to do for a living?
Why, farm, of course. There is
nothing else left. So thus they be-
come producers of breadstuff and
cotton instead of consumers. Can
you not look on ahead now and see
the Ifar-reaching results? Who is
to buy our bread, sugar, rice and
COTTON? Those who formerly
bought them from us are now pro-
ducers themselves. They are now
our competitors instead of our Gus
toners, and by the policy of free
trade we have thus doubled our pro
duct of the raw material and have
no buyers left-all producers and
no consumers. Does it require any
far reaching ken to see the result?
No manufacturers means double
product on the farm, a lessening of
demand at least half, no commerce
of any consequence, no need for
railroads, and general impoverish-
ment-and all we get in return is
the glittering absurdity, free trade.
Be deceived no longer by the oily
tongue of the politician. Jefferson
and jackson never advocated this
ruinous policy. Incidental protec-
tion to American industries means
prosperity to farmers as we'll as to
manufacturers. Admit that a farm
er pays a little more for his hat,
coat, boots, blankets, &C., is he not
better able to pay double price if
necessary, if he prospers under it,
rather than impoverish himself and
all the rest of mankind in America
just for the sake of whimsical
idea. Imagine this a free trade
country with no factories, no ships
and everybody farmers. Who
would eat our wheat, corn, rice,
pork, beef, sugar, who would buy
our cotton, wool, iron, coal, timber?
We would be nation of producers,
with plenty of raw material tut no
price for it. Is it not too ridicu-
lous to think about seriously?
Under such a policy it would re
quire bale of cotton to buy an
English made hat, barrel of sugar
to buy pocket knife, and bush
el of wheat to buy paper of pins.
Who wants it? Certainly above all
others not the farmer. He gets lit
tie enough for his produce now and
he wants more consumers and few
er producers if possible, and is
therefore, or should be, the friend
of incidental protection and encour
agement to manufacturing indus
tries that will increase demand for
cotton, corn and wheat and increase
his own wealth and prosperity, ant
is willing to pay little something
if necessary for a policy which pay
him such handsome dividends. H,
is for the protection which protect
his own interest incidentally if no
directly. Elk.
The Nashville Cotton Mills, O
Nashville. Tenn, have met witt