Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-08-21
Butler's Rid

In his TRADE against everything and
every body that are not for him, Butler
furnishes an instructive example of
the ease with which the most cunning
demagogue may contradict his own
assertions. He wanted to capture the
farmers and the mechanics on the
tariff hook, but the bait he puts out
for them Is so various, that both are
more likely to be made suspicious OF
the whole thing if they pause to exam
Inc before nibbling.
Eudeavoring to catch the farmers,
he tells them of the need of a tariff to
build up manufactures which shall
employ population to furnish a
"home MARKET for their agri.
cultural products. Speaking to
the Disconnected workingmen he
tells them that the factories
already in operation produce more
than the country can consume, the re-
suit of which is that numbers of them
have to close down, throwing thou
slnds Of workmen out of employment.
The intelligent artisan will inquire
why more factories are necessary to
provide a home market for the farmer
II there are so many in the country
now that they cannot find market to
enable them To run on full time and
pay living wages while the cautious
farmer, before taking the bait, will
want to know how he is to find home
market for his rapidly increasing pro-
ductlon among factory operatives, II
the mills already here are above the
number needed to supply the demands
of the country.
A few figures on this point are per.
tinent enough here, seeing that Mr..
Logan, the Republican candidate.
attempts an argument of the same
nature rs that made by Butler. During
the decade from 1870 to 1850, our popu.
lation increased in a ratio of a little
less than 80 per cent. During the
same period our exports of agricultural
commodities, which are a measure OF
our surplus production, increased as
follows; Cereals, PA per cent; hog
products, l lSs per cent /; beef, 4S3 Der
cent; live cattle, 900 per cent; cotton.
% per cent. The increase of produc.
ton was out of all proportion to the
increase of population who were ia
consume 1t, and the necessity of the
case demands that our farmers
must find market In foreign
lands for this surplus prod
uct, or allow 1t to go to waste for
want OF a market which the home de-
mand cannot supply Butler and L }.
gan say make a market by establishing
manufactures and engaging lars q
numbers of consumers in their opera.
ton. Here they are confronted bv the
TACT cited by Butler and known bv
everybody, that the manufacturlny
capacity Of the country is now over.
done, aud mills all over the cmntry
are Idle for want of a market for their
wares.
The wheat crop Of 1880 wa, 4os 600
ooo bushels, of hich sla 900, 900 Ibush-
els We're consumed at home, leaving
iso'ooo 600 for which there was no de.
mand. The foreign market was the
farmers only hope Of getting rid of
TINS surplus. lfhe had not been allowed
70 send It abroad it would have rotted
III the bins for the lack OF purchasers
~ nome. To furnish domestic mar.
Ret adequate to absorb the probable
wheat surplus of the present wear
would require an enlargement of our
haauiacturing enterprises at least five.
lo'd thelr present capacity. With the
present capacity greater than the de-.
nand, 1t Is chimerical to look for relief