The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-02-06
AFARNEa ON TARIFF.
James Woods Address at HaVefioFu
College 20 the Alumni.

James Wood, of Mount Kisco, \.
y. lectured last night in Alumni
Hall at Haverford College, an The
Tariff Question from an Agricultur-
lists Standpoint" Mr.. Wood Is
prsctical agriculturist and, besides
managing his farm at Weschester
county. not far from New York City,
deyotss much of his leisure time 10
the study of political and economic
questions. He was graduated from
Haverford in 1865 and mas appeared
before the college boys many times
In the last year lecturing on Amer
lean History" He is an answering
advocate of the American system OF
Protection. and his argument last
night was the expression OF a farm
ers practical experiences in the field
and research in the library. The
body of his thought is appended:
am asked to discuss the subject
of the tariff question from the point
of view of the Agriculturist. This Is
an exceedingly important topic, on
account of the vast interests cencur-
red. The farmers are the reserve
pswer Of the land. They are the
great bulwark of the Government.
because the influences which sur
round them and which they exert
are elevating, while the influence of
the cities. in the main, is demoraliz-
ing and downward in Its tendency.
FREE TRADE N AMERICA.
| wish to ask in the first place,
why is it that the doctrine OF free
trade is so generally taught IN the
American colleges?
Ny answer is this: Political econ
omv is an exact science from the
Free-traders point Of view The
facts on which it is based are few In
number. The science is well order
ed. and. given certain circumstanc
es. certain deductions, and only these
deductions can be made But the
protectionists claims that every con
dition of the country must be con
sidered. Mere fixed rules OF figures
will not do. The sentiments of pa
triotism and philanthropy must be
taken into account; these are always
changing. and Of course there cannot
be as much law and fixed deduction
a. in the Free-trade idea Of political
economy. Now. a college professor
is generally a lover OF those sciences
that follow rule He will say:
These are too loose forms. ! must
teach that which is science. There
fore. | viii discard this theory Of
Protection for its opposite but better
ordered system of Free Trade. In
the discussion of this question tins
evening. it will be well to do away
with the terms of Free Trade, Free
Production and Protection. Besides,
what is an agricultnrist supposed to
know ofsuch things?
THE AMERICAN FARMER.
We viii start with the farmer
American representative Ameri-
can farmer He has cotton and corn
as the results of his labor on the
form. The cotton be sends to Man
chester. and il is made into cotton
goods hy the mills. The cost of this
amounts 10 20 per cent, of the worth
of what he sends. The corn, when
it reaches the other side. increases in
value from twenty cents for a certain
quantity to one dollar The cost Of
tnat corn enters into the value of the
cloth. For that cotton, which is
sent at a nominal figure, he has TO
pay one dollar, besides the cost of
transportation. 1t begins to astonish
the farmer. 1t looks to him as if he
were selling tie whole hide for a six
pence, and buying back the tail for
a shilling. So be makes a change.
He gets seme man TO make the cot
ton into cloth near home-right ad-
iacent TO his own farm. The man
muss have operatives. The opera
tives must have food. The farmer
supplies the food from his farm. and
what is the result? Why, he finds
the increase in his crops.
But while this new order of things
is going on so nicely there are other
men who must also come to the
farm and It's busy neigh0orhood.
The operations of all these people
have grown into such extensive pro-
portions that the middleman. the
trader, must step in. The merchant
must act between the others in the
transaction of the business that they
have. one with the other. The re-
suit of this is that the once purely
agricultural territory is now devel-
oped into something more valuable
1t has become q community, and the
value OF land has been greatly IN
creased. Why, by the Lew census
report | have ascertained that III the
great Commonwealth of Pennsylva-
MIA, where the farm and the mipe
and the factory are found side by
side, land is worth on an average of
$50 per acre, while in Virginia.
where farming prevails the most,
land is only worth SO per acre. And
another comparison worthy of your
study Is that the average product of
the Pennsylvania agriculturlst is
$3.50, while that OF the virginian is
but $50. Sc think that the prev
alence of purely agricultural pur-
suits is not so advantageous as
whore there Is an intermingling and
interdepeEdence Of industries. A
perfect condition of society is found
where production, distribution and
consumption exist in the nearest
equal degrees.
THE FARMERS COMMUNITY.
But to return TO the farmer and
his newly-made community. 4
strange man comes along one OF
vour persuasive Free Traders, and
be comes up to the farmer and says
10 him
| have a proposition to make to
you. Here you are paying Sl.25 for
articles that will sell yeu for 81.
Now, surely, you won't 90 on paying
out rore money for your goods than
is really necessary.
The farmer looks at the man, and
wonders II this is true lift Is" he
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