The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-06
LIVING POLITICAL ISSUES.
The Tariff and It's Close Relation to
the Agricultural Interests.
Opinions and Purposes of Mr.. Randall as to
the Morrison Bill-A Letter from
- Ex-Governor Hendricks.
The Indian Wheat Crop To Be the Decisive
Factor in Settling the Question.

Factor in Settling the Question.
| Frank Wilkeson, in New York sun.
That the breadstuf producers of the Western
States are not in a financially fourshing condi-
ton is patent to all observers. When March
wheat is selling for 80 cents bushel in Chicago
as it is, the pockets of the farmers who produce
the wheat are apt to be empty, That there is
no buying of large quantities of wheat for eX-
port at the low prices ruling sharply indi
Gates that England, which is the great wheat
consuming country of Europe is buying else
where. This fact is of vital Importance
For years we have produced more wheat than
we could consume. The price obtained for the
surplus set the price for the entire crop. The
price of wheat in Liverpool has in the past de
termined the price in Chicago During such
years as the yield was below the average in
England, if accompanied by any marked short
age in our crop, the price of wheat rose rapidly
and our agriculture fourished, though the crop
was short. If full crop was secured in Eu-
rope and we too made full crop, the price of
wheat was comparatively low; but the foreign
demand for the grain was stimulated by the
low price, and our crop moved briskly from the
interior to the export ports on the seaboard. Our
railroads were proftably employed in moving
JIG crop. DnOFIlOuo SuHlo VI IOiViSh lAOiiOS
were distributed throughout the upper Missis-
sippi valley. Times were prosperous. Our
farmers, who owned cheap and virgin lands and
who used the most improved labor-saving agri-
cultural TOOLS thought they had firm grip on
the food-consumng markets of the world They
believed that they could dictate the price wheat
should be sold for.
The crop of 1882 moved slowly. 1t Jagged and
dragged from the farmers gamers to the collect
ing points in the West There it clogged the
machinery of trade and, in spite of the strenu-
GUS efforts of wealthy bull cliques, it moved but
sluggishly toward the consuming points, There
was not a marked overproduction that year; in
deed the yield had been far exceeded in previ-
Gus harvests. 1t was evident to all thinking
men that the foreign demand was being sup
piled from other fields. The crop of 1883 moved
slothfully. The farmers stored their surplus
wheat in hopes of obtaining higher prices than
were offered in the interior market towns. This
wheat was held firmly by the producers, in ex-
pectation of sharp increase in the price, and
they keep it still But such wheat as has
been thrown on the market by the pro
ducers who were unable to hold it, has proved
sufficient to supply the home demand and
there is go foreign demand of sufficient mag
nitude to cause wheat to advance IN price The
harvest months OF 1oof are approaching, dIlt all
Spectators know that unless an unexpected and
imperative demand for breadstuffs is created,
there are many millions Of bushels more wheat
than we can possibly consume lying in the gar
ners of our Western farms. The price does not
advance, and under the circumstances it can not
| advance
The causes of the depreciation in the value Of
wheat and the constantly shrinking foreign de
mand for the grain, are apparently obscure TO
the usually keen intellects of the free-trade
Western congressman. They realize that the
Western breadstuf producers are not prosper
ing. They vehemently assert that their con
stituents are staggering to poverty under the
load of taxation laid on them by high protective
tariff. That is the explanation of the condition
of trade, the Western Democratic congressman
tell us, that is almost universally believed in the
Mississippi valley States.
Years age thinking men prOphesied that when
India was supplied with railroads on which to
transport her products she would compete keen
ly with the United States for the privilege of
supplying the English with breadstuffs They
further said that in the inevitable contest to be
waged between the Indian and American wheat
growers. the former would be victorious. and
that the wheat produced by the poorly paid,
poverty stricken laborers of India would drive
American wheat from the English ports, and
probably bar it out of all European markets.
The depression now brooding heavily over our
wheat market is due to the fact that India is eX-
porting wheat to England in large quantities.
Competent English authorities have estimated
that 80, 100000 bushels of Indian wheat of the
crop of 1883 has been marketed i'll England, OF
soon will be. 1t is confidently asserted
by the same authorities that the
quantity produced in India will annually
increase, and that the export will increase the
production does, until, in the near future Eng
land, in years of average Indian crops, will
draw her needed supply entirely from India, in
stead of from the United States. Under no con
ceivable circumstances can our farmers success
fully compete with the Indian wheat growers in
supplying the markets Of Europe Whether
they can hold the markets now afforded them by
the manufacturing and Atlantic seaboard States
of our own country. unless they protected
by tariff that will maintain our domestic man
ufactures, is question that will be solved in the
future.
Now, when England is developing the extern
veloped, will have exporting capacity of at
least 400, 900, 900 bushels per year in hopes of
obtaining cheaper food for her hand workers
than our food producers can supply, the unwise
congressman who represent Western agricultural
constituencies propose to reduce the tariff. and,
by so doing, reduce the wages paid to the work
ers in the mines, mills and furnaces They wish
to enact laws that will diminish the breadstuff-
consuming capacity of our own market and this
in the face of the fact that our agrculturiss are
now threatened with the first serious competi
ton they have been called to encounter and
that the probabilities are that in less than dec
ade there will be no foreign demand for Ameri
can grown wheat
The condition of the wheat market and, in
deed. of tho foodconsuming markets of the
world, and of the fields from which they draw
their supplies. is worthy of careful study by
those Democratic congressman who are keen to
reduce the tariff.