The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1885-10-02
PnorEcrloN AND rME rAnMERs.


An exchange in treating Of the pro-
lection which high tariff men claim is
afforded farmers by che present tariff
law, says that it is still claimed that
protection gives the farmers ready
market for their produce, A good
many other people have said the same
thing, but not recently, Most intelli.
gent protectionists have abandoned that
ground. 1t is so battered and riddlsd
by the truth that only the misinformed
would think Of resorting to it. Pro-
tSctionists who know what they are
talking about have long ago given up
the attempt to convince the American
farmer that he profits by being taxed.
These protectionists should be informed
by Mr.. Henry Cabot Lodge, who is
revenue reformer in principle and a
protectionists for votes, that the high
tariff energies are now to be directed to
proving to laboring men that 10 cents
= day is a princely income, and higher
OAe than they would get ware it not
for the present tariff.
The farmers, ,uext to the workingmen,
are at the bottom under the protective
system. BY reason of the natural
growth Of the agricultural interest Of
this country their crops are greatly in
excess of the demand of the home mar
ket. In the fiscal year 1884, the farm
ers exported 15,247,5l0 bushels of
Indian corn; 27,256,427 bushels Of
oatmeal and 70,s49,012 bushels of
wheat. Nor do these great quantities
represent all that the American farmers
sent abroad. Protection has not yet
succeeded in building up for the farmer
home market for the produce Of his
land. On the contrary, under the low
tariffs between 1850 and 1860, the
homo market consumed a much greater
percentage of the products of our farms
than is now bought by our manufac-
turing towns. The consequence is that
the price of wheat and other agricul-
turAl products is fixed in Liverpool.
In the price of the exported surplus
Is to found the result of competition
with the world. The protectionists
have had no care or concern for the
farmer. They protest against compell-
ing American labor TO compete with
what they call foreign pauper labor.
They are not sincere even in this, for
American labor is as poorly paid aud
more highly taxed than any other labor
in the world, and the very men VIII o
pretend to the possession Of philan-
thrOpic feeling for the workingmsn n
induce cheap labor from Europe to
come hitber to compete with America
wOrkingmen aud To lower their wages
But granting that they are sincere in
their assertions that they desire pro.
lection in order to sustain high er wages,
they have no such friendship for the
American farmer. While they have
been building up q wall to give the
control Of the market to the mAnufac-
turerS, they have permitted the farmer
TO suffer from competition with the
cheap labor Of Southern Russia and
with the ryOts of India. Under cur
Prote;tivs system, the farmer pays a
tex Of about 40 per cent. on what he
buys in the way Of clothes and machin-
cry, and completes, in Liverpool and
here, with the natives of India whose
clothing is yard of cotton for their
loins, and whose abundant food is rice.
The assertion n brotectionists that
they are working for the interests of
the laboring people of the country has
long teen shown to be basslsss, and of
all men the farmers are they who are
taxed for the building up of private
fortunes without any compensation.
The American farmer buys in the. dear
est market and sells in the cheapest.