Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-10-01
American Markets for Amer.
lean Farmers.

Markets Of the WORTH nor open to
the Competition Of Our Foot PRO.
ducers-90 per cent. Of orr root
Products consumed at Home.
The gentleman from Texas Mr..
Mills ustides his advocacy of this
measure the Morrison bill on the
ground that it is in the interest of
the farmers Of the United States,
and a large portion Of his speech
was devoted to showing that with
this reduction the markets Of the
world would be open for the cOmpe.
titiOn of Ourfood producers. Why,
sir, they are open now. He an.
nOunced the startling doctrine
that a foreign market was better
than home market for the farmer ;
that is, 1t was better the farmer
should ship his products to other
nations rather than to sell them to
consumers at home, and that the
tariff was a restraint and Obstruc-
ton to the sale of our products
abroad. lie did not disclose how
or in what way. take it the farm
er will send his products abroad
when there is a demand for them,
and only then. lie did not show
us in what way the benefit was to
accrue. He did not demonstrate
that the price received by the pro.
Queer would be larger if sold to a
foreign consumer than if sold to
our own people.
1t has always seemed to me that
it was infinitely better that the
farmer should have a market at
home, a market at his very door,
than to be compelled to seek a
market in distant countries and
among distant populations. AS
long as there is q demand at home
it is a self.evident proposition that
it IL better than TO seek consumers
abroad, and that the home demand
is safer, more reliable, and more
profitable than any foreign market
can possibly be. American buyers
are the best in the world. He did
not tell the committee what is the
fact, 90 per cent. of the food pro-
ducts of the United States is con-
sumed at home, and thatonly about
ten per cent. has to find market
abroad. He differs, too, from his
colleague, (Mr. Hewitt, of New
York; who said in his speech,
March q:
Now, how can the farmer be benefited
What does he wantf lie wants TO sell his
productions at higher price. And how
is he going TO sell his products at higher
price as the grain trade stands to-day
The markets Of Europe are oyercrowded
with food products. To-day the farmer is
met at Liverpool and London by the food
products of India, and that competition so
far from being less is going to increase. -
Therefore, the farmer has reached the
limit of the demand for his products in
foreign lands. Where, then, is he to find
his market for theml He must find his
market at home, and how is he going TO
get it at homef Why, only by one meth.
od-manufacture must be fOstered and
grow and not be diminished.
The foreign market, for which
every tariff idealist and every Dem
cratic free.trader longlngly slghs,
is only mythical in the present con
dition of our country. We should
capture the home market, first get
control of it, before we seek the
foreign one. We cannot command
a foreign market until we can con-
troll our own. 1t seems to me that
proposition is 80 plain and palpa'
bic that it must commend itself to
every intelligent man.-Hoa. Wm.
Mckinley, Dr., Of ohio, in House Of
Representatives., april 80, 1884.