Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1886-02-20
AMERICAN FARMERS,
Their Future as Affected by the
Competition OF India and South
America---An Important Paper.

"Mr. John w. Bookwalter," says
the Chicago Tribune, "warns the
American people that their great and
imminent danger is the loss of their
best customers for agricultural pro-
ducts. England is by far our best
customer, and, as MI. Bookwalter
points out, England has been buying
freely from us because our market is
easy Of access, because our supplies
rarely fail, and because her own
colonial dependencies have been COM
paratively ~undeveloped as sources of
supply which have l~atterly been grow
ing in Importance. There is India,
Australia and the Argentine Republic.
The people Of these and other countries
are every year becoming more and
more formidable competitors of the
farmers Of the United States. The
danger is that they will defeat us in
THE COMPETITIVE STRUGGLE,
because they are not one-sided traders.
Not only are they glad to sell their
surplus to England and other Eu.
ropean countries, but they are willing
to take their pay in the products Of
those countries. We, on the other
hand, though glad enough to sell to
them, are unwilling to buy from them.
We need not be surprised, therefore, if
they. n turn, decline to buy from US
as freely as they have been accustomed
to do. and prefer to buy from those
who are willing TO buy from them. We
have seen something Of this already
enough, it would seem, 10 awaken our
farmers to their peril and set them to
think about the cause. They know very
we'll that some Of
THE LEADING COUNTRIES OF EUROPE,
that were once excellent customers OF
theirs, have for some years been OK
GLIDING American swine products from
the markets. 1t is well enough known
that those countries have done this in
a spirit of retaliation. For a quarter
of u century we have been shutting
their products out OF our markets.
Now they retaliate by shutting their
doors against u products. Aud
whore they do not wholly exclude they
interpose nearly insurmounteble tar II
obstacles, just as we do in dealing with
their products.
THE FAIR TRADE IDEA.
There is much in the returns OF tho
late elections of members of parlia-
ment in Great Britain TO arrest the at
tention Of American farmers. 1t is
true that the tories have not won a ma
jorlty Of the seats, but it is also true
that they have o many seats on the
distinct issue of what they are pleased
to call fair trade or reciprocity So
many, indeed, have they won that the
tory premier has embodied 'reciproci-
ty' in his parliamentary programme.
Now, this thing that they call 'reci-
procity' is nothing more or less than
tariff retaliation. and it is aimed cs
pecially at the United States. No at
tempt Is made to conceal that fact.
What the tory cabinet proposes is to
impose discriminating duties on the
products OF those countries that lay
heavy import taxes IN British pro-
ducts. And they propose TO lay es-
pecially high duties On such imports as
come into competition with British
~prodscts.
CAN NOT THE AMERICAN FARMER SEE
that there is something here in which
Re is Interested? The southern farmer
is n IT SO much interested, for there is
no party in England that proposes to
lay an import tax or such q material
Of manufacture as raw cotton. But
the northern farmer is very deeply in
terested. Hero is the best customer
for his surplus wheat, corn, beef, pork
and dairy products seriously threaten
ing to withdraw his custom. He is
threatening TO buy these things of
those who are willing to take their pay
in British products. He is threatening
to discriminate against the products of
American farms. If he proposed to
treat all alike, it might not be so sori-
Gus a matter. But that is not what he
proposes to do at all. He proposes to
give an advantage over the American
farmer to those competitors who are
willing to buy British goods. II is
true that the British party Of r%etalia-
tion is not yet strong enough to carry
out this programme. But it is not less
true that 1t developed unexpected
strength at the late elections. Parties
are SO evenly balanced in the new
house OF commons that that body is
is not likely TO last long, and the retail
iators may win in the next elections.
SOURCES OF SUPPLY.
"Meantime. no effort will be spared
to develop other sources of supply OF
both food and materials of manufac-
ture. The railway system will be ex-
tended in India. AS Mr.. Bookwalter
says, the announcement has recently
bt n made that Englishmen are going
TO spend S., 5000, 600 in the construc.
ton of railways and the improvement
of harbors in the Argentine Republic.
To this.i. may DO added that the Ar
gentine Republic is rapidly growing in
population, and that its %esOurce are
being very rapidly developed. The re-
sources of Australia, too, are being de-
veloped at 40 slow pace. 1t will be
seen, therefore, that however foolish it
may be for England to engage in a
tariff wal with us, she is likely to be
in a condition to do this, with the adj
vantage ON their side. III no very dis.
tant day.
THE COMPETITIVE STRUGGLE.
"But, aside from any question Of 70.
| faIi9tipp m tho mart nf EpuIopd thn