The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1886-08-19
Does Q Protsclivs TsriR Benefit ths
Farmers Of kaBsas.

Does Q Protective TsriR BsnsAi TIE
Farmers Of Kansas.
4 paDef. read b.fOre the RtIrmers' Al
lance. Liberty TolgRslsip, by Geo.
AcPhGA, Esq.:
Ladies and GenfleIneEl 1T L. Of the
most vital importance 70 the rising
generation Of young men and women
that the policies of the two great par
Ties which are struggling for suprema-
cy ct the present day, should be
thoroughly discussed and understOOd.
AS the tariff question Is aeknOwl-
edged 10 be the main "bOne OF con-
tenliOn" between these two great par
ties Of our nation, let rs investigate
the matter briefiy-nOt rs Democrats,
not - Republicans--but ~ farmers.
AS 90 how q protective tariff will help
or hinder the farmers Of Kansas, We
will first Of ell haYe 10 take into con.
slderatiOn the relations existing be
tween the farmers Of the West and
the manufacturers and artisans Of the
Eastern States AS a general prOpOsl-
ton we consider Oursslf safe In saying
that the States east Of the Mississippi
are - one vast workshop. from
whence the West receives her dry
goods. clothing, implements, ma
chinery, etc, etc, whilst the States
west Of this great dividing line occupy
the position Of being an equally vast
granery from whence the East re-
ceives her supplies Of wheat, corn,
| rye, oats, beet, pork aud vegetables.
/ IL will therefore be readily seen that
the two great industries of this cOuu-
/ try are intimately connected with
each other, and anything tending TO
| depress or embaFrass the consumers
/ Of the East will SOON be felt 10y the
producers Of the West.
Admitting these self evident prOpO-
sitiOns 90 be true We will now pro-
coed 10 enquire what constitutes q
/ protective TARIFF
In reply we would say:
A protective tariff Is a duty or tax
imposed upon foreign manufactured
goods which are shipped into the
/ United States by the different man
ufacturing countries OF Europe This
duty or tax I'm order to be protective
must be sufficiently high TO prevent
| European manufacturers from under
Il HEAAAAAk olA hnANAAkAAA
There are are q number Of surface
/ thinkers who are continually crying
out that this Is unjust that n Ameri-
can manufacturers cannot compete
/ with European dealt r. they ought TO
shut down their mills and factories
aud go West and grow up with the
country. They keep harping upon
the old old song, that IL h human ma
g.
/ the cheapest. We admit that this
style Of reasoning has some weight
with a superficial and shOrt-sighled
class Of farmers and business men,
| but when viewed in the broad light
of reason and common sense; when
we apply the never-failing test q
analogy the matter appears In diff
feIent and tO us n more significant
light. For the sake Of illustration
let us suppose that this protective
tariff has been abolished, that foreign
manufacturers had full swing upon
the American markets, what would
be the natural result? In the first
place, we will have to admit that
American manufacturers would have
to reduce their scale Of wages 10 very
nearly the same level as English |
manufacturer, which would be at
least One-half. for an English;artisan
receives from Scots TO Sl.OO per day,
whilst the American receives from |
81 50 to $3.50 per day for the same |
class of work. Whilst the American |
artisan receives the present rate OF |
wages. he can afford TO anu does buy |
literally Of our fiDur, wheat and vege |
tables and does not hesitate 70 pay q |
good price for those articles, but on |
the other hand, II their wages are re- |
dueed TO correspond with the British |
artisan Is 1t not natural 10 SUPP Ose
that they would be compelled to cur |
tail their expenses TO c. rrespOnd with /
their income, or else abandon their |
workshops and looms and seek more |
remunerative employment elsewhere.
But take IL for granted that they /
accept the reduction and have con- /
oluded To live on an Oat meal and /
thin soup diet like their European /
competitors. Would not the prices Of i
our produce contract In sympathy /
with the very limited demand. /
What is now considered as necessa
ries would be then considered lux
uries, 70 be INDUCED in only on very
rare occasions, and ia this cOnnee
ton we must not lose sight Of the fact
that the price Of our produce Is gov
erned entirely by the law Of supply
and demand.
suppose that your cattle are fat and
your wheat first class in every par
tieular II the people cannot afford 10
buy these articles the question
naturally arises What are we 90
ing 10 do with them We cannot AZ
ford TO ship our wheat 10 England, for
India, Australia and New Zealand
can sell wheat in Liverpool cheaper
than we can On account OF their eheaD
labor and transportation, therefore
the farmer would be compelled to
force their produce upon q sluggish
what he could get aud
pray for better tunes 10 cOiue. On
the other hand, II our American |
refused to work for these
wages, there would be only
One outlet open 10 them. and that is
Thus they would transform
these hundreds OF thousands Of con ,
ltiDleTs into an equal number Of pro-
iuccrs. which would leave US upon
he most fatal horn Of the dilemma.
Instead Of aiding the agents Of the
Golden Club OF England (whO All ,
lually infest our National legislative ]
lallsl 10 break down this protective
ariff and with Il this vast army of
men In the east who send
Millions OF dollars west yearly % buy
'ur surplus produce, would Il not :
De the better policy for Us rs farmrrs /,
o build up and foster our home in
and II necessary 10 thruw
additional safeguards around them,
hereby insuring us = steady market
Or our surplus produce, and guaran-
eeing steady employment 90 our cash
the consumers? Would
Iot the opposite policy look very
much like killing the goose that lays
be golden egg ?" Can we afford 10
brow Opeu our ports sud invite CON-
etitiOn with the pauper labOr Of c
,urOpe? Would our scotch tweed, :;
ar English brOadelOth, our Irish
nnen seem more desirable from the
lct that every yard was staiued by q
be tears Of the half-staFVed women
nd children who eke out q miserable
at those lOOms? Wpuld d y
E advisable 10 boom the British trade
the expense Of our own? IL is 90
: regretted that our mother country =,
suffering for an outlet for her cheap =
ares, but are We 10 be forced into the n
lsitiOn Of exchanging the raw ma II
rial for the manufactured article at n,
] Immense discount. Would we be
slifled In furnishing England with q ~
n1rrf. 9Th urrhHrk a. ku--n- I In