Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-03-05
Those protection supplements were

Those protection supplements We're
sent out with The Monroe Sentinel.
and called out from a subscriber the
able letter TO be found below. While
recognizing Bro. Booths fairness in
throwing his columns open to the
presentation of both sides of the tariff
question we cannot refrain from Civ
ing the letter wider circulation, because
we deem il a very concise and clear
exposition of the effect of our tariff
laws upon the farmers of Wisconsin
/ The letter is as follows:
! EDITOR SENTINEL:-Youh have lately
/ issued a supplement. headed: \ ques-
/ for the farmers does the tariff benefit
them:" Taking for granted that the
/ object is to draw the attention of your
readers to the subject, and provoke
discussion, beg leave to offer a few
| ideas. AS YOU send it forth without
| the name of the author, we may con
slider you as at least endorsing the
! doctrine therein set forth. 1t COM
mences by saying, that tariff, be it
high or low, for protection, or for rev
enue only, affects, either favOrably or
unfavOrably every individual. which
/ is quite true, and by your leave, Mr.
| Editor, we propose TO show how it
affects the farming interest generally
and the farmers Of Green county in
/ particular. \ protective tariff proper,
and tariff for revenue only, are di-
rectly antagOnistic. While one is a
| legitimate source of income to the
national treasury by indirect but equal
| taxation, the other is legislation for
! the benefit of one class to the detri-
ment of another. and in effect nothing
more nor less than legalized robbery.
| Protection, like slavery, grows with
what it feeds upon. 1t began with the
Hamilton tariff, averaging eight per
cent. to protect a few infant indus
tries, so called at that time, while now,
after a century's growth, it includes
every manufactured article, and av-
erages fOrty-fyc per cent on the whole.
At this rate how long will it be before
this infant is ready to wean: Com
pairing the condition of things now
with that of twenty-five years ago,
merely proves that we have prOspered
in spite of protection. Improvement
in machinery and process of manu-
facture have reduced the cost of man
ufactured articles, while improved
machinery and better facilities for
transportation have stimulated agri-
cultural production. Taking increase
of business as a criterion, England
has prospered equally as well during
that time without protection.
How the tariff affects the interests
of Green county farmers is what We
are more particularly concerned about
Your paper cndeavors to show that
the farmer is protected, and gives d
list of every article produced on the
farm, and its per cent. of duty; this
is merely an attempt to pull the wool
over the farmers eyes while YOU go
through his pockets, and is an insult
to the intelligence of every farmer IN
the county. There are just four prod
ucts of the soil i'll any way affected
by the tariff: sugar, rice, tobacco and
wool. The tax on sugar and rice takes
money out of the pockets of Wiscon-
sin farmers and puts it into those of
Florida and Louisiana, a little Of ii
reaching the treasury; SO that tobacco
and wool are the only products that
Green county farmers can raise that
receive any benefit from so-called pro
lection. Leaf tobacco is protected by
tariff of about 10 per cent, and made
to pay an internal revenue tax on its
manufacture of about one hundred
per cent. As il is an article of lux
ury, and not necessity of life, it
may be regarded as Il legitimate object
on which to raise revenue. Free
traders have no objections to raising
revenue from luXuries. The sheep
keeper has about 20 per cent protection
on wool and 4 fOrty-iive per cent. tax
To pay ON tn" WOODEN goods he BUYS
If he has wool enough to sell he NAV
come out even; but how is it with the
great majority of the farmers of Green
county, who make dairy products and
pork their sole business? They have
an average tax or forty-iive per cent.
to pay on everything they buy. and
10 rebate IN any form or manner. In
fact the tariff is positive damage to
them III the sale of their products
The unfavOrGbc attitude Of France
and Germany towards this country
on account of her tariff laws has re-
duccd the price of pork at least dol
lar hundred for the last two wears.
and Great Britain, our best customer.
is quite ready to discriminate against
this country and in favor of her own
colonies fur the same reason. The
talk about home market amounts to
but little when we know that the
twenty million dollars worth of pork
exported last year established the price
of every pound consumed at home,
and ii Is the same with every other
product
AS this article is already too long
will conclude with asserting, that
all the productive capital there is in
this or any other country is the num-
Der of days work there are in it. 4
high protective tariff discrminates
against labor and production and in
favor of capital, as proved 10y the
number of millionaires it has produced
in this country during the past twenty
five yeaSS. WM. GILL
Dayton, Wis, Feb. 1866.
Protection Fraud.
Southwestern Local
The Ia hon, frnr,hIag, nrn ,,,...,I,-