River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-02-04


pork, cent pound; mutton, 10 cents pound;
hay, go per cent; on all domestic animals ex-
oept for breeding purposes, 20 per cent, but
those for breeding purposes admitted free in the
interest OF farming or stock-rsising; wool, from
10 to l2 cents a pound, with from 10 10 IL pei
cent added.
mot only IS his interest thus protected bat
the farmer knows well that the protection "a
the manufacturer benefits him still more. He
knows that when the great manufacturing IN
dustries OF various kinds are active and flourish
ing that there is always 8 demand for all the
variety OF his products in the home market. lie
understands thst the product or price OF the
grea. staples OF wheat and corn, part - which
may be exported, are no measure Of the bene-
ilt TO him Of home market which consumes al
ready prices the still more abundant and proat-
able products Of the farm which cannot ssaeh 8
distant or foreign market"
Representative aud ex-senator Eaton,
of Connecticut, in spite of threats to read
him out OF the Free-Trade Democratic
Party if he dared to utter even part OF
the truth as to the benefits of protection,
said in his speech to the House, May I,
1884:
1.-THE duty then, OF the patriot alone
has gone by; as a patriot alone would
not have this question before Congress,
but now l come to it as party man, a
Democrat of forty years standing-yes
sir of forty years standing; and / am 10
be read out Of the party, am
"But to the members of this House
desire to address myself. 10 those who
are talking of robbery. of plunder, cor
ruption, stealing and thievery. There is
not single article bought in the South,
\
cotton TO the markets to the pin that his
wife uses, that is not 100 per cent. cheap
er than it was fifteen wears ago No
matter how wrong the principle of pro-
lection NAV be, that is the fact. | grant
YOU that il is wrong; but the fact re
mains the same. 1t has cheapcned every
thing under Gods heavens that men
women and children use in this land
everything And there is reason for It
As the LAWYERS say, 1--WE think we
have made out case. We have shown
and no man who is intelligent and homes
will dispute the figures given, that what
the farmer has to sell has increased, and
that what he has to buy has decreased in
price under the operations Of a protective
tariff law. What more can he ask /;
not this just the condition OF affairs he
seeks to have established Upon this
question as upon all others, the opinions
of eminent men who from their observa
tons, research and experience are quail
( fed to speak, should have weight. Her,
are two brief extracts from congressiona
speeches
/ Representative Brumm, Of Pennsylva
MIA, in his speech before the House, MAJ
( /, 1884,, said
/ Il remember very well, and I wan
YOU farmers to remember remembel
very we'll in my short lifetime when j
took good COW to buy good cooking
stove. To-day good COW will furnish
| the best kitchen in the land with cook
| ing-stove and all the utensils necessary
for a well-regulated kitchen,
Il worked for years as a matchmaker
/ and | remember well when it took gooC
horse to buy a good clock, and to-day
! the price Of good horse will set you up
| in a respectable watch and clock business
Clocks for dollar.
"Why, sir, it used to take, in my shor
lifetime, whole calf TO buy 4 saw. To
Z
make for the hide of calf.
Il remember when it took pound Of tht
best butter to buy pound of nails. To
day you can buy pound of nails with I
quart of skinned milk.
"Yet you talk about protection 10 tht
farmer Where has his commodity failer
in price? Every other commodity ha'
fallen BY reason of protection, while thu
farmer has always held his own, or ros'
steadily from year to year
Representative Browne, of Indiana, il
his speech of April so, 1884, on the Nor
rison horizontal reduction Tariff bill, said
what is our experience will not repea
the figures so often given, bat the fact dare 10
be cOntroverted that under our protective sys
TEN labor and the farm product have constant.
been advancing. while every manufactured pro
duct has been cheapeniBg III price. Farm labo
has gone up 100 per cent. and more within fort,
years. Cereals, poultry, beef, pork, hay, ihi
product of The dairy. everything the farmer put
on the market has gone VI, while wOOlens. cot
ten goods, hats, shoes, agricultural implements
every manufacture, indeed, the lasoring maj
buys has steadily gone down,
MIR. Chairman, remember shen, as boy
Forty years ago, stood beLino the counter Of 1
country store in my district; bought butte
at from to 20 cents per pound, eggs at TO
cents per dozen, chickens nj - cents to 81 pc
dozen; pork at from $3.50 to $3.50 per hundred
net; and other products Al prices equally low
These products have advanced three 10 fOui
hundred per cent: on the other hand cotieI
fabrics such as priuts, brown sheetings, tick
ings drills, etc, that sold then az l2 10 IS ceuti
per yard, are to be hsd to-day IN the same mar
ket for from 10 o cents. There has been like
reductions in the prices of lawns, cassimeres
cloths, fannels, bat l need not give details, a
these facts stand admitted The conclusion Ii
clear; we can safely continue policy that ha:
brought these conditions % the country"
These are the figures. Such Is the
ecord. Such the testimony of eminent
men who have made the question ola tariff
the study of their lives. There is but one
conclusion. 4 Protective Tariff stimu-
lates business, developes our resources,
builds up manufactures, increases the de-
mand for and so enhances the prices OF
farm products, and cheapens manufacture
ed articles by creating competition.
HOME MARKET WANTED.
Three words tell the whole story
Home Market" This is what the farmer
needs. This is what he must have if he
shall reach the highest attainable degree
of prosperity. Give him this, and ample
returns will forever wait upon his toll.
A home market means not only fair prices
for his wheat, corn, oats, beef butter, wool,
the leading products OF mis- farm, but for
all the minor products as we'll, eggs,
poultry, vegetables, and other items that
60 to swell his income, and that give him
the largest margin OF profits.
We have shown that there is heavy
duty on farm products, on wheat, oats,
corn, barley, rye, wool, butter, cheese,
beef, pork, etc. But the unthinking far
mer may say he does not ask this duty,
that he does not need protection. Let
him not be too sure of this. Ii is 4 safe
prediction that at no distant day, he too,
will call upon the government TO save
him from the competition of pauper labor
in foreign lands. Already he is feeling
the effects Of such competition. The low
price OF wheat to-day is largely attribute
bic to the light demand for il in England.
The demand is lighter than heretofore be-
cause she is getting increased supplies
from new sources, and does not depend
so fully as formerly upon America. In
dia, Australia and Russia are yearly open
ing vast sections to the growing of wheat.
Southern Russia, embracing an empire of
territory in its extent, is the richest of
prairie land, as fertile as the wheat fields
Of Wisconsin or Dakota. All they need
there is improved machinery, and railroad