Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-12-14
Farmers and the Tariff.

The remarks Of the President in his
Message commissioning the condition of
farmers under the present tariff will fail.
we think, to have the effect intended.
Farmers are readers and thinkers and can
safely be trusted to take care OF their own
interests. When the President informs
them in one part OF his Message that they
are suffering from over-taxation through
the tariff. and in another part suggests as
remedy for this that the duty on wool
which enables the farmers in this country
to compete in woolraising with foreign
countries be taken off, they will wonder
what his sympathetic words are worth
when if his advice be followed it will
cause their condition to be worse instead
OF better.
Make wool free and the farmer necessa.
rily suffers. In his recent speech, in the
Senate, Mr.. Morrill, of Vermont stated
what protection has done for wool-rasng
in this country, and the evil effects that
will follow if the duty be now removed.
He said: The annual clip of wool since
1916 has increased from 60 600, 900 pounds.
to over $50, 900. 900 pounds. Pro-
lection has not only magnificently in
creased the product, but has wonderfully
improved the quality and the supply OF
nearly every variety required by Ameri.
can manufacturers can now be furnished.
with the single exception of coarse carpet
woods. This vast interest. deeply identi-
fed with all portions of our country, is
thus exposed to absolute humiliation by
the proposed free trade reform. The hus-
bandmen whose flocks reqnire winter
feeding cannot compete with those in
Australia and South America, where no
such feeding is required. and when Ameri-
can sheep-husbandrv shall have been BAN
ished from the fields where it now pros
pers, the land can only be devoted to
wheat or corn, for which there is no profit
able market visible at home or abroad,
and our prairie farmers would soon be-
come the tenants at will of foreign land
lords"
But wool is only one product of farming
which the President and his party propose
to place upon the free list-in order to re
duce taxation of farmers. as they say The
Morrison tariff reduction bill. which is to
be brought forward again at the present
session of Congress. puts potatoes and
hay on the tree list. These are important
farming products in Maine. Make them
free and the farmers of this border State
would be immediate sufferers in com.
petition with like products from Canada.
The cheap labor of the Dominion would
enable the farmers of that country to
undersell our farmers in their own markets.
They can readily decide whether they are
in favor of that sort of tariff reduction or
not, and whether it would be favorable or
unfavorsble to their interests. They will
see that they are to be the victims of tariff
reduction as proposed by the President
and not sharers of pro6ts-if there be
any. There is no need to inform them
that the language of the President, in the
light OF the probable results if his advice
could prevail. is cruel mockery of the
farmers of this country.
More important than these special thrusts
at farmers by the democratic free trade
policy, would be the blow which farmers
would feel in the loss of their home mar
kets. should that policy prevail. The most
thrifty farmers are those who have home