New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-10-14
POPULAR OBSERVATIONS.
PROTECTION AND THE FARMERS.

THE HOME MARKET THE LARGEST AND BEST
TO Me Editor Of rhe Tribune.
Sir: As Mr. Blaine remarked. General Harrison
touched the keynote of the present campaign when
he declared that Free Traders students OF maAms
and not OF markets. Let illustrate this: The
total value of our products of agriculture IN 1850
was nearly could be asccrtalned from the
census and Agricultural Department. figures,
5000 900. Allowing for seven years growth
It was in 1887 about "a 800 100000 Now the total
value of our exports Of products OF agriculture IN
1887 was 1893 100000. or only I2 per cent OF the
total product the value consumed at homo being
IS per cent. The home market was therefore seven
times as large as the foreign market. But let
what those exported products OF agriculture con-
sisted Of Here the record from the report OF the
Chief of the Bureau of Statistics for 1887;
Cotton s ;oe ss ,s5
Breadstuns 100, tos ouz
Prc Prov and dairy products Os3s3Sse
All All other agricultural products aa,a50s92
Total s5o3073793
Taking out cotton and tobacco, It will be seen that
Che foreign market takes onlv per cent Of all the
other agricultural products, the homo market taking
% per cent the homo market being thirteen times as
large the foreign market
Again the value OF the exports Of products OF
agriculture, other than cotton brcadstuffs tobacco,
provisions and live animals. only $22 100000 or
only one-half Of one per cent of the total product
But let the farmers Of the England States. New
Jersey, Long Island and large part OF the rest Oh
New-York state, examine the above table. They VIII
see that IT includes OF their products Their
market is entirely home market
And now let me ask the farmers Of Long Island es-
pecally 10 notice another important fact The city
of New-York is the largest manufacturing city In
the United States The number OF persons who gain
their living from manufactures In New-forh ana
Droohlyn Is about thirty times the number OF thosc
who gain their living from handling imported goods
Besides the number OF persons who gain living
from handling domestic goods manufactured outside
those two cities is several times great the num-
Der who gain a living from handling imported goods
supply the farmers OF Long Island and New-Jeiscy
at least thlrtyfve times as large Market as ooes
the importing of foreign goods. III the goods imported
at New-York were manufactured In Newly orK, such
manufactures would give employment to from fifteen
10 twenty times the number OF persons now employed
in merely handling foreign goods and thus the market
for Long Island and Ncw-Jcisey farm ana eaIuen
Droduce would be enormously Increased. 20 say
no class OF people this country are more interested
In the protcc don of home Industries than are Long
arc about cheap in this country as In Europe ana
provisions are cheaper here. do not believe tnero
Is farmer on Long Island so dull as not to be able
10 see that II great deal better for him TO SUCK
markets upon which as above shown he Is entirely
dependent, rather than 10 90 fishing win M oIeVo,
land for the profits which can possibly be gained
{rom following the maXns of rce-trade theorists
II the wages OF iaborels employed In the industries
Of New-York and Brooklyn arc reduced 1t Is certain
that the price of Long Island agricultural products
must fall CORES pondingy. JOSEPH NIMMO, JR.
~" Huntington, Long Island. n. Y. Oct. Q. 1888.