The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-01-28
"ror tae Sake ofihc Future"

| p
communication from III. Il. Knight
as Secretary of the Rush Creek
Grange, Bellefontaine, Ohio, in
which he says among other things.
"1his country has great natural re-
sources 0nd q fertile soil, and is
capable of living within ITSELF"
This statement is intended for q
new declaration of independence,
and for supreme Stiffness is COM
nended to the careful cOnsidera-
tion of our readers. 1t is further
intended that it shall be taken as a
potent argument in favor of the
levying OF import duties that shall
be highly protective if not prohibit
tory in their character, and it is
intimated that by this course all
our people may be made prosper
Gus and happy. Now "for the sake
Of the future" let us follow this
proposition of Mr.. Knight to it's
logical conclusion.
In the United States of North
America we have about tifty-eight
millions of people, of these about
five millions, or one in eleven, are
land owners. Dividing the whole
population into families of five per-
sons each and we have something
in excess Of eleven millions OF
families, of which five elevenths
are farmers. The prosperity of the
farmer depends ON two conditions
of society, over which neither
state nor national law has any con-
troll; namely: demand by the
non-producer for the products OF
his land, and the ability OF the
non-producer to purchase and pay
for the products. The surplus pro-
duets Of the farm are wholly with
out value in the absence Of these
conditions. Time was when the
tari0er on the prairies Of Illinois
fed the winter fire in his frontier
home with ears of corn for the rea.
son that it was Of less value than
cord-wood or coal, and the farmers
IN Ohio conveyed wheat fifty miles
| by wagon, and bartered it busheD
for bushel for salt. Now if the
theory of Mr.. Knight, who un-
doubtedly believes himself to be Il
political economist of the first ord
er, is carried out, the products of
the farm are forced to find a
market at hOna---for unless the
world out side has surplus the
American farmer needs no prOtec-
ton, and in order that he may have
Il good market he must have a
great number of able purchasers.
That this may happen the non
agricultural class must be numer-
ically increased, and not only this
but their ability to pay must be in
creased also. The basis of pro-
duction of wealth of those not en-
gagged in the agricultural pursuits
consists in physical and mental
power, so directed as to change the
form of the crude products of the
earth to such form as is most use
lul and desirable to man. The sue
cess of the energy of this class de-
pendS upon. and is bound by the
same law that binds the farmer
and his prosperity depends on the
condition Of the market for hi.
products. He must sell in America
for the theory of Mr.. Knight, and
his n. y. Iribuae has built wall
around him higher, more impass.
able, more imprcgnable than thai
which encircled Babylon in the
days of its glory, foritis impossible
for them to pay the American
/. farmer more for his wool, cotton
wood, iron, wheat, corn, potatoes
hay, pork and beef than all these
, things are worth in the markets o1
the world, and, at the same time
, from the consumption and change
of these things produce goods that
will sell anywhere outside OF the
wai'ed in territory at profit.
This being the case Il limit is Sc,
to the profitable production OF any
article and woe betide the unwarS
one who crosses the financial dead
} line.
If the foregoing be true, one of TIVE
things must occur, viz: The farm
er must take indiscriminutely all
the products of the manufactures
or find profitable market for Iii.
wares; or he must take lower price,
: for his products. Ii one or thu
other alternative is not acted upon
then those who do not till the sol
must year BY year grow less abb,
, to purchase until the surplus pro
duets Of the farm are reduced il
price to the level of the markets o
: the world and then protection has