The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1888-02-10
Projection for Farmers

Il
that paper on the subject of protective tar
iff. The committee, of which Hon. Warn
Miller is chairman, consists Of nine mem
bers, and has examined and digested sew
eral Thousand letters from farmers from all
parts of the country. The committee closes
its report by requesting such farmers Tor
ganization or individually who approve to
sign and forward to Congress the following:
Petition for the more Efectual Protection of
| Agriculture the Speaker Of the House
of Representatives: The undersigned re-
specially pray that agriculture may be
more effectually protected by preventing
raudulent importations of cattle on pre-
tense that they are for breeding only, by a
duty of twenty cents per bashel on barley,
with proportionate increase on malt; by
duties of 25 cents per bushel on potatoes
and onions, So per hundred on cabhages, So
per ton on hay, 10 cents per pound on hops,
20 per cent on beans and peas, 5 cents per
dozen on eggs, 80 per cent. on fowls and
poultry, and on vegetables in their natural
state or in salt or brine, not otherwise pro.
vded for, which no removal or reduction of
duties on market garden products now dut-
liable; by such increased duties on fax aud
on linen goods as will effectually encourage
the preparation Of fibre and manufacture O.
goods; by abolishing ali duties on sugar,
with bounty to home producers; by pre-
venting imports of leaf tobacco suitable for
| wrappers at the duty imposed on other leaf
tobacco and repeating all internal taxes on
tobacco; by restoring 10 wool-grewers the
substantial pro.eclionjenjoyed by them under
| the tariff OF 1857, SO modified as to meet the
later forms of foreign competition and Of
evasion. In the course of its report the
| committee says: "Onions from Spain and
Egypt appear in market as far west as Chi
cago. Tobacco raised by coolies in Suma-
ira lessons the reward of American growers
Wool clipped by slaves, by convicts, or by
creatures scarcely less degraded stops wool
growing by an army of American farmers,
and sends 5000, 600 sheep to the slaughter.
Potatoes and cabbages by the cargo, from
| places where women work daily in the
fields, come hither as ballast, with eggs by
the ship load from Holland, cattle from
Mexico and barley from Canada. The
fraudulent importation of cattle for slaught-
er across Northern and Southern boundar-
les, on pretense that they are for breeding
purposes only, and by law free Of duty,
should be effectually prevented. 1t is quite
enough that Is, 900 head were last year i'm.
ported at duty of only 20 per cent.
which would be thought scanty duty for
any other industry. But 1000 were brought
in from Mexico, professedly f,r breeding
and many more from Canada, though Amer.
lean products have foy many years been un-
able to get living prices. The duty on bar
ley should be raised to equal that on wheat
with proportionate increase in the duty on
barley malt. Over 100000 bushels of
barley were imported during the last fiscal
year, while in 1886 the home production
was 100000 bushels. The Canadian
neighbors who seize American fishing yes
sells in disregard of the reasonable nterpre.
tation of existing treaties, are the only peo-
pie that an additional duty on barley would
disturb. To the argument that duties on
swer that wheat in Minnesota is now worth
10 cents bushel more than wheat across
an imaginary line in Manitoba. In one
month, list November, there were import
cd $4,000 bushels of potatoes, averaging
less than 81 cents per bushel. In four days
of January the imports at New York alone
were $4,000 bushels from Scotland 68,-
600 from Holland, Denmark and Germany,
and $4,000 from other distant countries. |
Against such killing competitor it ia no |
wonder that American market gardeners do |
and manufacturing centres are always liza
BILE to be scarce and dear, while agriculture |
is getting starved out of scaboard States. Il |
is no wonder that the four States of New |
York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Penn |
sylvana each raised fewer potatoes than
they did % years ago." The committee |
further attempts 10 show by facts and figures
that if the duties on fax, sugar, tobacco and |
wool were, as set forth in the petition, that
farmers, too, would eniov their fair proper |
ton Of the prosperity Of the country, which
is now shared bv only small traction of
the community.
We publish the above as sam
pile of political thimblerigs. Tn.
story Of the thou .ands of farmers
letters ligested by the seleca commit,
tee of the Tribune is too thin to de.
ceive many readers. The above pc
titien purports 0 be the essence OF
those letters, when the fact is there
is not trace to be found in it whicil
bears any resemblance to farm letters
but is a compi iation from statistics
of boards of trade and custom hous,