The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-05-05

illustrating In. effect The benefits Of the
tariff all 30 one way. They go from the
consumer 10 the manufacturer but not from
the manufacturer t. the consumer. suppose
TINT the tax on the GJWO,OOO Of consumers
amounts 10 $40 per head, then II Is tax OF
$500 Ool, 900, if il Il only g. per head, IL Is
$500 OK, 900 taken ,ut of the pockets OF the
consumer aud put into the pockets OF the
manutacturcr The tax on the 800, V1oo
of good, imported goes into the public treas
y.thc tax levied ON domestic manufactures,
by raising their price, goes into the pockets
of the manufacturers.
The greatest evil that is inflicted by 1t is IN
the destruction of the values Of our exports
| Rom,4nbor that the great body OF our eX-
ports are agricultural products, IL has been
So through our whole history, From 80 10
] over - prr cent of the exports of this coun-
try year hy year are agricultural products'
Cotton il first, then breadNtuIis, pork, bcei'
| butter, cheese, lard These are the things
that keep up our foreign trade, and when you
put on or keep on such duties rs we have now
war du'ir, which were regarded as SO chor-
nous even in the very midst of hostiltes
that they were declared 10 bo temporary
/ when YOU put on or retain tho>" duties they
limit aud prohibit importation, and that Inn
/ its or prohibit, expectation. 1t takes TWO 10
| make trade.
We are the great agricultural country Of
the world, and wc have been feeding the
people of Europe, and the people Of Europe
| have got 10 give us in exchange the products
of their labor in their shops; and when we
put on excessive duties for the purpose OF
prohibiting the importation of their goods,
rs necessary result we put an excessive
duty upon the expectation of our own agrl-
cultural products And what does that dos
It throws our surplus products upon our own
markets at home, which become glutted and
over supplied, and prices go down. SO
it is with the people of Europe who are man
ufacuring and producing things that we
can not produce, but which we want Their
products are thrown upon their home mar
kcts, which are gutted and over supplied, and
their prices likewise go down. And when
ever, from any cause, prices start up in
Europe, our tariff being levied mainly by
specific duties upon quantity, not upon value,
| the tariff goes down, and then we see large
! importation and, Us result, large eXpor-
! tatiou.
Then we sec a rise in agricultural products;
! then we SEQ the circulation of money all
through the whole Of our industrial system,
We see our people going To work, our manu-
factories starting up, and prosperity in every
part of the land. Witness the history of
1850. After the long depression, lasting
from 1913 10 1850, prices suddenly rose IN
Europe. Tn" prices of all the products which
! they export To- Us began 10 rise IN the latter
| part of the year What was the result. As
! prices rose there the tariff went down, the
| distractions became lower and the imports
! came in.
Our imports increased about 500, 600, 600
in one year What was the result of that!
Our exports Increased largely, The prices of
wheat, OF cotton, OF corn, Of all the products
that We export won't up, not only the prices
! of that which was exported, but also thu
prices of tLat which was consumed at home.
We sIpor.4-i IN isSn 1855, 90, 900 .sarth 81
agricultural pronucts and in 1851 S13,O0O 600
During last year we exported only S523,OOO,
600 worth of agricultural products. About
IL per cent of our agricultural products have
TO seek IA foreign market and in 1881 the pro
portion rose To- - per cent.
HOW THE FARMERS ARE wRONGED.
But when we sec the prices of agricultural
products in 1881, when we exported $50,
0OO. 900 worth of agricultural products, and
then compare them with 1851 when the cx.
port Of agricul ural products fell to 1923,
0OO,OD, we can form some estimate of the
great loss To- our farmers by stopping cXpor-
tatiOn In 1851 wheat was worth 81 - per
bushcl it is now sixty-eght cents In 1881
corn was worth sixty three cents per bushel
it Is now worth forty four cents The exports
of our agricultural products have fallen dur
ing the last year far below those of 1881, and
the prices have CORRESPONDENCE fallen.
If the prices of lSSl obtained today the
wheat crop of 1857 would be increased over
its present value SOB 100000, and if by ex-
portAton 10 foreign markets we could have
each year since 1881 realized the price Of that
year, the wheat growers would have realized
on their annual crop since then s 900 OOO,OD
more than they did In the low prices Of
corn since then they have lost double that.
Some part of the low prices is to be attributed
to large crops but by far the greater cause
is the restriction of the market for the sale
of farm products,
The tariff rObs the farmer on one side by
increasing the price Of what he buys it rob-
him on the other 10y decreasing the price Of
what h" sells.
But it is insisted that if we lower the dutie.
and let foreign goods bo imported, it viii
stop our manufactorics--tha it will turn our
people out of employment or reduce their
wages II will do nothing of the sort What
will we import and what did we import wheI
prices rose and the duties fell in 1882 W,
imported more of the same articles which We
were importing before the prices rose w,
will import more of the things we cannot
produce or which can be produced cheaper
! in other countries than at home. If we lool
to our table of imports in 1880, we will SO,
that over $50, OW,O 900 Of the increase was o
articles in the free list and about Sl2j 900 OOl
in the dutablc list. The increase of import!
free Of duty will not hurt the manufacturer
or the laborer
l Our manufactures do not then stop. The,
} go ON with increased activity. They did no
) stop in 1880 when the large importation Sc
l ill., 1t gave them renewed life; their wheel
l flew faster, their machinery worked NOR
constantly, and their operatives were all EN-
r. ployed Why is thisl Why, Mr.. Chairman
we can produce at least 30 per cent. of all tn
manufactures consumed in this country NOR
T. cheaply ut home than can be produced any
J. where in the world and delivered here Thi
o 90 per cent. which we can produce Mt lowe
Z cost than any other people can will not b
| l,,,rt hui, tati