The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-08-01
FROM THE POLITICAL FIELD
A New Jersey Farmer ON the Tariff.

a New Jersey Farmer on the IariH-
New York Special in Philadelphia Press.
A letter from a Democratic farmer in New
Jersey came among the mass Of mail matter TO
the national Republican committee this morn
ing. and is published. It is as follows:
PATTERSON, N. Y. July Is.
US Clarkson. yice-Chairman Republican Com
''Sir-As a Democratic farmer I wish to say
70 you that L am not in favor or in s ympathy
with free trade. Ihave always been q Demo-
crat. and insist that / am now q Democrat. /
voted Tor Cleveland four years ago, but will not
do so again, but will vote for Harrison and
Morton. My party, in convention, has Endorsed
the Mills bill, which / have just examined, and
it is worse than childish to say that il is not q
free-trade bill. 1t permits Canada to ship free
or duty to our State the very things il wants TO
ship. including salt, lumber, milk, vegetables,
ETC., while Canada has q high tariff, which pre-
vents us shipping to them except the things
mentioned, which we do not and can not ship to
them. In other words, Canada, under this bill.
gets free trade with Us. and We get absolutely
nothing in return. We farmers In Putnam
county have raised thousands of dollars worth
OF tobacco in the past, but have stopped because
we cannot compete with cheap-labor countries;
and while the Southern tobacco is protected by
q tariff, the kind we raise in the North is not
protected at all by the Mills bill.
Farming property, In many cases, can be
bought to-day for the value of the buildings up
Oh H. we pay more u u III II can
compete with farmers of other countries. Some
Of my Democratic friends say labor is too high.
i don't agree to this. / know when labor is
plenty and wages high l get ready sales and a
good market for the products OF my farm,
which are principally sent to the city. We now
have the finest market in the world. and it is
simply Q question whether /, being a taxpayer
and bearing all the burdens of citizenship. shall
have any advantages over non-resldents and Tor
eigners. who are not taxpayers and have no
hr1rd All m nlafn1 that
American farmer, should have some advantages
over foreign farmers in this market; and 1 can
not we'll ask this favor unless / am willing to
give this same advantage to the American la
borer, merchant and manufacturer.
Il am and have been in favor of reform in the
tariff, particularly on those things not produced
In this country and whenever the tariff protects
any article made by a trust l find on
examination that the great trust-that
is the sugar trust, which is at present
protected by the tariffs fully and carefully
protected by the Mills bill. While / am q pro-
tectionlst, l am not in favor Of protecting wha.
we cannot produce in reasonably fair quantities.
l am not in favor of free whisky. The Mills
bill is is favor of allowing the manufacturer to
be his own judge of how much he should pay.
The 18th and 30th sections of the bill open the
door to defraud the government, and more di-
rectly In favor Of free whisky than the PROPOSE
ton to allow States and cities to tax whisky for
the benefit of the locality where it is made or
sold. / can see no justice In allowing the States
and localities where no whisky is sold to have
the benefit of the whisky tax las they do have
now by Its going to dsfray their part OF the gen.
eral government xpensel. And it seems to me
TO be better to take every government tax off Of
everything produced in this country rather than
sacrifice the protective system under which we
have always prosDered, and without which We
have always fallen behind.
MANY of my Democratic neighbors feel as I
do about this case. They will speak for them
selves. Some of them may not be heard from
until election day. Then they will speak in no
uncertain way. Very respectfully,s
'GEoRGE II. WRIGHT