Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-04-15
..rh,. WV Precm.r-

Agriculture is tho nursing mother OF tho arts-
lcnoph0a.
TilIage and pasturago are the two breasts OF
tho Stste.-SUhg.
A wise and frugal government, which shall
restrain men from iniuring one another shall
leave them otherwise free 20 regulate their own
pursuits OF industry and improvement, and shall
not take from the mouth az labor the bread it
bna earned--this Is the sum Of good govern
ment-JcBerS0n.
To tie Editor Of the Dispatch:
In late issues OF your paper notice
two letters bewailing the ills OF the body
polite, and particularly the depression
! OF the agricultural interest, which is row
staggering under a weight of burdens
almost too grievous TO be borne, and
which. If not remedied in some way, will
ultimately whelm farmer and farm Ia
horer in one common ruin and relegate
her once fertile fields to the wild brler
and broom -sedge. Mr.. Mcdonald finds
a panacea in State convention. This |
think impolitic on the eve of presiden-
tial election, and while / think railroad
matters need arranging in the way pro-
posed, it of itself is not the only thing
needed to remedy the ills We labor I'M
der
Mr.. John s. Swan finds a remedy in
the very disease which has afflicted US,
and on the principle, | presume, Of
simiHd simiIi6us cUrdnter, would dose
us again with an Exclusive tariff on iron
and iron manufactures, wool and wool
len manufactures, cotton manufactures,
on coal and timber, with some rare ex-
ceptions. and FREQ machinery. Now L
claim that the unprecedented bad conSi-
ton of the agriculture of this country and
this state is due more than anything
else and all other things put together
TO that system OF IcqGt'Se6 resbcTY
known as a protective tariff. The agri-
cultural report for 1856 informs us
there are five million farms in
the United States, and, OF course,
the same number of farmers. Suppose
each household to consist Of IN average
of five persons, we may then, | think,
very safely estimate that each household
spends in dutiable goods not less than
500 each and here We must recolect
that everything the farmer buys is taxed
by this taria an average OF AZ per cent,
from paper OF pins to a piano. So the
5,o0o, 900 farmers pay S235,0O0,0OO OF
tariff duty
In addition to this. there are about
100000 farm laborers in the United
States. Say they buy manuiac-
lures yearly to the amount of
$50 each, their tariff duty then
comes TO s56, 0O0,G 600. In addition
still there are about two hundred thou
sand others, such as Spiarists, florists,
gardeners. nurserymen, &c, who. say,
pay the same rs the agricultural laborers,
and their tariff duty amounts to 2,e2V,-
COO There are others who are in the
same boat with the agricultural class,
such as carpenters and joiners, black
smiths, butchers, mssons, plnsterers,
&c. numbering ! PA, 023, but ] am now
speaking OF the agricultural class only.
Now let us add up and see what this
tariff extortion takes out Of the pockets
OF that class alone.
Farmers. .................s23 jCNlO
Iaboror3. 600Jf Old
Others.............. ...... 2iDLJ)
s23.S.s00) per snnum.
Is it not astounding? But tho maani-
tude of this sum can be better apprcci-
ated bv comparing il with the expenses