The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1888-09-06
AMERICAN AGRICULTURE.

-
High Protection the Worst Enemy Of the
Farmer-The View Taken by Congress
man Townshend, of IIlinois-How Mo-
nopolIes Are Created, Maintained and
Fattened.
The largest Industrial interest OF this coun-
try is the agricultural. 1t comprises the great
est number OF persons; its products aggregate
the greatest value, and in divers forms are the
commodities that form an enormous part OF
our internal and almost the whole Of our eK-
ternal commerce. To this commerce, this
great and diversified industry In all its
branches, the enormous war tarin Is an enor-
nous obstruction, and TO the eighteen millions
OF American citizens who occupy themselves in
this industry it is an oppressive burden and
curse.
The claim that protective tariff 10 beneficial
10 operatives OF any class deny in its length
and breadth. But, let this claim be admitted TO
whatever extent the claimants may assert
still no fairly-nformed person not swayed by
partisan prejudice will pretend that q protect
i've tariff is directly beneficial to 1.-THE agrtcult-
ural producer. II is true, there is duty,
small by comparison with other duties, on
wheat, barley, oats, maize and other products
OF agriculture, but these duties have no
effect on the commerce OF commodities
whose prices are governed By the rates
IN foreign markets. The prices in
our own markets OF almost every product OF
the farm are fixed by the price which the sur
plus viii command abroad. The prices Of
breadstufs are determined not in New YORK
and Chicago but in Liverpool and London.
And at that market, where the surplus Of our
agricultural products Is sold, and which fixes
the value OF the whole production, the products
OF every American plantation come In contact
with the productions OF Russia, Hungary, even
British India. No American tarin law can pre-
vent this competition, nor protect the Amer
lean agriculturist against 1t in the least de-
gree There is q tax on corn OF 10 per cent. ;
the statistics Of 1SS5 show that we exported
from this country and sold in foreign markets
nearly 80, 600 600 bushels of corn, and yet only
$500 bushels we're imported into the country.
We are the corn-producers Of the world. We
have no need TO import corn, for the reason
that We grow more than we can use and are
compelled to seek foreign market for the
surplus, and the amount Of corn that We ex-
ported probably realized E25,00OOO0. The corn
that We imported did lot cost US but little over
1900.
There is q tax on wheat OF % per cent In
1885 we exported 1S2, S5l, ,535 bushels OF wheat,
being over one-fourth of our whole crop, and
| We imported only 212,Sl1 bushels, which, as all
! know, was imported py mills on the Canadian
| border, In order that they might have the
| profits OF grinding it into -four mainly for ex
| portation to the markets OF the world In sd
! dltion to the wheat expectation OF that year,
| we sent abroad t52. .UOUOO worm OF Wncat uour,
| and imported, virtually, not any
! But protec tion tells US that We must SO leg
| islate as to tuInlsh q home market for all oul
agricultural products, and that this can only b.
| done by high tariff. 1t Is the fact however
| that our agricultural products increase NOR
| rapidly than our population, so that II we dt
not export these products in their natural con
dition we must do so by converting them int
manufactured articles, and export these arti
ala Ilnf pnf 10 a
| tariff, for all nations will buy MANUFACTURED
| products where they are the cheapest and th
| nation selling the cheapest will control tn
| market This rule excludes our highly-taxet
| manufactures made from highly-taxed mate
rails from the markets OF the world, although
we have natural advantages possessed by nj
| other nation.
| A Western advocate Of this high-tarif polio.
OF excluding the products Of our agriculture
| from the markets of the world has dilated upoi
| the imaginary prosperity and happiness 1t Ia
| brought TO our agricultors. We learn from hin
| that the log cabin has dlsappeared-tha
comfortable homes, carpeted rooms sprlni
wagon, a buggy or carriage for the journey K
town, country paper books plenty to ea
| and wear" these, we are told, "are the fruit:
| OF protection that the farmer enjoys Tbougt
| Ihave lived among farmers most of my life, 1
| has been my misfortune never TO have seen tht
reality OF this pretty picture OF Arcadian hap
|
| man on the earth is more taxed than ne Is
| The State the county, the township the
| school district, and IN many cases other taxing
| powers, come 10 him with their eXactions o
taxes on his land, his improvements, his cattle
! his harvests, his implements OF husbandry, and
even the furniture that he is consuming by use
| II he has sold his products he must divide the
| money received in payment with the tax-gath
| erer And where the local taxing power leaves
! on the taxing power OF Congress begins, lay
! ing taxes on four thousand distinct kinds oi
| property including almost every thing that the
farmer buys or uses in tiling his land, or in his
| house or his barn, or wears on his person. and
| the average rate or these taxes is forty-seven
| per cent? Seneca declared that the world in
| his time, was governed too much In our time
| the tillers of the soil, changing slightly the
| words, but not the meaning of the Roman phil
| osopher, may well raise to Heaven the cry that
they are taxed too much.
The pretense that this enormous taxation
benefits and enriches them, causes the log
cabin to disappear and replaces II with the
mansion and all the appurtenances OF pastoral
opulence, is ridiculous nonsense The farmer
works harder and longer for smaller gains than
any man who eats bread in the sweat OF his
brow No class OF men live more frugally or
are more saving. Andyet in this twenty-sxth
year OF the war tariff (Which we were assure
should cease at the close Of the war; there are
hard times and much distress among those
who pursue agriculture. Instead OF enr!ching
them taxation has devoured their gains and
encumbcre their lands with debt. Here is an
exhibit of the amount OF mortgages now rest
ing on farmers in ten OF the great agricultural
commonwealths: