Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-10-25
WHEAT AND THE TARIFF.
The Great Issue Discussed from the Farm.
ers' Point of View.

The most singular feature of the tariff
discussion is the assumption on the part
of free-traders that the farmers are, and
ought to be, in favor of free trade. When
Golden started his free-trade crusade in
England his first assault was on the
English corn laws, with the avowed OBJ
Ject OF lettering the condition of the
worklngmen employed IN English man.
ufactorles by furnishing them with
| cheaper food. After the repeal of the
corn laws he extended his propaganda
to this country, trying to persuade Amer
leans that instead of building up manu-
factories of their own they had better
buy what they needed from the we'll
established factories of England and de-
vote all their capital and energy to rails
ing food and exporting it. This, too,
was with the object of getting cheap
cd for English workingmen in fac
ries and wider market for English
manufacturers, so that their working
men could live better and get better
wages. Cheaper food for English work
iugmen meant then and means now
lower prices for American farmers. The
breaking down of American manufac-
lures and the turning of their employees
to labor in the fields means a much
larger surplus for American farmers to
sell abroad and consequently lowe
prices for what they have to sell. Mr..
Golden concerned himself about Eng
lish factory hands and English manu-
facturers exclusively. He cared moth
ing for American factory hands or man.
ufacturers, or for American farmers and
farm laborers. He was looking out for
the interest of Englishmen exclusively,
fhnsn NJ lar- alo of
Englishmen, the workmen in factories
especially. His sympathies did not even
embrace the English farm laborers, the
most hopeless and wretched of their
lass almost in the world. His effort
was simply to induce Americans of all
classes by the most plausible argument
he could command to subordinate their
interests to the Interests of a particular
class of English workingmen. He was
not even the originator of that idea of
working the American farmer. for be-
fore him the cotton planters of our South
Atlantic states began an assault on
American manufactures on the theory
that if the food-producing states should
apply all their labor to raising food, in
stead of diverting large part of it to
manufactures, they could buy food for
their slaves SO much cheaper that they
could control the European market for
cotton. These cotton planters were Mr..
Cobden's faithful allies, and formed the
basis of a party in this country to sup
port and disseminate his doctrines, and
from them sprung the free-trade ele-
ment in our present parties. The fun
damental idea of the free traders was to
get food cheap for English factory hands
and the slaves of cotton plantations,
and cheap food means low prices for
farmers.
Our farmers ought to know by this
time that England would not buy
bushel of their surplus grain if her own
colonies could supply her, and that she
will prefer and does prefer Canadian
and Australian and Indian wheat to
theirs, and would take it exclusively if
she could get enough of it.
Foreign markets and distant markets
are uncertain and least profitable. Wash
ington, Adams. jefferson, Madison,
Monroe and jackson all dwelt on the
Importance Of a home market for the
surplus products of the farm, and of the
advantage to the farmer of diverting
part of the labor Of the country from
agriculture to manufacture, in order to
build up home market. Those farmers
make most money who live near large
cities. The nearer the factory is to the
farm the better for the farmer. His
products are bulky and many Of the most
profitable will not bear long transporta-
ton.
There is no class OF our people more
benefited by the policy which builds up
our manufacturing industries than the
farmers, and they will not be gulled by
Mr.. Cooden's chemes 10 get cheap
food, no matter how Dia,asibiy they may
be presented. L ,ltisUi!Te Commercial