Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1888-07-26

and putting them at other. pursuits,
they don't help us, for these same con-
sumers were consumers before. AS for
lessening the number of producers, as
L have said, these people get pauper
labor from Europe for less than they
would have to pay native farmers; and
get them they do. These miners and
manufacturers, after squeezing all
they can out of us by law, proceed to
squeeze. labor; and they do that by
drawing on the labor of Europe. lam
but short distance, as a crow flies,
from the Hooking Valley coal-mines.
saw the native Americans driven out
by Welsh and Irish. These in turn
were crowded out by Poles, Bohemians,
and Italians. These in turn, as they
object to being starved to death, are
threatened 10y Negroes; and We should
have Chinese did not the law forbid
So far as can find out, the poorest
paid labor in the United States is pro-
tected labor Mining work never was
skilled labor, and, owing to the improve
ments in machinery, manufacturing
ceased to be of that sort. Even a girl
or child can stand by and regulate the
machine.
L said the protected labor was the
poorest paid. 1 must qualify that
There is very little difference between
that and farm labor. AT the rate we
| hnnr1 inl- in fla CT
five years, in the next twenty-five we
shall see farm labor little better than
the old serfdom of Russia. We are
coming to the eighteen dollars a year
and the sheepskin coat. And as the
right honorable official protectionists
address us now, in our distress, as their
dearly beloved farmers, l suppose
when in our misery dying, as their
miners and mill operatives die, of
want, they will still give us this taffy.
And why? Because we vote. They
treat their own laborers rough because
they know there are SO few of them it
can make no difference. But if we
farmers were to get up i'll our wrath,
we would make short work of them at
the polls. L don't know whether this
will ever occur, for we are ignorant
and stupid, preferring the right honor
Oble protectionists' taffy to common
sense.
Let our agriculturists oEce compre-
hend the true working of this protec-
tive system and its reign will be short.
Let us look at it. l have few hogs,
bunch of sheep, some corn, and more
wheat. Howl have ploughed, planted,
fattened, and cared for these tells
story of hard labor and exposure scarce
ly known to any other pursuit. Now,
why have thus toiled through the
year? Certainly from no philanthropic
or patriotic motive. l have done so
simply to secure market; no more, no
less. Does this paternal government
sympathiZe with me? Not muchi Con-
gress is in session the larger part of
the Year. Does Congress do anything
for the farmer? Again, not much!
Sometimes member makes speech
i'll which he bespatters us with flattery
And every year the president sends in
message in which he speaks of farm
ing being the great underlying prosper
ity of the land. Do any of them con-
Germ themselves about Our market?
Again say, not much And yet the
most influential committee of the
house, that of the ways and means,
sits IN almost perpetual session to hear,
consider, and devise how the mining
and manufacturing interests are to
secure profit therefor through law
of congress, instead of leaving these
interests to the trade law of supply and
demand. If delegation of farmers
were to go before that committee and
say, ''We are losing, not money, but
our labor, and we cannot live OH the
prices of this market of your making"
the delegation would be told that the
great American system of protection
was devoted to fostering mining and
manufacturing industries, and when
that was done the farmers would reap
a consequential good which the COM
mittee hoped they would be patriotic
enough to accept. And when the door
closed on the disgusted delegation, a
roar of laughter would go up oyer the
''hay seeders.''
Now, let us see how the internal sys-
tenn works as to the farmer? His
market is foreign one. All the sur
plus that is over the home demand
goes to Europe, where our Congress
| has no nIriS6ictiOn and where the