The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-06-15
POTATOES AND THE TARIFF.
A Feature Of the Mills Bill in Which Farm
era Arc Directly Interested.

Feature Of the Mills Bill in Which Farm
Are Directly Interested.
Evening Wisconsin.
The farmers of the United States receive
from s70.00o.oo0 to 800 600, 600 per year for
their potato crop. The prices they are paid are
not large in the average. but are rsmunerative.
else potato-growing would be abandoned
For the benefit Of those farmers who raise
potatoes and make something by it. yet who in
sist that the protective tariff is .of no use to
them, the Wisconsin wants to present few
facts.
Between the LIST of last October and the LIST of
the present month there were received by
steamer from continental Europe 240,249
bushels Of potatoes, against only ,5l2 bushels
received from the same source last year. Dur
ing the same period there were received In New
York from Great Britain 3.4ll, $40 bushels OF
potatoes. against only LOG DAT bushels during
tho corresponding months one year ago.
Potatoes in Great Britain are very cheap.
Put mp in sacks the transatlantic passenger
steamers find them very convenient form OF
ballast: and for the sake of fostering traffic
from which they hope to reap future freight
profit, they now consent to carry them for al
most the bare cost Of putting them into the hold
and taking them out again. The present duty
on potatoes brought into the United States is
fifteen cents per bushel; and this figure plus
the nominal freight charges. plus the buying
cost in Great Britain, enables shippers to put
the tubers down in New York for just about the
cost to the American farmer Of the home prod
uct
Now the pending Mills bill proposes placing
potatoes on the free list The frat result will
be to drive the American farmer out OF the mar
ket, and compel him TO give up potato growing.
The second result, say the free-tradsrs. will be
to lower the price to the consumers. and thus
much more than compensate for the loss in
ficted upon the farmer.
That 10 the theory; but here is the practical
result, as agai6 and again proved in the tariff
history Of this country: With the fifteen cent
duty removed the price to the consumer will be
lowered for just as long a time land
| it will be short enough) is required to
teach the American farmer that he can't
| grow potatoes except at loss, and to turn his
| acres to other uses Then the shippers from
Great Britain in control Of the market, will put
| no the price, charge the consumer more than he
now pays, reap triple profits and ask MS, ''What
| are you going to do aboutP
By and by the answer will come from thu
| American farmers. who will say: 'There is profit
| in potatoes at the present high rates; and we
| will return 10 potato raising once more" They
| DO 90, and instantly the foreign shippers make
| it hot for them by Dropping again down to the
| price that prevails to-day not only, but to
poiut fifteen cents per bushel lower, as they can
afford to do with the duty removed, and still es-
| cape q loss.
Thus again they speedily freeze out the COM
| petition of the home product and when Ameri-
| can potato growing is once moro abandoned.
| these Englishmen once more put the screws"
| to the luckless American consumers being alb
solute dictators of our market price. And SO on
| indefinitely. Thev rob the farmer Of his pres
emit profit in potato-erowine. and taking one
| year with another compel the laborinc man
whose family eats potatoes, to pay more than he,
| pays under the present protective tariff
And this trade In potatoes il Representative of
| the trade in sill vegetables from which, by the
Mills bill. it is proposed the tariff shall be now
removed.