The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-01-23
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
How the Tariff Works for Farmers

indianapolis
The Chicago Tribune of Jan. 10, contained
letter from correspondent in this county, show
ing. as he thought, the manner in which
protective tariff benefited the farmer and all
other laboring men. The Tribune of the same
date, in answer to this letter. fit to take the
decided ground that a tariff does not in any
manner whatever benefit the agricultural
class, but argues that it works just the opposite
result The Tribune in support of its argument
seemingly quotes the history and experience of
the country to prove it. 1t is impossible for an
honest man to see a Western State double itself
in the number of improved farms, quadrupe it
self in the number of horses and cattle. and then
truthfully say that it has not done so because
its people are being continually ''flehed' oy
high tariff.
Let us commence with the State of Ohio and
include nine (9) Western and Central States, and
see if the fact really is on the "flching" order.
Between the years of 1860 and 1880 the popula-
ton of these nine States increased SO per cent,
the acreage of improved farms increased in the
same time rs per cent. When the per cent in
growth of fine farms is greatly the increase.
even outstripping the per cent of gro with in tho
population, it seems that the Western farmer is
the only creature on earth endowed with the
faculty of getting rich while .he is continually
a
Central State in the Union that has not i'm
proved wonderfully in the last few years, IN the
retaining of wild lands and in the number OF
farm hands and the wages paid them.
This is plain and tends so much to make up
the expert ence of middle-aged people that 1t
seems needless to be repeated. The arguments
of Hamilton, Jefferson and Clay are just as ap-
plicable to the affairs of state to-day as they
were when first uttered. The foresight and
prophecies OF these statesmen have all been
fulfilled to the letter in regard to the workings
of protective tariff; they read the future like
printed page and yet there are people who can
not it. and will be- until there is some way
invented to mako man see thing when he
persists in not wanting to see it.
No one has ever heard to a very great extent
of community of farmers asking for the repeal,
or even reduction of the tariff on foreign ar
ticles.
They all remember that it was taken off of
coffee when we no longer needed the revenue it
afforded. They all know the only result was the
giving Of several millions of dollars annually to
foreign raisers of coffee. instead Of having 1t In
own treasury. They also know that the
price of coffee is higher than it has been for
twenty years. Will not the same reasoning APP
ply to sugar. If take the tariff off this ar
ticle it will only result in letting foreign sugar
producers Keep fifty millions of dollars annually
instead of giving it to us and we will go on pay
ing the same price for sugar as we did coffee.
If the tariff is kept on sugar it will do no HARM
and at the same time might do great deal of
good in inducing men to make experiments. as
France and Germany did. and thereby eventual
ly lessen the price of sugar. So long we stand
with idle hands and open mouths depending
on England to make our living, just 30
long will get very uncertain living.
What there be in man sitting
with folded hands and buying something he
could unfold his hands and makel If this man
acts IN wisely would not nation of such men
be sad sight among the DationS of the world!
The Western farmers who are being SO terri
bly, mangled" by this high tariff at this very
moment flooding Congress with petitions asking
and praying that the tariff be kept on wool Is it
not supposed that they know best what they want2
If the Western farmers doubt the lower ing Of
the price of their wooden goods by the removal
of the tariff on WOOL and il they know beyond
doubt that they would be deprived of their
sheep by such removal of the tariff, l say let
Congress give them the benefit of the doubt, and
it will turn out after all that this ''flchng'
process of the Tribune is only in the minds of
free-trade theorists, rather than in the minds of
practical and experienced farmers.
In to a statement In the above
men toned letter that Home competition less
ened the price of articles which tariff had
been placed and that the majority of these
things were articles used by the farmer" the
Tribune says that it does not but tends to build
up vast ''monopolies," trusts" and "comb nes,"
and at the time mentioning the price of
only article that these trusts have raised land
that is steel. It is true that 'monopolies,"
trusts" and combines" are dangerous elements
with which to deal ont it is a waste of ink to
say that the tariff causes them Even in the
face of fact, if it is fact that the price of
steel has doubled itself. does not this "poor. de-
luded, down-trodden, Western farmer" of the
Tribune 60 to the shop and get first-class steel
pillow for less than he had to pay for wooden
one, before plow shops were started in this
country. Are not all his edged tools cheaper and
better than they formerly wereP Does he not get
better and cheaper than he did before ak factor
les were started and kept moving by protect
i've TARIFF
If the tariff is such friend to the ''monopo-
1y" and to the men who wish to start trusts"
and combines" how are we to account for the
great corner" on coffee ard hard coal that run
up the prices of these articles such
rreme, when there is tariff on these articles2
1t is difficult for to see how tariff and the
absence of a tariff, work the same hardship on
the poor flched" Western farmer.
Referring to another question in the letter,
asking if high tariff did not aid in getting
glass works established in this country, and if
Il does not at the present time keep those of
Europe from crushing US out, the Tribune says
shat 1.-THE high duty on glass was never neces-
sary, and ''that all the good it did to
allow glass makers i'll this country, to die,
worth millions .flched out of the peoples
BOY in the universe know that the successful
establishment of plate glass works IN this
country due to q tariff on foreign glass.
and that the price Of glass reduced to such
an extent that the windows of the lowliest peas
ants cot were of the best glass instead OF
creased papers4 The price of glass was reduced
at least one third and who say tina a COM
munity is being ''flched" who are enabled to
save large amounts of money thereby
While this subject the Tribune says that
the lessening of the price OF glass was due to
many causes; that we ought to give some credit.
at least, to one inventive genius Among these
causes ''the finding of the proper kind of
sanu, the Importation Oh SklllIul giaSS-cutUerS
and 1.the perfection of many kinds of inven-
lions used in making glass" These are
ali quite true and better ones could not be CIV
en- by the most out spoken protectionist. But
was not the tariff on foreign glass tho forerun-
ner of all these2 Who with wit enough to come
in out of the rain would have been stupid as
to have gone to the expense.of hunting sand"
importing skillful glass cutters" .'perfecting
inventions in order to make glass, If the tariff
had not closed the foreign gates while he sold it,
1t is superfuons to take time in refuting such
argument; well say that the pistonrod
propels the engine and deny that the steam
rules the piston-rod.
To another question, as to whether high
tariff wool, and the breeding of better class
of sheep would not ultimately lessen the price
of wool, the answer of the Tribune is fiat mo-.
and the argument forth to support 1t pro-
ceeds upon two very inconsistent theories The
frat theory is, that the tariff on wool has Kept
it SO high that the laboring man is compelled to
~. bie goods"