The National tribune., 1888-07-05

Bombay, Madras and Calcutta are relatively
as near Liverpool as Chicago, ST. Paul and
Kansas City are. The rapid construction of
great trunk lines through the densely popu-
lated peninsula will bring all the products
of these toiling hundreds of millions quickly
and cheaply to the seaboard, and put them
directly in competition with those of our
farmers, making it a vital question whether
they can afford to raise wheat and sell it as
cheaply as an Indian nabob will, who gets
human labor as cheaply as our farmers can
that of horses and oxen. The only way to
avoid this competition is by creating home
market which will consume every bushel of
grain and every pound of meat that we raise.
It is not alone in grain and meat that our
farmers suffer from this ruinous competition.
Last year we bought from the Hindus over
$10,000,000 worth of jute, which should
either have been raised in the South or sub
stitutes made of the wasted fiax-straw of the
Northwest. If those $10,0OO,0OO had been
paid to the famers of Minnesota, Iowa and
Dakota, their financial condition would have
been much better to-day than it is. There
would have been vastly fewer mortgages
on their farms.
We bought in Europe $16,0OO,000 worth
of flax and linen, which should have gone
into the pockets of our farmers.
We bought $15,OOO0OO worth of oranges,
lemons, currants, plums, prunes, raisins,
tilberts and walnuts, which should have
gone to swell the bank accounts of our agri-
culturists
The 100000 which we paid for foreign
hay would have lifted the mortgages off the
farms of whole County.
The 81 100000 which we paid the Hin
dus for rice would have been great help
to the impoverished South Carolinians and
Louisianians
The $3,117OOO we paid for foreign hops
would have made better times in Oregon,
Wisconsin and New York.
The $11 100000 we paid out abroad for
hides, leather, etc, would have been much
better spent at home.
We paid the Spaniards last year 81, 100000
for Hcorice, which had better been distrib-
uted among the farmers of Ohio, Indiana,
Illinois and Kentucky.
Nearly $1,5OO.OOO went to Spain and Al
giers for cork, which can be raised as well
in Georgia and Alabama.
The $6,152, ,825 we paid out for foreign
barley would have been of great assistance
in making times easier in California, Dakota
Wisconsin and New York.
One thing that helped greatly to reduce
the profits on poultry was the 100000
worth of eggs which we imported.
Our pastures would have been more
profitable if we had bought at home the
6,558,464 pounds of cheese and $4,000
pounds of butter we bought abroad.
Nearly S100,O0O,0OO worth of sugar, mo-
lasses and other sweets were bought abroad,
which should have been produced at home,
either from cane, beets, sorghum or corn.
One hundred million dollars paid into our
farmers pockets would simply revolutioniza
the aspects of agriculture in this country.
We are the only civilized Nation in the
world that allows such an enormous drain
Of money from its agricultural resources.
Over S11 100000 went out of the country
for tobacco, which if spent at home would
have lifted the burden of debt off many
thousands of acres in Pennsylvania, Yir.
ginia, Connecticut, Kentucky and else.
where.
Nearly 100000 bushels of potatoes
478000 bushels of beans and 100000
worth of pickles were imported, to the di
rect loss of our own farmers.
Over $8,OO0,OOO worth of wood" !" which
includes all kinds of timber, were bought in
to the great detriment of the thousands O
struggling farmers who look to their timber
to help them clear their farms of debt.
There was imported from Buenos Ayres
New Zealand, Australia, Cape of Good Hope
Russia and other countries where the farm
ing lands range from low priced to almos
valueless, 115,OOO,OOO pounds of raw wool,
worth 100000. The manufactured wool
increased the value of the importations t.
the enormous figure of 500, ,5S6613.
We have here hastily sketched few 0
the leading articles in which our farmer
are directly and deeply interested
, By thinking over them even casually, i
will be clear to any thinking man that th
policy which is imperative on US if we de
sire prosperity, is to withdraw as far posi-
BILE from competition in foreign market
with the pauper farmers of other lands
and strain every nerve to develop the hom
production of those things which othe
countries find it profitable to raise and sci
: to ua