The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1888-01-19
THE TARIFF, By A FARMER.
EDITOR Or THE BorrINEAu PIONEER,

Sir:-Scvere In
disposition prevented me from attending the
meeting called for endorsing and supporting
President Cleveland's recommendations for
tariff reform.
i was one of the promoters Of the meeting,
asI believed in not only supporting our
President in the attempt to reduce our taxes,
but also wished to impress upon my brother
farmers how the "high tariff is robbing and
grinding US. No one prompted me to get up
. meeting. All that Messrs. Bennett & Tur-
ner had to do with it, was to insert . notice
lat our request) in the Pioneer.
Believing that they who would be free
must themselves strike the blow, we are now
entering upon q struggle against ubiquitous,
~tyranuical taxation, similar to the one Cob
den and Bright wsged in England against
the "Corn laws" Our opponents arc led by
able men, with unlimited funds wrune from
the horny handed sons Of toll, and will die
hard. Our President has CALAMITY thrown
himself in the breach. Shall we fold our
arms and supinely look on, while our hard
earnings are wrung from us by selfish, un
princ.pled men, whose motto is get an they
can, no matter how or by what meansg.
l make no class cry, and ask for nothing
for the farmer but fair remuneration for his
labor, for I believe that the whole country
would b more prosperous with moderate tariff
Protectionists in other countries have only
advocated for afew years. Of q moderate tariff
mot . prohibitory one), 50 that the infant
industries might not be stranglsd in" their
birth; that once established they would not
require protection, and that owing to home
competition, there would be no increase in
price. BY the system Of combination called
trusts, together with our prohibitory tariff,
competitor is strangled and We are At the
mercy Of monopoly.
At the low prices that have ruled for
wheat, farmers require all their expenses
and charges reduced to q minimum. Trans-
portatiop Of his grain to the market is to the
farmer . heavy item. The cheaper . rail-
road can be built the cheaper it can carry
freight and passengers, and vice versa; il
Eaaills, etc. are high in price them = capital
Will BE- required for building and for rolling
stock. The duty on steel rails is$17.OO per
ton; 30 it will b cafe to assume that one
year with another every ton Of steel rails
costs the companies SIS 90 per ton on ac-
count Of the tariff. Ninety tons Of rails are
required for evcry mile Of road where steel
is used, or $3.50 for every mile.
. It is 500 miles to Minneapolis, being an
increase inscost on U only outlet to mar
ket Of $675,OO0, to say nothing Of the in
crease in cost Of ceFs, engines, station houses
and elevators. Who ultimately pays for all
this but the farmer struggling with Low
prices to whom every gent on bushel j. Of
importan. .!
The farmer Is taxed on his lumber for
building, he Is tagged on his sail, taxed on
his sugar. taxed 81 his clothing, the high
duty on coal and iron increases the price Of
his machinery and implement When hs
gets sick the medicine ne requires y taxed.
And when " last The poor farmer, worn out
with his labor Tor those iniquito,sT taxes. il
gathered % his fathers. he il wrapped IA 4
taxed shroa.d, PHI il ! taxed coffin and laid
n : Krsyc dug by ] taxed spade.
Anal MI "a ~ vino Ii benefited ~ all
this taxing. he English anlhority
puts j, .ths worla xill npt nor win any
po1tioa of II bst1s betlsr a by tke totaI 81
~ saod tl,iass bsinus disninisAsa, that AZ