Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-08-16

| the producer, We brmer, y made 10
1 pay an extra pfice ou eyeiGtbihg BE-
tbuys, because the government has
icoms--th instrument Of privileged
classes and granted protection to favor
cd jnduRlrias. In plein~ words,Vth
farmer Isl staxed 10 giveSa bounty to the
/ manufacturer. MN
How ab&urdiy silly, then, Il ID to talk
about protection, in the shape OF tariff,
being q benefit to the farmer. What
protection Is II to pay an average Of
sixty-six per cent. on all the woOlen
goods used by, him and his family, fly
per cent. On the cotton goods co hsunaed
by him, thirty five per cent. on the
Ilinen he mnst purchase? WhatsoEt of
protoction that which compelsshim to
pay an average Of forty per cent. on his
plows, axes, hoes and all implements Of
iron Audlabd steel usedby him?
YetNpr0tectfOnists win answer and
say: "Why the farmer is protected,
there is an import duty on wheat, and
the foreign farmer cannot bring his
product te-this country and compete
with our home farmern What good
does an import tariff do the farmer?
No wheat is or can be imnorted while
we have a surplus-it Is our farmers
who must find foreign market. And
where but in England, except perhaps
during a European war, viii, he find it.
In almost every country he must pay
duty for the privilege of unloading his
wheat and feeding the people. In
Canada he must pay 25 cents per bu.,
4 in Mexico, 13 cents, in Spain, 20 cents,
in Portugal, 80 cents, in France, cents
and in Germany, 5 cents per bushel.-s.
Sos the conclusion is forced protection
lrains agriculture. t4As AfE
E sWhe1the agricnltuialist looksaround
for d market for his large surplus he
finds himself thus Handicapped. Every
where he turns he must pay bonus for
the privilege of unloading his product,
England alone offers him free market.
4 But the Englishmsn is no less selfish
than the rest of mankind, and when
the American farmer sends a cargo of
grain to Liverpool, the Englishman is
willing enough to purchase 1t, "but," !"
says he "You must take my products in
exchange. You need wooden and cotton
goods, iron and tin ware, glass and
queensware, etc." "Oh, no" must be
the reply of the farmer. II cannot take
your product. My government charges
me too much for the privilege of un-
loading your goods. Ny surplus must
4 20 to protect our home manufacturer"
Thus we find England cultivating
: wheat in India and trading with Egypt
and the American surplus is without
market. Consequently, ,protective
II tariff is damage rather than a benefit
50 far as theAproduction and market for
grain is concerned V 4 ~ al 4
|. But we may goF further. Is the
farmer benefited in his catteor hog
raising? No other country sends any,
thing to interfere with her cattle or hog
industry. Is he benefited in his cheese,
; butter, oats, corn, horses, tobacco, cot
ton, hay or any other production of the
farm?s How many million dollars of
foreign farm products have comeyinto
competitionE with tile products Of the
American farmer?s How many would
come if the duty were entirely removed
off every producteof the farm? No
country in the world; except Canada
Detroit and few of those American
cities and towns close to the border.
!. Extend the inquiry. Is the wool
grower benefited .bya protective tariff?
i What country wants his market? Aus
bTd4Id SHIlA u1l AcIa WOUI 10
England manufactures more wool than
she herself and Australia can supply.
America has to obtain certain quanti-
ty of the fine supple woods of foreign
countries to, mix with the home pro-
duct in order to manufacture 1t. A
tariff on such importation is an injury;
4 lit,increases the price to the consumer.
1t makes no difference to the nianufac-
turer, if he pays tariff on the wool he
imports, he charges it all up to the
purchaser. S94 y'' ~"
Can any advocate of high protec-
! fltive tariff point to asingle. product of
the farm, amounting in the aggregate
to 81, 2O0DQO, 900 per annum, that pros
lection has aided, or that an abolition
of the tariff would injure? High tariff,
low tariff or no tariff at all is all the
fsame to the farmer as far,as his pro-
ducts are concerned.S Free trade can
bring no rivals, protection keeps none
4 away. Therefore, he contributes the
largest share of his annual product to
a the,monopplista and receives nothing in
return. He is compelled to- sell his
products for whatever price the gigantic
wheat syndicates,, cotton trusts, beef
i monopolies and other corporations feel
I disposed to pay him. He has no choice
but takes what he gets. But just as
soon as the trusts and syndicates get
hold of his products then he sees how
they control matters. From New York
. to San Francisco aThuge sweat board,
dice and dice boxSexist. Wheat, beet
and all products of the farm, are gambl-
ed off from side to side One gains
another loses. Up gothic braedstuffs.
Bankers and bank directers and cashiers
over-reach and cork themselves. Bank
failures, depositors, money swept away
in the m@lstrom of gambling All the
excitement is paid fof by the low price
charged the consumer. Thus tile
farmer, is shut out from the benefit lot
I Ibis own market He cannot, place
J himself in direct communication with
the consumer, a The consumer is pre-
/ vented from buying, directly from the
y producer. Thus both are robbed. .5 3
The farmer gets less than the con.
) sumner would pay HIM and the eonsuIn.
; er pays more than the producer would
, charge him. Thus both producer and
J consumer are robbed to pny the mo,
: nopolist. The farmer cannot. there.
: fore, realize the benefit of either the
; home or the foreign market. Not only
!, is he robbed of the greater part of 81, J.
9 200, 1000 to pay the Imonopolist or
! his manufactured goods, but he Is alsc
: rObbedaOf his natural markets. his iiuS