Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1888-09-06

In ulsnOlS Us0,OU,VUO
IN sc0osln oy,' 90
In Michigan. 8SUUOWO
In Iowa Observation-Disclosures. 851OO0,O0O
In Nebraska ....................... 14O.0O.000
In Kansas OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 2aOD.O0O
In Missouri. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 2s7, 100000
Total farm mortgages in these
States .$3 42S,OOU.OOO
These facts prove not wealth, but poverty;
not prosperity. but adversely. Do they not
warrant the words of Mr.. Burrows, presi-
dent of the National Farmers Alliance. who
says:
81 regret as much as any man living the
poverty and dependence of farmers which ex-
lists at this lay to an alarming extent, though
denied by some"
Why does this distress exist among the farm
ers of the Weste Natural causes have played
a part but the chief and most effective cause
is artificial, and consists in the onerOus, un-
fair and dishonest taxes lald~0pon our agri-
cultors, not only for the support of the Gov
ernments, but to transfer the gains that some
men have toiled for to others who have not
earned them. It is because an average tax OF
50 per cent. is LEVIED upon all the cotton goods
that they buy IN order that wealth and pros
perity may exist among the owners OF cotton
mills in Massachusetts, and an average OF AZ
per cent. is collected from them on all the nee
essaries and comforts they buy in order to give
extra gains to those engaged in manufactur-
ing industries It is because they are i'm
poverished in order that, other classes may be
enriched; because they are preyed upon by the
monopo1ies, and by the infamous trusts and
dishonest combines VIII Oh have been recently
formed.
From the statistics we are able to obtain it
is believed that out of 60 coo 600 Of our popu1a-
ton 5000 900 are farmers, who, with these con-
nected with them, constitute over 30.OOO,OO0 OF
more than one-half of the whole population.
They 200, 900 of FARMS worth I'll ,OOO, Co.,
coo; the products of their farms amount to s3,-
90 OO0 600. and they own over e. 500 OOOO0O worth
OF live stock; their implements of husbandry
amount to 5000, o. O000, and their Improvements
and fences to $15O,OO0,O0.
These figures indicate that the farmer is
deeply interested in this subject, and that he
is entitled to have his interest considered AS
we have seen, protection is OF no advantage to
him; he is the victim OF protection; he is In
iured by it. Consider for a moment the argu-
ment used by the friends OF protection. They
say that unless the high rates of duty now ex-
listing maintained some OF the hourishing
factories in this country will be forced to close
and their business perish because protection
forces people to buy goods from them at o
higher price than they can obtain them from
foreigners.
These factories, they say, can not prosper
it. for instance we should reduce the tariff
from 81 per cent to Is per cent. on the bagging
in which the farmer sends his wheat to the
Liverpool and other markets, because the
farmer might exchange some OF his wheat at
Liverpool for bags which he can buy for far
less money than he can this country In
order to maintain the prosperity OF the home
bagging factories they demand that we shall
prevent the farmer from doing by forcing
him to pay 81 per cent. tariff duty on the bags
when they come into this country; or in other
words, on each 800 worth OF bags that le may
buy in Liverpool, or exchange his wheat for, 1t
is necessary to make him pay a penalty OF 1854
for doing So
In this way, although he is forced to sell his
wheat in the cheapest market Of the world, to
buy his su plies he is forced in one of the dear
est markets OF the world. BY this method he is
denied the right to purchase Ii 8 supplies from
his own customers, and compelled 10 purchase
them from some folks In this country who will
add nearly all the tax which is laid the sup
plies to the other profits they make in manufact-
uring them. This is called protection to the
American bagging manufacturer. To the agri-
cultor, 1t is the protection that the wolf gives
to the lamb.
It is the means by which monopolies, and
those colossal corsairs, the monopoly trusts,
are engendered, fattened and maintained. It
makes tramps OF men and paupers OF women;
reduces the laboring man to misery, breeds dis
content, foments strikes, ruins business and
fosters anarchy.
All the experience Of thrifty nations goes to
prove that foreign markets are more impor-
tant, and would bring more wealth to our peo-
pie than any others. Our situation is one that
secures to US the greatest natural means of
controlling the trade of the world. Eastward,
our commercial front looks toward Europe;
westward. toward Asia, Japan and countless
islands OF the Pacific; southwark, we stand at
the door of the most fruitful of all the tropical
great oceans, the midway grounds on the lines
OF the worlds commercial transportation, our
commercial position is uneQualed by that OF
any other country earth. Our people are
the most enterprising, our farmers and me-
chancs the most skillful and most energetic in
the world. We ought to have no fears of COM
petition with any people on the globe. We
certainly possess advantages coubly greater
than any other nation; our flag should be found
above the decks Of our ships laden with COM
merce in every port on every The stat s.
tics OF the world should show that there
larger tonnage OF American register bearing
the pr oducts OF our farms and workshops than
can be shown by any other nation.
And it would be SO il 1t were not for the mar
row policy Of protection which has erected
Chinese wall around our land, and closed our
ports against the riches OF the world s COM
merce. In 1858, under q revenue tariff the
prosperity OF orr merchant marine was one of
the prOu dest boasts of the American citizen.
| Over % per cent. of our exports and imports
were carr ed in American vessels. Since the
enactme Mt of the war tariff sh piping has
STEADILY grown less, until last year less than IA
/, per cent OF our imports and exports were
| carried on American vessels. It is our tariff
system that has maintained England q her
suprem acy OF the seas. her control of the ira e
OF the world. Our western port of San Fran
| cisco is in comparison with the distance to
i England, at the door of Oh ma and yet ENGLAND
! mnnopolizes the trade with China. Out OF the
nearly $500 0O0, 900 OF foreign commerce year be-
fore last with Oh ma we had but SEQ OOO 900 of it,
We are en- the coast line of Southern coun-
tries, and yet out of about 500 OOO, OO0 OF COM
merce there, England has about three times as
much OF it as we. We have all the raw nate
| rails in inexhaust Bile abundance within
our own borders, the best and most intel
| ligent workmen in the world in oar
midst yet the little island of Great
Britain has outstripped us in all the markets
| OF the world in the sale of manufactured