St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-14
The FallacieS of the Protec-
ton Theory Dissected ina
Convincing Manner.
How the Farmers of Dakota
Are Sorsly Oppressed by
a High Tariff.
A Very Large Proportion Of
Them Advocate and Favor
Revenue Reform.
Is Ex-Gov. Pierce a Vice Pres
ident Of the American
Protective League?

Special Letter to the Globe.
LA INQUIRE. OAK, Jan. 12.-The
question of division in Dakota is
now becoming stale. The ants are
willing to bury the Ratchet and let their
long-faced opponents rest in peace.
They see no glory is kicking an oppon-
ent who is down flat on his back. The
question that is brought into fresh
prominence and vigOr and is creating a
great deal of comment is the tariff prob
lem, and Cleveland did it with his little
message. The few old fogies, the high
protection men, who still cling to the
barbarism-the robbery of the many to
enrich the few-are almost as scarce in
Dakota as hens teeth. Like all other
relics of barbariSm, it must give way to
reason and is fast doing so. /
lately saw the statement adj
vanced by some antediluvian editor
of Omaha that the people of
Dakota we're in favor of protective
tariff. If this editor had known as
much about the people of Dakota as he
evidently doesn't know about the tariff
question, he would never have risked
his reputation for truth and veracity in
such an unfounded statement. l have
lived in Dakota nearly six years, and
have large personal acquaintance in
the territory. / do not think it eXagger-
alton to say have talked with more men
in Dakota on this question than any
other man living. If | ever talked with
a man twenty-five minutes, and did not
manage in some way to allude to the
perniciOuS doctrine of protection, de-
sire right here to publicly apollo
giZe to him for my fOrgetfulneSs.
1t was certainly not intentional On my
part. Yet, during all these years, and
after my most diligent efforts, l have
found but three or four residents of
Dakota, under the age of thirty years,
who have not opposed the protection
ductrine, as hurtful to the interests of
the Western farmer; and two of these
were editors of Republican papers. Of
the men beyond this age / find large
majority in favor of revenue reform.
Those few who are opposed to this are
real old men, as rule, who do not read
much. 1t is true l find some intelli-
gent men in favor of projections; but
they are either professional poll
ticians, who think this part
of the Republican creed, or men
whose daily business cares prevent
their giving the question any thought,
but are prOtectiOniStS, because they
were born that way.
What do these facts show? Only the
blindness induced by party worship
prevents even a man of moderate men
tai caliber from seeing the hand writing
on the wall, and understanding it. 1t
shows cOnclusively to me that the young
men of our country are not all follow
Ing
IN THE PATHS THEIR GATHERS TROD,
but are hewing new ones for themselves
with the ak of reason.
A very great percent of the voters of
the West are young men, and this fact
accounts for the apparent stupendous
gains of the Democratic party in Mime
sofa last year. where the tariff question
was made living issue. The doctrine
of protection-the foundation of all
monOpoly-has been, trying to make
some Roadway in this territory, but
has not discovered, SO far, way to
do it. The man whose posterity,
in getting up suitable epitaph for him
will be compelled to refer back to the
time when he was governor of Dakota
to find anything to brag about, has been
for several years vice president of the
American Protective league for Dakota
but has been very careful to keep this
knowledge to himself. This honor was
conferred upon him by the American
Protective league, whose headquarters
are somewhere III Pennsylvania, called
Pig Iron Kelley. got it direct from
| headquarters that the ex-governor was
boss of the ranch out this way. and to
write to him for particulars, and that is
what am doing now. -.
One thing we Dakota farmers want to
| know is, why Uncle Sam gives the coal
barons rs cents per ton protection on
each ton of coal mined, for the express
and avowed purpose of benefiting the
| poor laborer, and then permits the mine
| owner to pay only from 40 to 60 cents
| per ton for mining the coal. Forty de-
grees below zero, with coal from $40 to
| S13 per ton, induces US to think that if it
costs in Europe 80 cents per ton to mine
coal, and labOrerS receive here from 40
to 60 cents per ton, that the laborers
would be amply protected by duty of
from 10 to 35 cents per ton. What we
want to know is, what becomes of the
other Is to 50 cents per ton which
this blessed protection takes out of our
pockets. Many of US living in palaces
10X17 feet IN size, with shed roof and
tar paper covering, have become so rich
raising 50-cent wheat in competition
with the Indian Pyot and the pauper
labor of Europe that we don't care any
thing about the money thus filched from
us, but idle curiosity prOmpS us to ask
the question.
In fact, since we, the farmers of the
country, constitute more than one halt
of the whole population, and the success
of every industry depends upon the
success of the farmer, these protection
laws must be framed for our Eenefit; but
we want little light on the matter to
enable us to see just how we are bene-
fitted; and, if the eX-governor's time is
not too much occupied iii explaining
that Aberdeen letter, which is not OF
much importance to us, we would like
to have him use the light of his great
wisdom in making clear to us a few
things
IN REGARD TO THIS BUSINESS.
Since we raise nearly 200, 000, 900 bush.
els of wheat annually in this country
more than we can use, and consequently
have to sell this surplus in foreign mar
kets, and the price we get for it fixes
the price for our whole crop, we want
to know what that 90 cents per bushe
tariff is put on for If not to hOOdWink III
clodhOppers into the belief that we rear
some benefit from protection! AnC
since, as matter of fact, the only thine
we grow or produce for which we have
a sufficient home market, and of which
we do not produce surplus. is wool
and statistics show that the value of thu
wool clip and increase of flocks annual,
is about 500, 100000, which would Civ
employment to about 100000 men a
only fair wages; and, as statistic