The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-05-09
FARMERS AVERSE TO FREE TRADE.
A storm OF Petitions Against the
ozark Lantern" Bill,
Which Democratic committeeman
Have Voted to Disregard.
Mr.. Perkins Figures Little Problem
for President Cleveland.

WASHINGTON, May S.-Not a day now
passes when the House is in session that pc
titions are not received from farmers in diff
ferent parts Of the country protesting
against the Ozark Lantern" bill, and pray
products be increased. April IA, for exam
pie, petitions of that sort were presented
from farmers in Pennsylvania, New York.
Maryland and Massachusetts,. April IS,
such petitions were presented from Wiscon-
sin, Vermont, New Hampshire and New
York. April u. petitions found their way
into the petition box Of the House from
farmers in the States Of Alabama, New
York, Ohio, Illinois, Virginia, Wisconsin,
Vermont, Indiana, Massachusetts and
Pennsylvania.
General Lee, who presented the petition
from Fairfax county, Virginia, wrote ON the
back of the paper that he did so "by re-
quest" In the last three days 21 petitions
were received from - different States. These
petitions and all others relating to the tariff
are sent to the ways and means committee,
the free trade Democratic majority of which
has formally voted to disregard them. But
the same men will declare in their speeches
as premier" Mills did in his speech, that
.'the farmers" demand such legislation as
his bill proposes.
The bill reduces the duties on number of
agricultural products aud transfers others
from the dutiahle list to the free list. That
is the Democratic answer to the farmers pc
titions. Mr.. Perkins, of Kansas. represents
one of the largest agricultural districts in
the United States, a district which cast 20,
ZIG votes in the last Congressional election,
against 2S, 497 votes in the district represent
ed by Premier" Mills. According to the
latest official statistics, the total value of
Mr. Perkins's district was $27, 1856, ,053, against
a total Of $13, ,008, ,904 in Mr.. Mills's district.
The total value of live stock in the former
district was 81, ,4S6. .S24, against S3,919,392 in
the latter district, and the total value of
farm products was S7,777,9 ,997 in the former
and $780,, ,451 in the latter. 1t will be noted
that there is more than S4,000,000 difference
in the value of farms and buildings, and
only S455 900 difference in the total value of
agricultural products; but the figures prove
that Mr.. Perkins's constituents have little
more stake in tariff legislation than have the
farmers who are represented in Congress by
the Sage of Corsicana." Comparing the
States Of Kansas and Texas in the same
manner, one finds that the total value Of
farms and buildings was $235, 1885 in the
former, and S170, ass, 1856 in the latter; the to-
tai value of live stock in Kansas was S60,-
907, 149, and in Texas $50, ,307, ,987; the total
value of farm products in Kansas was S52-
240361, and in Texas S65, ,204329.
Now. Mr.. Perkins favors the protective
system and is opposed to the Mills bill, and
he is supported in that attitude by a large
majority of the people in his district. In
some remarks in the House several days
ago, he quoted several passages from Presi-
dent Cleveland's free trade message, includ-
ing the sentence: ''Those who buy imports
pay the duty charged thereon into the public
treasury, but the majority of our citizens
who buy domestic articles Of the same class
pay sum approximately equal to this duty,
to the home manufacturer"
Mr.. Perkins, taking the President at his
word, submitted statistics of agricultural
products subjectto duty, and showed that if
the latter's theory is true the farmers of the
country derive a supposed profits"
amounting to the pretty sum Of 81, ,203, ,954,-
994 per annum for such duties.