Bismarck weekly tribune., 1888-07-27
THE FARM Err Is PROTECTED.

! The theory that the price of wheat is
governed entirely by the foreign or Liv-
eerpool market is popular error. In re-
ply to the Aberdeen News the Yankton
Press and Dakotaian says:
The American farmer-the Dakota farm
er-does not sell his wheat in competition
with sthe most degraded labor in the
world" Happily, protection saves him
from such ruinous competition. 1t is, first,
an error to suppose that any considerable
proportion OF the wheat raised in the
United States is sent abroad. Only per
cent. of ali the varied products OF Ameri-
can farms goes to foreign countries. Nine
ty-two per cent. is consumed at home.
This fact demonstrates the insignifcance
of the foreign market to our farmers. In
all the wheat producing countries OF the
world there is a yearly surplus, excepting
there is an average annual deficiency Of
2OOOOO,OOO bushels. This deficiency con-
suitutes the entire foreign demand and it
is supplied by eastern Europe and India
and to small extent by the United States.
So far as the American farmer sells his
wheat to western Europe ne comes 1 e IN
in the world" but it is shown that less
than per cent of his wheat product goes
to western Europe. By degraded labor is
meant the unprotected labor of Europe
and India. In India the farm hand works
for $l.5O month and boards himself. The
American farmer cannot compete with the
wheat growers of India, and it is fortunate
indeed for him that his own country fur
nishes him a market and protects him at
home by a judicious tariff on wheat
against the competition OF such degraded
labor,
His own country furnishes the American
farmer with a home market for his products
by building up class OF laboring consum-
ers who can afford to buy the products of
the farm, because wise system OF protec-
ton against foreign competition enables
him to secure the means with which to
purchase such products. There are 5,OOO,-
900 people in the United States working by
the day in our domestic manufacturing es-
$1,50O,OOO,OO0 and producing each year S7.-
100000 in manufactured products. There
are9OOO,O 900 farmers engaged in the business
of producing food for themselves, for the
100000 mechanical laborers and the addi-
tional 100000 bread winners who live by
vocations other than manufacturing and
agriculture. These are the elements which
give to the farmer his income and enable
him to accumulate property in his own
name These patrons Of the farmer are
protected in their wages and are enabled
to purchase generously from the agrlcul-
tural classes through benefcent tariff
system which closes the door of cheap
labor competition and maintains the
American consumer IN position to liber-
ally patronize the producer. Take away
this protection and the products of the
American farmer must more largely seek
foreign markets and encounter the cOmpe-
tition of degraded farm labor.
The wheat of India, by reason of the
cheap labor there employed under free
trade policy and of low transportation
rates. can now be laid down in New York
for IS cents per bushel. But for the Amer
ican protective tariff which imposes tax of
20 cents per bushel upon all foreign wheat
the India product would sell to-day in New
York for Is cents per bushels and Amer
ican grown wheat would be forced down
to that low figure, instead of bringing 90
cents per bushel, as it does. This would
reduce the price of wheat in Dakota to 30
to 35 cents per bushel and the difference
would 60 as the Dakota farmers tribute to
free trade. Can the Dakota farmer afford
it? There is also coming danger to con-
slider which menaces the agriculturalist Of
the wheat growing belt. With the COM
pletion of Indian railway lines now under
construction transportation will be SO
cheapened that wheat grown in India can
be laid down in New York at 60 cents per
bushel. Adding the tariff of 20 cents per
bushel would make the price 80 cents per
bushel, and to this figure American grown
wheat must fall Our trne policy, there
fore, in the interest of our own protection,
is to increase the tariff on wheat, rather
than abolish it, as the destructive demo-
cratic party proposes.