The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-04-09

present laws are enjoying outrageous prvi-
legts by which they are accommodating enor-
nous profits without any benefit to others
Shall between three and four millions of persons
engaged in manufacturing, mechanics and min
ing be crushed and reduced to poverty, or
shall the iniquitous system of internal evenue
be repealed, with its spies and informers, aud
the profits of the whisky barons" be reduced ?
That is the true issue which the people of this
country have TO meet Yes the issue is be-
tween the 969 whisky barons, with their enor-
nous profits, on the one hand, and the millions
of dependent women and children of this coun.
try on the other hand.
THE LESSON OF RICE PROTECTION
This is forciby illustrated in the case of the
price of rice during our late unfortunate civil
war Prior to the commencement of the war
the American rice planters with slave labor
made as cheap rice aSeould be had anywhere
They supplied the American market and proba
ply more than one-half che European market,
and they sold rice at from 81 rs to 81 p per 100
pounds. The war came on and the southern
planters had to take their negroes off the rice
plantations and put them to building fortifca-
tons, and soon after the Federal government
threw blockade around the Southern ports
ana cut of the Northern States entirely from
the rice plantations of the South. What was
the resultS The foreign rice planters at once
saw their opportunity. The American sup
ply was cut Off, The American
people must have large quantities
Of rice, and large quantities were required for
the army and the hospitals, and the foreigners
advanced the price of rice in the market step
by step until it reached over $1I per 100 pounds,
where II stood for quite a length of time Why
did the people of the Northern States and the
army hospitals have to pay $14 per 100 pounds
for rlces For the reason that the Southern
supply, upon which they had heretofore de-
pended Tor their rice, was cut off. Little was
made and none could reach them, and they
were left at the mercy of the foreign importer;
and the foreign importer made them pay most
extravaganty for It. Since our rice fields are
cultivation ha
rice is protected by a high tariff, the price in
me market has gone down until it is now from
$3 to "a per 100 pounds.
Now, you legslate in reference to any of
the great manufacturing interests so as to crush
OUT the American factories and leave us depend
ent upon foreign manufacturers for our supply,
the same result will follow. Whenever foreign
erS see that we are dependent upon them they
Will use their power and compel us to pay ex-
tortionate prices for the articles they sell us.
SUGAR. CALICO, ETC, CHEAPER UNDER PRESENT
TARIFF.
From 1856 to 1860 was period of low tariff
At that time refined white sugar in the market
was worth from 14c. to Ice. a pound at retail
Now you can buy refined granulated sugar at
about 61ac. pound, and presume you can buy
the brown sugar at about &c. Thus you see, Mr.
President, how the enormous tariff on sugar by
reducing the price is running the farmers of
Georgia, who have to purchase sugar
Prior to the war, in the period of low tariff a
good article of calico was worth from Toe to
12c. at retail. Now the same article, and Just as
good, can be bought at from SC to &c. a yard.
one-half the price that it brought during the
low tariff period So you see, Mr.. President,
how the present high tariff is running the plant
erS and farmers who have to buy calico Prior
to the war all agricultural implements were
worth from 30 to so per cent. more than they
now command. For instance, it was worth
Doc. to lay a scooter pillow at the black
smith shop, and would cost from soc. to 75c. to
purchase one. Now you can purchase it for
&c. Everybody knows this helps the farmer
And in the face of all this the free trader tells
the farmer that he is being ruined by the tariff.
How utterly absurd! How absolutely false!
Yet they say the planting interest is being ruin
ed by the high tariff. Take the article of bacon
for instance which is purchased largely by the
farmers of Georgia. and prior to the war during
the low tariff period, it was worth from 10c to
12c. pound i'll the market. Now it ranges
generally from &C. to Sc, and it has sold by the
car load within the last three or four years as
low as 413c.
This is the way the tariff is running the great
mass of farmers in the South who have to buy
their bacon and other food supplies and might
extend this list by enumerating article after ar
ticle purchased by the farmer that is worth a
third less, or one-half as much now, in the mar
ket, as it cost him prior to the war. Now the
farmers who are getting this reduction upon
the price formerly paid by them for necessary
articles would never know they were being
ruined if they were not kindly reminded of il bv
their good friends, the agents or advocates of
the whisky ring.
BETTER PRICES FOR LABOR UNDER THE TARIFF
But this is not all. The price of nearly all the
necessarieS of life which the farmers buy has
not only gone down from 25 to so per cent. but
the price of labor has gone up. There was never
a period in American history when labor com
manded as high price in the market as it does
at the present time, or when the price of a DAYS
labor would buy as much of the neceSSaries of
life to the family OF the laborer. What is to be-
come of the country, Mr.. President and eS-
pecially the farmers and laboriug class of this
if the nripo of all tho
they have to buy is to continue to go down in
the market, and labor, by which they make their
money, is to continue to go upG
PROTECTION ENJOYED BY THE FARMERS.
But is it true that the present tariff protects
everybody else but the farmer, and leyies
enormous exactions on him without protectiony
So far from this being true, large proportion
of the articles produced by the farmers of this
country enjoy large share of protection under
the present tariff. In other words, foreign Dro
ducers, in case of foreign products as well as the
products of the factories have to pay a tariff
before they can bring their productions into this
country and expose them for sale in competition
with our own farmers. Let us see how this
matter really does stand. Is the farmer dis
eliminated against and left unprotected while
everybody else has protection at his expense as
we are told by the advocates of the whisky rlngy
By reference to the tariff act it will be found
that this state OF things does not exist. | have
here some figures taken from the statistical re-
ports of our Imports and exports and from our
tariff laws, which show very clearly that the
interest of the farmer has not been neglected in
framing our present tariff legislation but he is
literally protected.
The following table will show the number of
horses, cattle, sheep, etc. imported annually,
and the tariff upon them, the quantity OF bread
stuffs imported, and the value and the tariff
paid upon them. The table will also show
the fax, hemp, etc, that were imported the
value of them, and the tariff upon them; also
the fruits raised by our farmers and gardeners.
the quantity of each imported. its value and the
tariff upon 1t; also the hay, hops and barley
malt imported, with the value or each article
and the tariff paid upon it, also the provisions,
such as meat, butter, cheese, etc, with the
quantity imported and the tariff upon il: also
rice and sugar in which the planters are vitality
with the quantity Of each imported
and the tariff upon it; also tobacco, which is an
article produced by the farmer alone, with the
quantity brought ia and the tariff paid upon IL:
also vegetables, such as beans, peas, potatoes
etc, with the quantity imported and the tariff
paid upon it, also wool, which is a production
of the farmer, the quantity Imported, and the
tariff upon it.
THE table except the recaptulation is omitted
for want of room for it,
REoAPITULATIoN.
Animals. ................ .........S 4,631 S46
BreadStuffS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 6,640 228
Flax. hemp, etc, raw. .......-..... 12,312S33
Fruits OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 1880 81
Hay ....................... .......... 100 1874
Hops ........................ 3,404 GG9
Barley, malt............... ......... 1853 1858
Provisions ........................... 1906 239
Rice .......... ...................... 1,674394
Sugar and molasses ............... Y.b10,607
raw........................ S.7049
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