The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-05-15


Lses h - uSoe MasAes. % -
Pr~0sss1 - Prsse~ssse-
Especial correspondence
WASHINGTON. Nays
Because their products are going to
. foreign market many farmers fab
/ into the error shss that il their princi-
eipal market and hence they are nos
interested In the question II protertion
except to grt manufactured goods
down 10 the very lowest price. Such
are taught to believe that because a
protective import duty levied against
I IL, such article Of necessity mast
be higher priced. Tae fAlizcy Of this
line Of argument was pointed oaf last
week. showing that protection brought
more producers into the market. in
erea=ing the worlds production
and henee the tendency Was for prices
/ 90 decline, because Of protection. TIE
wheat farmer" who raises wheat
/ almost exclusively 70 export, too often
/ falls into the line OF thought that he
has no interest In protection, as foreign
markets ruled the price Of wheat. Just
20. India rules the price OF wheat a
she never dill before. and each year
only further develops the fact that IL
Is bat question Of time, and very
short time at that. that she will hold
absolute sway What ei-e can we ex-
pect9 With labor AZ six cents day.
With an empire capable OF feeding the
worid. with population willing 70
accept debasei coin at against
all these odds the American wheat
grower. for export, has n sorry future
before him
rBy WHEAT GROWERS REAL DEPENDENCE.
II the American wheat farmer had
only the foreign demand to rely on.
his plight would be pitiahle indeed.
The sooner he realizes the fact that his
real dependence IL upon the home
market. that much sooner can he
shape his course for a more certain re-
turn. The facts are that out Of every
SOD worth VI produce raised by the
American farmer, $3.50 of IL Is con-
,1med within the United States ter
ssary. What IL more, il is proven be-
ra,. ,,. lion thst the foreign market
ior farm produce is lot susceptible OF
being largely increased. A snei an
acre more in the yield in all Eu-ope
for any given year almost giuts the
market Of that country, 80 nicely i
the supply and demand balanced. The
result 4 that the markets iuctuats
greatly and each year become less re-
Liable. As newer continents are open
=. =. .p 70 the world E.uro,~ ~.a take of
us Only b supply her deficiency, and
no amount Of CO axing will induce her
to take more, unless at such ruinous
rates Us wsp forbid further production.
rnE BETTER HOME MARKET.
Now, take a plentiful year in Eu-
rope and the export wheat growers
occupation Is gone; he COMES in at the
second table after the feast IL over.
Quite the contrary though for his
I home market, ii protected. He gets
( in at the first feast and can remain to
the finish. What Is more. under free
trade he sets idle foreign fingers at
work 10 make his wares, and stops the
same number Of home fingers from
their handiwork. Their occupation
/ being gone, their natural and only re-
sort is 10 the soil for subsistence and
they become competitors instead
of customers. The remark before
quoted again applies. that it i a ICON.
dition that confronts "a. not theory.
in determining the propriety OF pro-
lection. A. against the experiment OF
free trade.
This is not looking a. protection in
a humanitarian point OF view. 1t Is
not claimed that protection Is not sell
+ fish. IL i the essence OF seltlshne-s.
80 is that spirit which leads us to buy
where We can buy cheapest. without
reference 10 whether II il a fair price
or not. The day of the millennium has
not come either in ethics or political
/ economy. The old, harsh, though sell
fish rule is applied, that charity be-
gins Al home" and so il is with u of
+ these United States. We are for the
home farmers first. the world after
wards. Free trade il not fair trade.
( Ii il not fair To bring the American
artisan and the American farmer face
I 10 face with the oppressed labor Of the
old world The average Americans
/ habits and wants demand a better COM
pensation than the average European.
ruE PArPERs or EUROPE.
/ II would 10 out of place here in this
/ brief article To bring out an array of
T statistics. We all know there is a very
wife difference in the habits and pay
: in the people of the two continents
+ Millions of the lahorers of Europe are
/ utterly ,leharrcd from the use Of meat.
except perhaps once or twice week.
Why? Because the wages paid them
will not admit of H. Daring the wri-
ter's recent trip TO Europe; he saw able
bodied, stout. industrious men work
ing for three shilIings (72 centsl u
day, out of which they must
board themselves and families.
/ In England thousands of children of
school age were not IN school. Why =?
Because they were in the Workshop
must go there 10 help make a living.
The pauper list is simply appalling.
( No one without seeing it can realize
the misery, the suffering. the degen.
Grafton which many millions of labor
ers have endured and have descended
tn, Shall We open our doors and adj
nit their WORK free and reduce our
laborcrS TO a level with them? We
are not big enough and strong enough
10 bring them up. Ii is like vcuturing
cut into the rough waters with fraii
boat to rescue a drowning crew. where
IL Is impossible Ia save single life and
certain To add more lives TO the list 10
be Lost. Such an action would not he
bravery, IL would he ioolhaFiineSs il
would not lie humane. but would be
the reverse. 10 Is II or would il he
With the attempt now 10 meet the
world on the basis Of free trade.
II j. argued by some that the pro
posed tariff i not free trade meas
ure, but any fair, unbiased, nor-parti-
san mind cannot fail to see that it j.
pure and simple. and is the entering
wedge. II adopted. to fun and com
rietc overthrow Of the protective sys-
tenn MFFsFe