The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-08-16
Ealacies About a Home Market.

AdAdCiCo AOOut q NUM- Wd1AcL.
The special theme Of certain class
Of republicans il "A home market.
and its value 10 the American people.
\ tariff system that will provide Il
home market they paint in all the
gorgeous colors Of vivid iIInnagina-
ton. With such Il market. they as
sert that American products should
eek no other. The home market
the. admit il not yet adequate to
G consume the products Of American
and productions. Int
with IL proilibitory tariff they look
forward to Il time when il will ba. and
according to these vision
aries. the people Of tn il country will
have no Use for the rest OF tire world.
\ little candid reflection il all that
Is needed to dispel the utopian idea
of home market resting upon non
intercourse with the rest of the world.
n not only impracticable but a. all
solu.ely pernicious.
Some Of the advantages Of such Il
market. if they exist, ought to APP
pear under our war tariff of over A.
per cent. after an existence Of fully Il
quarter Of a century, but they do not.
The farmers. the most numerous as Il
class in the country, have been loos-
ing steadily for the past twenty years.
Prices for the products of the farm
have been going lower and lower ev-
cry year. Farmers unlike those with
other vocations, have such diversified
interests and are SO isolated that they
cannot combine. Of the market
where they sell they have no control
and no voice in establishing the price
10 be paid. but sell for what they can
get. the price being less with each re-
curing year. Their profits have been
diminishing yearly. and the more re-
strictions are put on the market the
less is the demand for their products
and the lower the price falls. The
result is inevitable: the fact is une-
yersally experienced by every observ-
ing farmer. Meanwhile he sells for
what he can get. and is compelled TO
pay high prices for the protected
goods which he uses. He sells his
wheat, his pork. his beef. his butter.
in fact everything he produces at low
prices. but has to pay a high price
for his sugar, salt. lumber. nails and
clothing. and forall othernecessaries
But TO the men. who have only labor
to sell and everything to buy. there
can he no advantage in an exclusive
home market, for the simple reason
that they have to pay more for the
protected comodities. while they lay.
less work and lower wages Oh account
Of restricted production Practical,
they are I'm the same position IL tn.
farmer. What they have to sell
namely. labor, falls lower and lowe,
under the operation Of the iHeAora
bic law of supply and demand, Will,
the prices they must pay for The nee
essaries of life 20. higher and higher
through the operation Of trusts ana
combines. In every way the wage.
worker looses just as the farmer i.
bound to lose under the same policy
Capitalists who control home manu-
features of course would find prof,
in an exclusive home market. and il
liz but natural that they should favor
it. because they hope TO control il b,
shutting out all outside comp,tition
and as long as they have free trade
| in labor, they can command III low
priced |. Dor as any foreign Eanufac
turers employ. The capitalists ca:
combine; the farmers and laborer.
cannot. therefore the farmers sell
! their produce in II market in conpe
| titicn with the much dreaded paurei
labor Of Europe, and the wagc-work
ers come in direc; competition with
the imported panper labor at tiiei,
very doors.
This is the Very state of affairs tina.
actually exists. The exclusive home
market that capital seE,ieayorine Il
fasten upon the country for its Owl
| good is honey-combad with rings
trusts and combinations which are
organized to profit capital and plum
der labor.