Mexico weekly ledger., 1888-04-26
Tariff.
le Editor az the I LEDGER


tariff article Of March 2lst denied
that the wool growing interest has
anything to be thankful for in the
tariff reform proposed by The Mills
bill.
Free wool is the worst that the
free traders can do for the wool
grower. The tariff i,eformers of
the Mills stripe must expect the
united opposition Of all citizens
whose business they would destroy.
The wool-growers urge tariff
reform which shall give equal pro-
lection to all domestic products,
whether of the farm, ranch, planta-
tion, mines, mill or forge. They
demand an import duty on foreign
wool, which viii afford adequate
protection to an industry which
cannot exist in this ,.oulltry-the
sophistries of the free trader te
the contrary observation-disclosures
cept with the aid of tariff, protec.
tion. Not only is this sectional
tariff measure gotten mp in the in
terest Of the South and East unjust
to the wool-grower, but il injuries
the entire agricultural interest oi
the North and West.
The sectional favoritisrn of the
Mills bill is clearly shown in the
fact that numerous productions ol
the Northern and Western States
such as potatoes, beans, peas, lum'
ber, salt, cement, wool, fax, hemp
and others are all placed 'ipon th.
free list, while an equal nrmber o
articles of Southern production
such as cotton, rice, sugar, peanuts
tobacco, oranges, lemons, etc., ar,
to remain on the d,ltia,le list
Then, again, cotton ties, which
came in competition to a Northern
production, are placed on the FIRE,
list for the especial benefit of tn
cotton planter. The unjust sec
tional discrimination ef the Mill
bill manifests itself In. the treat
ment of food products, North ant
South. Potatoes, essentially
Northern product, and of which w
imported from Scotland, Canad
and Nova Scotia, a million and
half bushels in 1887, and which
can be laid down in Chicago or st
Louis from Canada as cheaply a
from New York, Obi, or Iowa
The potato crop was valued il
1885, according to Col. Switzer
Chief of the Bureau of Agriculture
at $7S, 154 ,00O-nearly, ifnot quite
equal to the production Of ra,
sugar. All the States OH the North
ern border are particularly intel
ested in potato culture and pre-
duce the bulk of crop. With pc
tatoes on the free list. the grower
in dozen North States must suffe
from foreign competition, Will
sugar, the especial product of tw
or three Southern States, lis to b
protected by custom duty.
But one of the worst features q
the Mills bill in its treatment G
the sugar interests that, il protect
the refiner rather than the grower
The advocates of the bill say 18th
sugars between Nos. l3 and 1
Dutch standard are grades of brow
sugar which can go into consump
ton without refining, ard t,onsum
ers may protect themselves by pui
chasing these imported sugar whe
the price of the refined is put u
and kept up by srganizei trusts {
domestic manufacturers TIL
lbill, if enacted, would compel tn
people to use low grades OF brow
sugar or pay for refined sugar an
lprice the refiners' trust ch,,oses I
demand. Now, ifthe renners hay
organized trust, which the advt
Gates of the bill assert they hav
done, why not let the foreign r,
fined sugar be imported free or /
SO low duty as will efftctuall
break up this sugar reil,ers' trust
If the chief object of the reformel
is to cut off the surplus rnvenu,
| free sugar will reduce it more tina
| the entire free list of the propose
bill.
Sectional favoritism and unjus
discrimination begets section:
hatred and sectional hatred bege'
sectional strife; such a policy d,
serves the condemnation of all cit
zens. Any measure which ininre
or destroys any important industr.
iof our country is thrust at tn
vitals of the nation. True politlcs
economy demands such Legislation
as will result in the greatest goo
to the greatest number.
/ We are met with the proposi
tion that under the policy Q
tariff protection the grow
ers of cattle and hogs ar
taxed that the grower of shee]
may receive higher prize for hi
Iproducts. That the pr,dnters o
corn or wheat are taxed thilt tn
sproduoers of potatoes or bean
may be better remunera.sd 70
their labor. This proposition tn
Iprotectionist denies In tot,.
Take the practical workings q
the tariff acts Of the past iew year
in the case of similar PRODUCTIONS