The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-03-02
State Secretary Ind w. S. A.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind
why Farmers Should Favor Protective
Tariff.

Why Farmers Should Favor Protective
Tariff.
To the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal
There are many and divers reasons why the
farmer should favor protective tariff, some of
which we proceed to enumerate There are too
many of our people already engaged ia agricult-
ure, hence it is to the interest of the farmer
that their number should be increased by manu-
facturers and their operatives abandoning their
present occupation and swelling the already
overcrowded ranks Of husbandry, which would
be the inevitable result of the adoption OF free
trade, low tariff approximating thereto
The proportion OF our people engaged in agri-
culture is a per cent, which is too high pro-
portion for the we'll being of the farmers voca-
ton. in view of the ready invention aud rapid
introduction of improved implements in the
business of farming, whereby one man can now
perform the work OF several, as dome twenty
five years ago. 1t should be the farmers
aim to not only encourage all who
are now engaged in other occupations to remain
in them, but to induce others to engage in them
likewise. The proportion of people engaged id
manufacturing. mechanical trades and mining
should be largely Increased, together with a cor
responding increase of people engaged in pro-
fessional and personal services. and trades and
transportation If this were DONE and the
farmers proportion reduced TO So per cent, or
even less, then would he have much less reason
for complaint than under the existing regime or
things.
What hurts the farmer financially is over
production in his line of business. and under
consumption in other lines of business, 50 that
he is obliged to ship his surplus to foreign coun-
tries for market For instance, farmer A
has surplus 100 bushels Of wheat 10 sell; he
hauls it to the nearest railroad town, sells IL 10
b. the country grain-de ships il TO New
York city. where he sells it to &. big city
grandmother; ships it across the ocean to
Liverpool, whars he sells il to d. big English
Rrain-dealer, who in turn sells it TO E, 81 Eng
lish miller Now all these middle-men,
toswit: b. the country erain-dealer. Q, the
big New York grain-dealer. ID, the big Liver
pool grain dealer; three in number must have
their profits, for handling the grain as well as
a per cent. on tn cir money for investing their
capital in grain; and the railroad must be paid
for hauling the wheat to New York; and the
grain ship must be paid for carrying it over the
ocean to the great Liverpool wheat mart If
b, the country grain iealer. gets five cents per
bnshel vance on farmer As wheat, . the
big New York erain-dealer gets five cents per
bushel profit on his sale, and ID. the big Liv err
pool grain-deaer gets five cents per oushel profit
on his sale TO the English miller. there is fifteen
cents per bushel profit gone into the pockets OF
the three erain-deaiers, or midde-men. who
have had the pleasure and opportunity OF manlp-
ulatiDg farmer As wheat and that makes SIS. 90
iu profits farmer AS wheat which he does
not get
Now If farmer A was not dependent upon the
three grain-brokers B. G. and D. for the sale OF
his surplus wheat. but hadsa ready market right
at home where he could haulit and deliver with
his own team and wagon 50 . home miller