New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-06-01
IN MINISTRY TO BE CREATED.

Another OF the recommendations made more
tbnn a year ago by the committee when re-
,,r,od pnon letters of farmers TO The Tribune
IL now somewhat tardiy supporter Dy
ar,o,L Information. The Agricultural De
nar,nept under President Cleveland was not per
nit,ed 20 recommend anything wiser for the
farmers than free trade In wool. Dut no"
different spirit prevails and the Inst question:
invest gated, what TO substitute Tor whea1 "here
wheat growing has become unProhtaoIe' ie"uS
70 an earnest recommendation that the culture
and manufacture of fax should be efectnlly
protected Under duties OF the sort !eNled nS
AnulomnnincA, for revenue only the fax manu-
,.cture hos never been able 20 secure fair loot
hold In consequence million tons OF FAX stra"
On "a wBste yearly In Western States. the plant
being cultivated for the seed only. Thus cu'tl-
,ated, IL Is but ScAntlly pIthtabh' wherehS' il
the hbre could be utilized at even low rate, the
crop would pay handsomely. The Official paper
maintains that with additional protection Tor the
nspuf,c,ure the farmers would quickly produce
$50 600 900 worth OF straw and Sl3,OOo'ooO oi
serd 40 that the whole country could DE shpPileu
with fabrics more cheaply than II can De IN
state OF dependence upon the foreign Manufacture
r. IL not intended 10 ignore the fact that tho
prrparaton OF the hbre has hitherto been serious
obstacle 70 the progress OF this Industry. But
recent
recently described in The Tribune, now promise
% obtain from the straw a Abre far more perfect
than Lns been obtained by the old methods, and
AT fnr les, cost I'm labor. 1h' one obstacle which
remains Is that foreign competition threatens 10
destroy the manufacture here as soon aS " Is at
tsmutrd, by competition at the present rate OF
duties. With hands in the textile manufacture
raid about double the highest wages paid ABROAD
the duties on lnrus are now but 30 and 80 per
cent. which have proved entirely inadequate
Flax. hemp and jute manufactures valued NJ
x29 900, 600 WIRE imported last year, besides
81 g. 500 600 worth Of raw materials for the mbnu-
focture Of Banging Hour cloths, mating and the
lnte The imports OF linen fabrics alone are not
far from Al ) OOO, 900 IN value, but the home de-
mAnd would readily sustain u production seVerHl
times as great ~ supplied by American farms ana
mills Nothing but that free trade folly which
denounces the encourngcme mt OF new industry, as
II IL were q crime 20 render the Nation more H.
dr. pendent and prosperous and 10 provide hoor
for more Americans has prevented raising OF
duties 10 insure the development OF this manu-
facture, for even under past conditions ~ could
have taken root and prospcrcd, had the duty on
foreign linens been sufficient 20 compensate for
the difference in wnges OF labor.
Instend Of sending $4,000, 900 abroad for ma
tPTlhlS ana pfohuCuh VI '"io '''N' "''N'I ~
erncd Nation would set its own hands 70 work, ana
provide profitable use for millions OF acres In
farms, which can no longr produce wheat In
competition with the far West at modern rates
| for demonstration. Fully 100, 900 hands would
be employed in this industry within "A few years,
II Congress should decide to protect the linen ~
| t. has protected the woolen and the cotton and
| the iron manufactures. When Congress assemblies
next winter, II will probably receive many me-
MORALS and petitions from farmers whose industry
has been peculiarly disturbed by the great changes
In transportation. Republican representatives
will gain O new hold upon the confidence and
gratitude OF agrculturists II they meet che occa-
sion promptly, in the revision OF the tarin, by
making the duties on fax products sufficiently
| high 10 insure, not q tnrdy and uncertain, but Il
rapid and sure, development OF the manufacture In
| L.