The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-06-27

HrOI. Arthur II, ItII1 COulAlbuh6S q pa
per on Preparations for Citizenship"
as illustrated by the course of instruc'
ton at Williams College, As Prof.
Perry fills the chair of History and Po-
litical Economy at that institution, his
paper must be taken as an exposition,
not merely of the methods which he
thinks should be adopted. but of those
which he actually adopts in his work of
instTucting young men at Williams.
Prof. Perry illustrates his candor and
the judicial quality of his own mind by
saving that "Protection has never yet
attained IN this country to the dignity
of an opinion" and by charging that
"the protectionists have never yet been
found here who were willing to pay
protective tariff taxes themselves, and
who did not avoid and evade all such
taxes as fell upon themselves, while at
the same time praising the operation of
such taxes as could be thrown in their
own behalf on the ignorant and helpless
Masses" That reads like an extract
from leftover campaign speech Of last
year. Passages just as luminous and
edifying could be shipped by the score
from the speeches of Mills and Breckin-
ridge, But Prof. Perry goes on to indi.
cate the kind of preparation for citizen
ship which he thinks ought to be made
in every college
at would seem as if it were the duty
of every economist in the land, duty
that has not been neglected at Williams
certainly, to call attention TO the grad
ual but memorable impoverishment of
the entire agricultural population OF the
United States, under the operation of
tariff taxes, which are designed to raise
the price artificially of everything the
farmer has to buy, and which depress
the price enormously by shutting off his
market of everything the farmer has to
SELL Farming has been made unprofita-
BILE by stringent and monstrously unjust
laws throughout the United States. So
far as it now appears, there is not sim
gle prosperous farming community
within the broad limits of this land.
There cannot be under our domestic
monopoly legislation. The recent report
of a State Commission of Illinois, to the
effect that more than three fourths of
the valuable lands OF that State are un-
der mortgage, and that its agricultural
population has already declined and
must inevitably decline much more in
the immediate future, shows the results
of causes exactly fitted in their own ma.
ture to produce them. II is probable, il
not certain, that about as large pro
portion of the lands of Iowa and Kansas
and Nebraska are under mortgage as il
Illinois. 1t is no better at the East, The
auctioneer's hammer has been remarka
bly, busy this present winter in knock
ing off under foreclosure the best farms
in Bucks county Pennsylvania. In New
| England II is still worse. WILLIAMSBURG
itself does not support one. half as many
people from its lands as 1t did forty
years ago. Whole tiers and stretches Of
farms in every NewEnglandState, which
once maintained lusty and thrifty pop
ulation, are growing up to forest again
Farming is no more profitable in the
neighborhood of the vast factaries or
the Merrimack River, which carries
more spindles than any other river IL
the world, than it is on the hillsides Of
Vermont and New Hampshire"
This extraordinary farrago ofexagger
atiohs, misstatements and rank partisan
ship emanates not from a free trade
stump speaker, but from man who fill'
the chair of History and Political Econ
omy in leading New England college
What does Prof. Perry mean by saying
that $50 far as it now appears there il
not a single prosperous farming commu
nity within the broad limits of THU
Ian ?" Perhaps this is the way that i
"appears" to Prof Perry in his study
but if he would go West and take lool
at things he would find scores of sucl
communities Prof Perry states tina
three-fourths OF the valuable lands o.
Illinois are under mortgage, but accord
ing to the report of the STATE Bureau o.
Labor Statistics, just published, the ag
gregate of farm mortgages in that STATE
is only ten and half per cent. of thu
assessed valuation, and of these mort
cages ninety per cent. are held in thu
State. These mortgages, in the grea
majority of cases, do not imply finaDca
disaster. but an extension OF operations
and improvements, the money borrowed
for which is returned many-fold in tn,
Increased value of the land. That emf
nent free trade organ, the Boston Herald
stated editorially months ago that The
Western farmers were undoubtedly
prospecting, as was shown by the rapid
ty with which they were paying off thei
Indebtedness. Prof. Perry probably go
his ideas on this point from the wilC
statements of the New York Times anC
other papers of its class which werl
made for campaign effect last year, jus
as he picked up the item about tn,
Bucks County farms, which floateC
through all the free trade papers som,
months ago, with nothing whatever L
indicate tic not ornity or ottt hnrity tn
"gradual but memorable impoveTishmen
of the entire agricultural population o
the United States" of which Prof. PER-,
speaks, is myth. No such state o
things exists. The prosperity of Ameri
can farmers and the value of the pro
ducts increases steadily, from year {,
year, and any loss from local causes t,
one crop or one section is more thai
made up by increased yield somewher
else. Certainly professor of histor.
and political economy should be Incapa
BILE of such declamatory and misleading
statements. A very good quality o
citizenship has always come from Viii
liams College, but it is due to the fac
that the majority of young men VIII,
graduate from that institution are so lit
tie impressed with Prof. Perry's doc
trines that they graduate stanch protec
tionists. Journal.
The Irish World says editorially Ui
this point
Some time ago we called attention t
the importance of preventing our col.
leges from coming under free trade in
fluence. For many years the free trad
ers have been trying to capture the prin
cipal institutions of learning in thi
country, knowing that if they succeed
in incubation the growing generation
with free trade ideas it will be only
question of time when the teachings o.
the Golden Club will bear fruit at thu
ballot-box and in the halls Of legislation
We are glad to see that the warning
raised against this method Of advancing
the cause of free trade has not been un
needed, Some months ago the Legisla
ture of Kansas entered it, protest against
the principles of free trade being taught
in the State University of that State Al
result of that protest the Free Trade
Professor of Political Economy in the
State University Of Kansas has been re
tired. The chair that was occupied by
him is now filled by Professor who be.
lieves in the policy of protecting Amer.
lean industries.
1t is likely that the Free Trade PROBES,
sor in the University of Michigan will
be forced to either resign or cease teach.
ing pro-British principles. The Gov
ernor of Michigan and the Republican
majority of the Legislature have express
ed IN the Strongest te ms their disappro
val Of paying a professor out of the
taxes, "to educate" to quote their Ian
guage, "our boys away from America
to England" In tn, Sc words we have a
good statement Of the result of teaching
free trade. The free traders, az a rule.
look to England for their inspiration in
all things. Their organs here on the
Atlantic coast are thoroughly prohibit
lsh. So intimate 10 the connection be