The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1889-11-23
Plain Talk to Farmers.


Ex- Secretary Coiman, in has recent speech
before The Wheat Growers Convention, Of 81,
Louis, speaking Of the effect upon the farmer
of our tariff laws. said:
Il believe in a tariff 70 raise customs da-
ties in sufficient amount with the Sums raised
by the internal revenue system 10 deirOy The
necessary expenses Of the government eco
nomically and honestly administered.
believe the tariff under our constitution has
no other mission 20 perform than 10 raise
revenue. There IS no clause IN the consiltu-
fion giving Congress the power 20 tax one
class of our people 20 enrich another class.
Ifthere is such a clause ! would Ike 70 have
some one 10 point it out. There Is 80 moral
right, no justice in legislation to enrich one
class al the expense Of another.
The constitution IN so many words says
there shall be no privileged classes IN TINS
country, aud yet Congress proceeds 70 make 3
class privileged to tax the consumers on all
OF their products, keeping all competition
away from them, and enabling them 10 derive
large profits on their goods, and thus 10 lay
up princely fortunes secured from the people
who have earned the money thus obtained by
the sweat of their brow. Is one man better
than another in this said 10 be free country,
or one class better than another that they
should be secured in the extraordinary priv
lege of growing rich at the others expense
Il have only been speaking of the right OF
the Justice of such legislation. Now let us
see its effects upon the farmer. Let US take
the matter right home TO the wheat grower
and ascertain how it affects him. Let as sup.
pose one of you has raised 200 bushels OF
wheat, and many Of you have raised several
thousand. and YOU are going 70 Europe and
take il 20 Liverpool aud sell II 81 per bushel-
The gentleman from Chicago has told you that
the Liverpool market controls the pnce for
wheat throughout the world. You receive
81 600 for the wheat, and find goods low over
there, you lay 1t all out IN goods to bring
home with yos. You ship the goods to New
York. but when you get there you hnd an
average duty Of AZ per cent. on what you have
bousht. for that is admitted on all hands 10
be the average duty imposed by law. On the
81 900 worth of goods you must then pay s4lo
to the custom house officers to be placed IN
Uncle Sans treasury, leaving you only $3.50
for the wheat, the tariff thus costing the far
mer on every 81. 600 worth Of wheat $40. Is
II apv wonder he is growing poor? But II IS
some consolation to know that this $40 has
come into the United States treasury.
LET US suppose, however, that instead OF
buying his goods in England he waits until he
gets to New York and buys them. The
American manufacturers are protected bg the
same average duty, and freight besides, so he
pays the S470. not into Uncle Sans peck
cts at all but into the pockets Of the Amer-
can manufacturers, who, by law, by being
protected from foreign competition, can
charge this extra price, and put into their own
pockets, and the government gets not one
cent of it. This on a single operation OF one
farmer. but it affects every farmer IN the same
way and to the same extent 1t is making
the manufacturing classes rich and the agri-
cultural classes poor.
IF the consuming classes of this country
had any idea they we're paying one-tenth part
of the taxation they are to these privileged
classes there would be such a revolution IN
public opinion, if not in a worse form, as we
have never heard of before. 1t IS not taxa
ton for the benefit of the government, but for
a class. 1t is robbing the many to enrich
few. 1t is making millionaires OF one class
and peasantry in its worst form of another.
It is depressing the value of farming lands
and farm products in every State OF the Union.
II is plastering upon our farms mortgages
that draw worse than Spanish fly blsters. 1t
Is making of farming the poorest paying,
hardest working business known in this coun-
try. -