The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-10-26
APRgE-TRADE TRICK.

lnSI was a Iunny TeSOiuJlOn WHICH,
the free-traders succeeded in foisting on
the so-called wheat-growers' convention
at st. Louis. 1t m~emorialized andurged
Congress and the President ito make
such reciprocity treaties with those for
eign nations to whom we ship our sur
plus farm products as viii cause such
foreign nations to remove the customs
duties from our farm products shipped
abroad, thereby causing us to receive a
higher price for our foreign farm sur
plus, and thereby fixing a higher price
upon all that we sell at home.n The
avowed object of the resolution is to in
crease the price of breadstuffs to Amer
lean consumers, and to this end Euro
pean governments are to be asked to re-
move the customs duties on these prod
ucts, thereby increasing the demand,
consumption and price.
The amount of American breadstuffs
exported is exceedingly small compared
with the whole amount raised. Last
year we raised of corn 1887, $780,
coo bushels, and exported only 24,27S,-
All bushels. OF wheat we raised
415. 1868. 900 bushels, and exported 65, $780,
2G1 bushels. The enormous dispropor-
ton between the amount consumed at
home and the amount exported shows the
superior Importance of the home mar
ket.
By far the greatest part of the wheat
and corn we export goes to Great
Britain. Of the IS, 7S9, 261 bushels of
wheat which we exported last year, A.
322, 300 bushels went to Great Britain,
and of the "a, 27S, All bushels of corn we ex-
ported, IA, 1885, S7 went to the same u
try. Now, Great Britain does not i'm
pose any duty whatever on wheatOr corn.
The only American farm product OF
which she imposes a duty is tobacco,
and she taxes that in its raw state 81 LIZ
cents a pound. Possibly some other
countries may impose O duty on
American breadstuffs, though we doubt
it. In any event, the quantity exported
to all other countries is insignificant.
The farmers, if there were any in the
convention, were evidently made to be-
lieve that American breadstuffs were
taxed by European countries in r~etalia-
ton for our tariff duties on foreign man.
ufactures, and that if the foreign duty
on wheat and cOrn was removed they
would have a much larger foreign mar
ket for the surplus product and get
much better prices at home. Ii some
body in the convention had only
| thought to ask Colonel Colman
how much duty foreign governments
imposed on American breadstuffs, and
how much the home price would prob
ably be increased by the removal of the
alleged foreign duty, he would have had
to confess either that he was deceiving
the convention or that he did not know
anything about it.
1t is evident, also, that the convention
was made to believe that if the alleged
foreign duties on American breadstutfs
were removed European countries
would buy vast quantities of our wheat
and corn, whether they wanted it or not,
thus enhancing the price to home con-
sumers, and putting money in the p0ck-
cts of the farmers. The fact is, that
Great Britain and Europe now buy ev-
cry bushel of our wheat and corn that
they have any use for, and nothing
could induce them to buy more. The
objectOf all this deception and manipu-
lation was to get the convention to urge,
as a matter of reciprocity, the removal
of American duties on foreign manu-
features. 1t was q slick trick in the in
terest of free trade.