The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-09-07


can protect all other American labor but the
| farmers for you can prevent the importation ol
labor II desired but no tarlf law yet discovered
| can protect the farmer, unless IL be one which
would tax every other citizen and then pay
| from the proceeds q bounty to the farmer The
only thing to do for the farmer is to see that he
| gets his supplies rs cheaply as possible, that
| oil OF his wants ore Allied OF the lowest prices
attaihable, that the actual cost OF his home,
his clothes, his TOOLS his comforts and his lux
uries fs increased only by the additions which
taxes, limited to the needs OF the treasury, put
upon them. This however, is just what for
about one hundred years, the proteetionists
have laid awake at nights to prevent, and to-
day the American farmer is the worst taxed
man In tho entire world except and alone the
people of Egypt and Turkey, whero Moham-
mechanism reigns, and rulers know no law and
injustice has NO limit. To see how low and
high tariff taxes affect the farmer, compare his
condition and progress under the Democratic
low tariff system in the period of 1850 to 1860
with his position under the robbcr tariff from
1870 to 1Ss In 1850 the farms OF the United
States were worth s8,2Tl, 575, d22, and in ten
years of low tariff taxation they grew in value
to 1854, ,045,00T, or 100 per cent; that is they
actually doubled in value, whilo from 1870 to
1880 the increase was but per cent In other
words, while all tariffs, like other taxes, are
burdensome, yet high protective tarf hurts
the farmer ten times us much as q Democratic
tariff for revenue limited to the needs of o
Government managed economically and hon.
ostly.
A protective tnriT being aimed at
the foreign customer of the farmer
of course exasperatos him and makes
him the American farmers enemy
and he retniates, as France and Germany have
done, by taxing the meats or the grains OF the
farmer of America so that the British or Chi
nese tariff system, which the Republicans wish
11.l .I.1 D,1,
taxes the farmer on every thing he buys at
home but actually invites foreign governments
to tax him abroad, and the foreign countries
which do not try to tax him, by aid and subsidy
granted by them to railroads in India and else
where, are rapidly building up competition for
him, taking away his markets and pulling down
the price OF his products. Let the farmer ask
himself what will become of him in twenty
years more If he votes for tariff shriekers and
supports Republican congressman ut the polls.
might right here with propriety mention the
natural and inevitable fact that under the Dem.
ocratic low tax tariffs of 1916 and 1857, wool,
wheat, corn and oats sold for higher prices than
they bring under our present Republican system
of taxing all the people will stand without re-
bclling. But the Republicans depend upon the
wool argument with the farmer. And this wool
talk is perhaps the funniest exhibition of min
gled ignorance and childish faith the Ohio pro-
tectionist exhibits in public. First suppose the
farmer got the ten cents per pound of protec-
tion 10 Is pretended he gets. In 1886 Ohio pro-
duced 10, 7O2, 800 pounds of wool and ten cents
tax on this would be s1,970,232, which divided
among 1850, 0o0 men, women and children living
on farms would give each of them the magnif-
cent sum OF $780, Now, IL each in 1886 bought
only $50 of protected goods. at an average tariff
tax of 40 per cent, the protection on their wool
actually cost S32 so that in order TO give SLIGO to
the farmer the British Chinese Republican sys-
TEN of protection only took from him s32. The
farmer will certainly grow rich very fast under
this three card monte little joker game will he
not! But in robbing the farmer the protection
list got the excuse for also taxing the other
l,si5, ,0O0' people in Ohio, who did not live on
farms, s32 piece so that the total taxes paid
in Ohio under this swindling protect
i've system in 1856 in order to cap
lure less than s20C0,000 of wool tax,
Si0O,0)o0OO or just fifty times
TOO much to make it an even bargain The tariff
taxes paid IN 1856 by the people of Ohio were
about three times the total State, county and
all other local taxes paid by them Protection
IS costly ana the Republican party comes high,
rs do many other luxuries, and perhaps the
people this fall in Ohio will decide they can do
without it just as most of them do without silks,
;atins, laces and ostrich feathers. 1t is in
,tructive to sac how the wool tax effects many
counties in Ohio for instance this county, within
whose hospitable borders we are to-day. Mont |
,omery County In 1886 produced 1885 pounds !
" wool, the protective tax upon which is 81, 1885,
%, less than six cents piece to each of her |
arming class; while under the exactons of the |
ariff her agricultural population paid S32 per
lcad or over 500 times as much as they got for
he wool tax. Another object lesson is found in
he fact that the tariff tax of the farming in
erests of Montgomery County in 1886 were
], ,024000, while all township, county and State |
axes and penalties paid by the farmers in |
County in 1886 amounted to only |
39s, 400. All the figures i give you to-day are |
'ased upon the assumption and declarations OF |
he Republican party that AZ per cent protec- |
i've tariff is necessity, though for convenience
AXE use only 40 per cent. as basis. But |
When upon examination we find that Ohio wool |
,rings better price under q low tariff. which |
auses large importatons of coarser and varied |
oreign woods and creates larger demand and |
higher prices for Ohio wool to mix |
'ith them, II really looks as II no Ohio farmer,
Mess u hopeful candidate for the lunatic asy-
lm, will be likely to vote for any further pro-
ection. Under the low wool tariff from 1856 to
$50 Canada wool even coming in free of all taxi |
'ool averaged TO sell for SO cents per pound,
'hile under the high wool tariff OF 1861 to 1871 IL
veraged only 40 cents and under the burden of
he present high tariff tax IL has worked itself
own until the monopoly-ridden farmer now
cts less than 81 cents for it. Large importa-
ions OF foreign wool, which even the protection
st admits free trade in wool would produce,
lone can make very high prices for the class OF
FOOLS raised in Ohlo for instance, the highest
rice gold, OF course, as q standard) Ohio wool
yer brought was the year in which we imported
he largest number of dollars worth OF wool from
broad. That year Ohio wool brought 60 cents
er pound. The Ohio farmer, and every other
iiizen, If he wants just and reasonable re-
ard for his honest toll will after while discover
g can certainly secure 1t only by voting for the
merlcan system OF low taxes advocated by the
party.
OF course you know the Democratic party
oes not insist upon freeing you from all taxes
nd Will continue to let you pay forever as much
s is needed by the government, while it will
low you TO spend the balance upon your fami.
es or lay IL up for old age or the inevitable
Amy day, and our Democratic system will keep
ne tax ON luXuries and vices, like tobacco and
quor high while making the tax on neces sary
rticles very low. When Eng and adopted
ne American system of taxes for revenue only
was predicted II would ruin the farmers OF
,ngland and destroy the price of lands and
utcher her sheep. but while ii has produced
,wcr prices for all the English farmer buys IT
as increased the value per acre of all his lands,
nabicd him to pay his workmen CHER wages
nd added over one-half to the value of his
heep, and though since the adoption OF the
merican system Englnnd's population has in
reased about one-third pauperism decreased
lmost ons.half while crime has actually de-
reased nearly two-thirds After q business
areer OF twenty seven years, as boy and man
which my connections with the farmer has
cen close and intimate, declare here that /
elieve they average as high in intelligence,
morality and good common sense
S any similar number OF people In Ohio, and /
redict basing my opinion on this intelligence,
nat they will bo found working for their own
,pitima tie ntcrest8 and ID erforIninu their Datri- |