The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1890-05-31
HOW THE FARMER Is ROBBED.
From the Baltimore Sum-,

The Engineering and Mining Jour-
nal, in it's last issue, inaugurates a new
department sin the interest of the ex-
tension of the markets for American
manufactures" which is of intense and
absorbing interest for our farmers and
for other victims of the present tariff
system. The journal has secured the
services of "gentlemen thoroughly &C.
quainted with the export trade and
with foreign markets." and with their
help it is proposed to induce the for
elgners 10 buy the products of Ameri-
can labor.
This is altogether commendable. The
Sun has eyer taught that commerce is
a good thing, and advocated produce
ton for the foreign market. If our
manufacturers were not protected by
an almost prohibitive tariff They would,
we have held, do larger business, sell
ing abroad as well as at home, and,
c0ntenting themselves with a smaller
but steadier profit, would be compelled
to relax somewhat the throttling grip
they have at present upon their victims
in the home market. That they are
abusing the control OF the home market
secured TO them by the tariff is abundant
ly shown by the Journals list OF dis
counts upon articles sold to foreigners.
In thirty-nine columns of illustrated
advertisements, articles for sale abroad
are enumerated, and prices are given
both Tor this market and for the foreign
market. a shocking difference appears
h.,,,.en what we pay for articles made
among us and what the foreigner pays
for these same articles.
The American farmer will be con-
cerncd To know that upon the drill, for
which lie pays nine dollars, there Is q
"dlscount for export only" of 30 per
cent, reducing the price to the foreigner
to Sc 30. The same discount "for ex-
pea, only" is gwen on cultivators,
piougns, hay forks, manure forks, and
hoes. On rakes the foreigner must con.
tent himself with an advantage over
the American of but 25 per cent. For
rake, Tor example, costing the Amari-
can So the foreigner will pay as much
S24. But when il comes to braced-
steel garden rakes or lawn rakes the
foreigner gets 20 per cent off the price
the American pays. That is TO say,
rakes that cost our John Smith one dol
lar apiece are sold by our manufacture
ers 10 the Mexican, Freuchman or Ger
man for 80 cents.
Our farmer has to sell his grain 10
the protected manufacturer at prices
fixed in the foreign market. If he could
bny of the protected manufacturer at
the prices az which the latter sells to
the foreigner, he would get on these
articles the discounts named: Wagons
and carts, 335 per cent; whiilltree, As;
windmills, Us; mattocks and grub hoes,
60; Jades and shovels, SO; screws, so:
screw drivers, 75; scales, so; pumps,
20; pOst-hole diggers, 40; oil paints, so;
brads, 60; nails, 674; tacks, 724; lawn.
mowers, Go; milk pans, Is; wringers,
40; lamps, 20; barn.door hinges, so;
feed cutters, 80; spoons, 60; scissors,
20; shears, Go; cutlery, 25; bellows,
90; axle greese, 25; hatchets, SO; axes,
so.
What do these figures mean as re-
CARDS the protected manufacturer?T ?That
he is making these articles at such pro-
fit that he can knock off, upon an aver
age, half his price in selling to the for
eigner, and still be adding TO his wealth.
The tariff enables him, by shutting out
foreign made wares, TO exact from his
fellow. citizens profits that are excessive
to the discounts cited above. lie sells
abroad at fair price, because there he
meets competition, and must content
himself with iair profit; but here, being
protected by law from competition,
he takes from the community, III addi-
ton to far profit, abont all that the
tariff allows him. He does not lower
his prices to the American under stress
OF competition with other manufac-
turers, but combines with them, and
by means of a "cumbine," trust, or
other like devices, keeps his prices up
to the highest possible notch. The
discounts for export only' here cited
have a positive value for the unprotect-
ed citizen-that is 10 say TOR nine.tenths
OF the community. They show how
much too much he is paying for neces-
sary articles, thanks to class legislation.
They show also the wicked injustice of
the protective system which enables
the manufacturer to sell high TO the
man at home that votes him protection,
and low to the man abroad that pays
no tax in his behalf.