Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-10-09
RICHEST OF ALL NATIONS.
A Michigan Farmer Plainly Reviews
Our Country's History for
Fifty Years.
And Shows the Splendid Achievements
Wrought by the Protective
System.

system.
please allow me space In your valued
paper. writes Michigan farmer, Ito tell
It's readers my knowledge of the financial
and commercial affairs OF the country
Some ffty-tve years or more ago, my ear
lest recollectlons, | think about 1892,
there was a lack of money in the country
and all business was carried on by giving
orders on the store or giving the product
of the farm, with the exception OF taxes.
which had to be paid In money 4 good
COW could be bought for s. to $40; pair
of oxen that were fat would bring from
$40 to $50 cash. and were driven to Phila-
delphia, where they were sold for
beef. Wheat, oats, rye, and corn, butter
and cheese paid the store debt and also
paid for our groceries, etc. Wheat sold
for 40 cents to so cents per bushel:' oats.
10 cents to 20 cents. and corn about 20
cents; butter, 6 cents to 10 cents per
pound; eggs, 6 cents per dozen; cheese,
from z cents to 3 cents per pound. all in
trade
Among my earliest reooliections of
money matters was hearing my father talk
ing with neighbor to whom he wished
to sell cow for the money to pay his tax
the coming winter. Nov, why such d
dearth of money? you will naturally ask.
1t was because it had to be sent out of the
country to pay for our manufactured goods.
All of cur clothing, except such as our
mothers made, was imported; also nearly
all our cutlery was manufactured abroad,
which was paid for in cash and exchanged
for the product of the farm, while on:
merchants shipped it to New York and
there received their money and bought
more goods.
Years passed in this way and | was
growing to manhood Now for my first
month of hired work. Ny work was most
ly blowing; | did mans work, but did
not get man S pay, for he would have re.
ceived SO, while [ only received Sc
When | had completed my work OF TWEEN
ty-six days, | received an order ona store
SIX miles away. In ray purchase bought
cloth for pair OF pants, for which paid
Is cents per yard, and can get better goods
to-day for Is cents. That was in the
spring of 1841. Later on, in as and vt,
/ was in the mercantile business. We
sold prints at from IA to % cents yard
and sold at the Cleveland prices All ether
imported goods were equally high, except
coffees, pepper, and spices, which We're
much lower than they are now We paid
A cents for wheat; corn, shehed, 90 cents;
rye, 20 cents; backwheat, 20 cents; oats,
Is cents.
1--WE did thriving business, 2averag-
ing about-two horse loads of grain per
day during the sleighing, but after that it
WAS not SO lively. Later On, about 50 or
So, | bought prints that'cost me-25 cents
per yard, while the cheapest was 10 or IL
cents per yard. At this time there was
more money aaeat Gold was found in
large quantities In California, and many
farmers bought COWS and went into the
dairy business. Cheese sold from to 6
cents, part cash, and cezEs sold from Sl4
to S25, while oxen sold from $50 to 500,
but all OF this tame our tariff was only q
tariff for reHenue, consequently our manu-
featured g3ods were imported and our
gold had to pay for them as foreign ma
tions would not take our paper and often
our democratic friends were opposed to
state or national banks. Our imports
were enormous while cur exports mere3 =
nominal In 1856 our imports were $3l t.
639, S42, while our experts were only Sl6,-
81" ,5zS. The next year wasa, little greater,
but the ratio was about the same, SIS also
fer years before. No nation cou3d get
along and prosper in that way. la order
to prosper orr exports should be greater
than our imports. i will go back to the
year 1857, which many people remember
as the year of the crisis, or crash. Many
firms that We're considered to be wealthy
went to the wall, while numerous banks
broke. You would meet with sad faces
wherever you tJrned; even the nation be-
came Deari y bankrupt. Our revenue was
so light that President Buchanan had to
borrow i2aoney go carry On the government.
He had 10, Il, and ID per cent. interest,
and ran the nation In DEBT yearly S62, 000,-
600 with no Improvement. Nearly all of
this time the nation was run by the demo-
Gratis. In four gears more Of such rule we
would have been bankrupt, and some for
elgn nation would have owned US but fate
had sealed the fate of the,democratie party
and we We're saved, although we had to
wade through the most gigantic war that
che world ever knew, and our country was
saved, thanks to the republican party and
protection
ut is the richest nation in the world
It has made home market for the farmer
| Also machinery aud implements for him
1t has raised the price of grain and lower
ed the expense Of raising it; also lowered
the price of manufactured goods, and our
exports are increasing yearly, until they
slightly exceed our imports. Now, ali
goods, machinery, ETC., manufactured at
| home is clear gain Of 100 per cent. for
we have the goods, also the money that is
paid for them and have saved the trans
| portatIon.
THE democrat SAYS the tariff is a tax.
and | say the same, but On whom does i
fall, surely not on the people of this
country. bat on the nanufaettn n and i'm
porter of goods. Hence the hue and cry
Of England. Germany, France with other
countries. While protection has nearly
paid the war debt and filed the treasury
it has lowered the price of merchandise
one-half. The democratic party is Il party
Of objections. 1t objects to protection Ge-
cause it fitls the treasury. making it pos
slble to build war ships. etc effects to
the election law because it intends 10 Sc
| care honest elections; opposes the silver
bill because it originated on the republican
side of the house; yes, the protective tariff
is a tax or toll and a heavy one on the for
ign manufacturer.
I'm conclusion, would say to my broth
ers of the farmers alliance. to study the
history of the political parties for the last
fifty years, also the imports and exports
for the same time. The Mckinley bill is
the farmers best friend.
WHERE STYLES ORIGINATE.
The Real Dress Designers Are Often Co
scure Artists.