The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1890-06-20
only exported staples, so called. but the
list can be largely increased as the cost
&C l.,aA:A. lna.Aaa

hind in the race for wealth, and review
a few of the causes. First, immigra-
ton has been excessively stimulated by
the low price of government lands
only two dollars per acre-aided by
cheap ocean rates and low railroad
transportation. This has enabled the
European peasant to cone here untaIed,
and Immediately to enter into competi-
ton, with but slight outlay of capital
with those of US whose farms represent
an investment of thousands, and who
are taxed on our capital far in excess of
those who are capitalists or manufac-
turers. The powers that be having en-.
couiaged this class of emigrants, and
by legislation making producers of all
who wish land and will work it, force
us to find markets abroad for our suplus.
We are selling our products at the
very lowest market rates, purchasing at
the highest, and while owning twenty
five per cent of the wealth of the
country, We pay eighty per cent Of the
taxes. We are taxed upon our land for
State and local expenses, while hun
dreds of millions of dollars in personal
property of the rich escape taxation.
Nor is this all. We see the manu-
facturer enriched at our expense-we
being compelled to pay him price
which enables him to keep out CON-
petition which we cannot avail our
selves of, while he, being protected,
can combine to raise prices which we
must pay. II We buy abroad, we are
compelled to pay S47 on every 500
worth Of goods we import, and this for
the alleged protection of labor in in
dustries that employ only one.ninth as
many men as are engaged in agricul-
TUE. and who do not work as hard as
we do.
Wages, too, are out of all proportion
to what they should be in comparison
with prices farm products sell for. The
price Of our farm product here at home
is fixed by the low.priccd standard of
peasaLt labor abroad, by cur coming
into direct competition with t cm but
we pay our labor prices which our pro,
tected manufacturers can afford to pay,
the payment of which goes to max e
their system popular. l believe that
every laborer is worthy Of his hire, but
[ also believe that all things should be
equal.
We also suffer injustice (as f4rmers)
from our tacilf when we go abroad to
sell our products, from the fact that We
are Disseminated against by nations
who cannot sell to US those things
which they produce They have been
following the lead OF this country, and
have leyied heavy retaliatory duties on
our products, especially France and
Germany. In 1888 we sold $50 000,.
900 less of pork and dairy products
there than we sold in 1861. If our
manufacturers were affected by this
also. there would be no ground for
complaint; but they can stand it, WIZ lie
the farmer suffers.
The protectonist party, realizing that
the farmers suffer an injustice, are try
ing to pour balm into our wounds, by
putting duties on the small per cent of
agricultural products imported, forget
ting that most Of these articles imported
ire only brought into this country in
times Of scarcity, or when We cannot
provide for our local markets home
supply. This duty does not ben, fit
the farmer as much as it enhances the
cost of living to the laboring mani. G.,
the consumer.
have triedin this article to mention
a few of the causes that seem to
me to have a depressing influence on
farming outside of the we'll kown law
Of supply and demand. If there is any
truth in them it stands to reason tha.
the American farmer has sometime
more to do than become mere produc
ing machine. That we are not wealthy
is not because we have not worked
enough, for We have developed suf.
ficient wealth within the last three
decades to enable America almost to
buy Europe unfortunately other classes
than the producer hold it, neither
would it help US to double the produc-
ton, as others get the money.
All this should cause the farmer to
become more of thinking person, who
should put in force means to accompl fish
an end, and to accomplish anything we
must take action ourselves,
-.