The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1890-12-31
The Farmer Most Interested In the
Maintenance Of protsctton.

+ ~ - eSs1sNt . ~ 'bO AA AAAn Cy VIII
saw that the time is near ut hand
when the va, tracts nf fertile grain
lands should be all brought under
cultivation. Their existence has
been the main cause of agricultural
depression IN the ,a>t. For the
last quarter Of century there has
been an exodus 4 Eastern farmers
and foreign immigrants to Western
lands. The consequence has been
that production has tended tn out
strip and keep ahead Of deinan,l.
hence thu low prices. But s,,on eli
this will be changed. The London
Millef says:
Calculations have BEEN made to
show that by January 1894, the Uni
ted States will have \ population Of
72, 2,OO0, ,tI00, which will require In sta.
pie crops ~ srrsef 226, ,6OOy yOOO acres,
and allowing Nh addition IT lzOO0,.
600 Hcres tO be male to the cultiva.
t+d land Ia the interval, there would
b- BY the timle named y deficit of
nearly 4,0s0, 900 acres, which 0f
course. will nieke prices - upward
vt y very rapid rate. n these cal.
culati0ns be c.Frect, they sh,w that
American farnlers nrU about Ia em.
ter On ~ new erx III prosperity,
which also means decreAyr IN tile
quantity ~ dnur ~xp'rtrd frOM the
Uniied 6tat+s on account "t b~ttrr
home prices.
DR.. Peter Collier, Director 0f thu
New York Agricultural Station,
said rScentIy:
F.0ln 1866 10 1886 tho ARA d~vo-
ttsi ~ our lendi = .rpps increased
l27 per cent. v lille Our pnpuIatis,il
increased during this p. r..l 60 slfs,
rclIt., Ntssl y hibe evrfytliln III ~
"a hr fAnt thstpAts AfNlDle }HB(l C
stfxgels sla:ntltfl. ~ Nitns>ss IN
haste tn p,,sStHs Okf6tisafsss,' Assst th1
forts to reclaim by irrigation t,f
aria regions al the W.st-,here alA
p,'nrS t. he u" evidence that our
pnpulat on viii not steadily In
crehsp.
AT present 90 per cent. OF our pro-
duets are Consumed al home, or 95
perc nt., not counting baccO and
cotton. II scarcely appears MS n
hazardous prediction that within
five Year., and perhaps even sooner,
the h"ne Il. maud ay fully equal
the supp! uf our agricultural pro-
duets, and then, il they arr wise,
the f"rmtrs of the country will lie
the masters f the situation, and
those words of NapOleOu that Gag
riculturr is the basis ami strength
OF all national prosperity" will be
recognized ~ sober truth.
When this time comes, and all
reputable authorities are agreed
that 1t Is near at hand, it will be
vital to the farmers interests tha,
his home market be protected FROM
the cheap products of India, Russia
aid Argentina. So the Mckinley
bill puts II higher duty on wheat,
on oats, on meats-in fact on most
everything the farmer raises. A
duty on farm products, unlike a
duty on manufactures, results in n
positive advance in price as soon as
demand begins to get ahead of the
domestic supply. A higher duty
on manufactures will result in In
creased production, and cOnse.
qIently, in short time, will reduce
the price. This is because there is
practically no limit to the possibili-
ties of the production of manufac-
lures. But with farm products the
case is different. After all the land
Is brought under cultivation, no
matter how high prices go, the pro-
ductiOn cannot be materially in.
creased except by a greater proper
tional outlay of capital and Of labor
for each unit of product. Hence
the price cannot be brought down
except by foreign competition
Clearly tariff, by keeping out for.
eign supplies of grain. vegetables
and meats, will have the positive
and permanent effect Of raising the
price Of the American farmers
produce. The farmers have been
the mainstay of protection for the
last quarter Of century, when i'm.
mense annual additions to the grain
growing areas have tended to oh
scure its benefits. They would be
very foolish now to abandon the
policy just when they are approach
ing point where they are sure t.
be more directly and more particu
larly benefited by protection thar
any other class Of producers.
Thus far we have not touched
upon what is, perhaps, after all, the
most important phase of the ques
tion-viz, the incalculable benefit: