The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-05-09
SOME OF ITS ABsURDlTles.

VII lit ioot VI tit oNo ~ ~
sentatives, Major Mckinley opened the
formal discussion of the tariff bill with
an eloquent recital of the interest
which congress takes in the welfare of
the American farmer. The party to
which Major Mckinley belongs has
been working the farmer, 10, these
many years. IL has talked tariff to
him. to his utter bewilderment, and,
meanwhile, the mortgage with its never
ceasing interest overshadows the farm
NOR and more. Telegraphic accounts
of the debate do not give full reports of
what is said in the house, but the
STANDARDS copy of the Mckinley bill
is at hand and here also are the official
figures on exports and imports. These
could be quoted to the extent Of two
columns to show the singular operation
of the pending bill.
These republican tariff %lifters, in or
der To impress the farmer with the
enormity of foreign competition, in
clude the import of tea, coffee and
sugar which, with trifling exception,
are manifestly out of the account, since
the American farmer cannot produce
them. But what does the Mckinley
bill do with the staples of farming in
this country II advances the duty on
wheat from 20 to % cents a bushel.
Last year this country exported i6,ill,-
l2g bushels of wheat and imported
l3O,65O bushels. To what extent is the
selling price of wheat influenced by
this importation? On flour an addi-
ton of five per cent. duty is laid. We
shipped last year 9,31i,s03 barrels of
flour: the import was I.I56 barrels.
Major Mckinley places a duty of two
cents a pound on dried apples. This
country exported 22,lO2,a19 pounds
of them last year and import
ed not a pound, although there
was no duty last year. What
is this two-cent duty for? On corr the
pending bill raises the duty from 10 to
10 cents a bushel. The country x
ported last year G,392. 500 bushels and
imported just 2,4Ol bushels.
And so the contrast runs through the
list. There are beef, pork and mutton,
for instance. A duty of two cents is
proposed. Imports last year were
2l5,515 pounds. exports 2s6,99i, l2l
pounds. On hams. bacon and the like
the difference is still more striking, and
the same is true of oats, barley, orr
meal and the whole line of produce.
These figures are used, not for the
present purpose of discussing protec-
ton rs a general proposition, but to
show the utter absurdity of the Mckin.
ley bill. There is method in all this
nonsense. The party in power wants
to address the farmer from the stump
next autumn and tell him what II has
done for him. IL wants to say il has
raised the wall of protection about him,
and whether that wall is as strong as IA
fortress or as useless rs mosquito net
ting against Krupp guns is all one
the politician assumes that the farmer
! will never find that ont.
Major Mckinley declares that the
| existence of the Harrison administra-
ton means that the people demanded
tariff revision. Accordingly he is re-
vising il up. That is revision in a di-
rection which no community in this
country is demanding. Mr.. Mckinley
also points to the Canadian farmer.
Well, republican statesmen have been
foremost in advocating reciprocity yet,
ut this very hour, the Dominion parlia.
ment, with its eye on congress, is fran
ing u new tariff bill which will be
rugged for straight retaliation and
made to iii the situation. Its embargo
will be aimed ut our provision trade, ii
proposes to hit this country hard by
adding % cents to the duty on flour,
while an advance is proposed on wool,
on lard, on hams. on cotton fabrics and
on about il5 other articles. How cheer.
ing all this is Ia the American farmer