The Portland daily press., 1890-04-29
The Vote of the Farm.

The New York Evening Post deals in fig
ures from the census of 1880 and in ratios of
increase of the country's population to the
end that the agricultural vote of the nation
is estimated to be today about 100000. The
object OF this figuring is not to controyert
the statements now being made, that people
are DESERVING the farms by the thousand, but
to proclaim the ultimate doom of the pro-
tective policy. OF these twelve States, Cali.
fornia, Michigan, Connecticut, Minnesota,
Illinois, New Hampshire, Indiana, New
York. Iowa, Ohio, Massachusetts and Wis
c0nsin, which are to be considered the lead
ing agricultural States, all save Connecticut,
went for Harrison in 1888. The Post claims
that the Democratic victory in 1899 in New
York. and the recent overthrows in Iowa
and Ohio, were caused by change of view
on the tariff question among the farmers.
and are the forerunners of a grand overturn
of the whole protective principle.
The Post makes mistake in assuming that
the tariff issue is supreme in the minds Of
voters in off years as we'll as in Presiden-
tial years, and that the falling off of votes in
each case was due to change in tariff views.
Yet assuming this to be the case and taking
the case Of New York as an example, let us
examine the figures. In the Presidential
election 1,3l9,S24 votes were thrown giving
Harrison plurality of 1887 In the 1889
election the total vote was lob, 767, giving a
Democratic plurality of 20,527. This is a
poor showing at first sight, until it is remem-
bered that the farming element in Albany,
Kings, Broome, Erie, Rensselaer, and New
York counties, the great cities of which fur
nish the largest part of the Democratic ma
jority, is overcome by elements that can be
counted Oh to increase Democratic majorities
to any desired point at all times. In coun-
ties that are distinctively agricultural no
such falling off Of Republican strength is
shown, when it is recalled that the total vote
of 1889 was only 6ve-sixths of that of 1888. The
county of Franklin for instance in the north
ern part of the State bordering on Canada,
and where the benefits of the protective car
1T are known and appreciated. gave 4,O35
Republican votes in 1883 against A. 25 in 1888;
the Democratic vote being ZOOS in 1889 to
1851 in 1888. The grand total vote of State
is very unsafe thing from which to draw
conclusions in regard to the attitude of
farmers toward the protective tariff
In the State of Iowa even, which is in
stanced as another convert to free trade, or
nearly that, when the vote is analysed, rath-
er different conclusions can be drawn. The
Evening Post will doubtless admit that
Story county, iowa, is pretty fair sample
of an agricultural section; yet this county
spoke out on the tariff question as follows:
In 1889 the Republican vote was 2,196; in
1SS7-another "off year,, 1897. The Demo-
cratic vote at the same time being 939 against
99l. The farmers-with the help of the
heelers In the big cities-may be swinging
around toward tariff reform that will allow
Canadian, English and Australian farm
produce, aided by subsidized ships, to come
into American markets in open competition
with their own produce; but they do not
signify it very yocifereusly in localities
where they are allowed to express their
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