The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1890-05-17
THE FARMERS COLUMN.
Edited BY the Pioneers Agricultural
Correspondent.
THE MCKINLEY TARIFF BILL.

the Democratic Members Of the Ways
and Means Committee.
The minority report, which is signed by
all of the FIVE Democr ratio members of the
Committee, after declaring for the principle
of just and equal taxation, begir by saying
that the majority, representing the Repub-
licans party, has committed itself to the
policy Of unjust and unequal taxation.
''The prolonged discussion before the
Committee during the present session." says
the report, "was not between the individ-
uals and corporations who receive the taxes
and the consumers who pay them, for nvery
few Of these were heard, but between the
representatives of the various protected in
dustries, each class contending for higher
rates on its own products or for lower rats
on the products Of others. Except in cases
where combinations were made between the
interested parties, the conflict continued as
long as the bill remained in the Committee,
and the majority, sfter months Of patient
and laborious investigation, has been able
to satisfy a part only Of the demands made
upon it. ~
'The only remedy is to remove as far as
possible artificial burdens and RESTRICT ns
and give to all our industries an equal
chance in the field of competition At home
and abroad"
The mine rity report, after referring to
the gloomy testimony before the Committee
concerning their business of representatives
Of the protected industries and the general
dissatisfaction among the lsborers employed
by them, says that the remedy proposed
BY the majority is the imposition Of more
taxes upon every article Of foreign origin
which the people Of this country desire to
buy, and for which they are ready and
anxioas to exchange the cotton which they
cannot spin, the corn and wheat which they
cannot consume, the oil and coal which they
cannot burn, and many other products of
our farms. our forests and our mines.
These surplus products must find market
somewhere outside of the United States.
The imports last year were $745, 13l, 652.
paid for mainly in our surplus agricultural
products. II would be impossible for the
people Of the United States to send out Of
the ocuutry that sum in cash. and every one
knows they did not do IT,
And yet one Of the arguments constantly
made tgainst importations is that our
money ought to be expended at home 1t
is. in fact, expended at home in the produc-
ton. preparation and transportation Of the
articles We send abroad to pay for the inn
portations; and il these articles were not
sent abroad the money could not be expended
here, because there would be no market for
them and our farmers and others could not
afford to produce then.
When our own market is fully supplied
xith any given article, the production Of
that article must cease or be carried on at q
loJs, unless market for it can be found
somewhere else; and this - the great diff
Guilty in the way OF many Of our most im-
portant industriss at the present time.
i Is impossible to protect the farmer
aga inst foreign competition in his home mar
ket, for he has no such competition, and
the insertion or retention Of these articles
in : tariff bill is device which will deceive
% one who gives : moments thought 10 the
subject. During the last fiscal year We ex-
ported So. .5o2 929 bushels. Of corn and inn
ported only 2.668 bushels. not mere than
can be produced on $50 acres Of good land
il this country. We exported 812, 1856 bar
rels Of corn meal, and imported 896 bushels.
Our exports Of wheat nonnted TO 46,4l4,-
l29, bushels, and or imT u amounted To-
1886 bushels and our exports and impe rts
Of the other articls mentioned were as fol-
lovs: Oats. exports 623, 3,226 bushels, I'm.
ports q, ,a24 bushels; rye, exports 2s7,252
bushels, imports l6 bushels wheat, -four, q +
ports 9. .874 .6,is barrels, imports, none re-
ported; apples dried, exports y, ,lOl $40
pouAds. imports, none reported; bacon and
hs ms. xports400, ,224,846; pounis. imports
272, ,l30, pounds; be i. mutton and pork.
exports 2s6. 6.9sl. ] III pound. imports 2l5.575.
pounds; l.rd exports als,242.soo pounds.
inparis .O78 pounds; tailow, exports M,
~. .s66 ponnds, imports 81 1881 pounds.
The statement shows how futile II ID ID
atssnpt a adord protsction u ths fArmsrsi
of ~ country ~ Impeding duties upon ths1
inpozl Ation q these products, and ihis large