Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1890-02-12
Infant Industries and the Farmer.

Farmers are being knocked out on
all sides. Oleomargarine is destroying
the butter market, the dressed beef
combine has made cattle-raising on a
small scale losing business, the ryots
of India, the helots of Egypt, and the
peasants of Russia together with Am
erican boards of trade, have rendered
wheat raising Improbable, the retalia-
ton of Germany and France against
American tariffs by shutting out our
pork, together with the power of the
"Big Four" has paralyzed farm swine
breeding, and steam and electric street
railways and other influences are put
ting an end to healthy demand for
farm-raised horses.
But wool, wool, there is protection
on wool Let's see. Permitting the
fact to pass with only suggestion,
that but small part of the farmers
of Michigan are wool growers, the tar
if on wool, if it has any effe ct, keeps
the price down. There are several
reasons why tariff on wool does not
aid the small grower First, farmers
are not combined, as manufacturers
are, to force up prices second, for
eign woods do not compete with the
domestic woods, but are necessarily
used with ours in making many kinds
of cloth and carpets; third, foreign
woods cost more by reasons of the tar
if, and thus manufacturers sales are
confined to the United States, the tar
ifs on cloth making it possible to hold
American prices up; the restricted
market for cloth limits the number of
factories-scores and scores have been
closed within the last ten years,-and
hence the demand for American wool
is pinched, crippled, and unreliable.
With foreign woods cheapened, the de-
mand for domestic woods would be
wonderfully enhanced, and prices
would be healthy and strong.
Though farmers are compelled to
accept for all they have to sell stead
lily decreasing prices, the combines,
corners, trusts, and syndicates, shield
ed and fostered by the tariff, hold up
prices of the articles farmers must buy.
1t was for others than the farmer
that the protection system was foisted
on the country; for the continued ag-
grandizement of the original benefici.
aries the system is perpetuated. To
him that tolls in the field high tariffs
are wholly and utterly disastrous.
Yet the majority vote of the weary
and disheartened man that follows the
pillow, says, "Our infant industries
must be protected
No person questions that the farm
er's persistence in his support of the
protection heresy, is heroic. But is it
wise, is it just to himself and house
hold? The prodigal son during the
time that he stuck to husks as diet
was brave; but the sensible thing
was his returning and feasting upon
veal In Uncle Sans house there is
bread enough and to spare, and the
old man said in the fall Of '88 by a
popular majority of one hundred thous-
and, Bring forth the best robe and
put il on him; and put a ring on his
hand and shoes on his feet" Yet it
was not done. There are still those
that perish with hunger. The elder
brother-the PIutocracy- continues
in control. He is running things with
a high hand. He must be shaken up,
overthrowD, routed. crushed. and effec.
tually knocked out and done for. This
feat the farmer can perform, If he
will. State Democrat.