The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-09-30
FREE TRADE AND FARMERS.

contemporary
"suppoc the Farmers Alliance OF Hansu
shUhtd, III pfrsnancc OF the policy o. that organ
| izttinn. do away with mlhdlc.men IN much rs
p0ss!blc, appoint agents nt New York aud Liver.
pool 10 forward AMI receive CargocS OF corn.
suppose cargo were sent TO England and cx'
changed for lot Of tln'natc. England takes the
| corn ftec OF tax. The ttu'rfatc is taxed on THIS
| SIDE one cent per pound. which the Mckinley
bill Raises 10 80 cents. Would not the Kansas
farmers HGt nrger return for thelr corn II their
agent could receive the tIn,plstc. d!spOs. Of Il,
aud return 10 them the proceeds, without de.
dHttthg about twenty percent rs undcr the pres.
ent law. or about seventy per cent us proposed
toll2"
This is admirably atated from the Free
Trade side OF the case, and II clears the
question OF n great many entanglements
which too often confuse it. | do not
vouch for the statement that duty OF
ono cent pound Is duty OF 20 per
cent on tin.plale; and il it is, then q
duty OF % per cent pound is not a
duty OF 10 per cent, but A per cent. But
that ia immatcral.
The Western farmer il asked to con.
slider that he could get tin.plate in OK.
change for his corn or wheat on more
advantageous terms il there were no
duty than II there were. ~ He could
get it more cheaply under Free Trade
than under 20.per.cent duty. Asthis
present duty is not protective and in no
way helps to establish the industry in
this country, it is simply tax on the
consumer. Either it ought to be abol.
ished altogether or it ought to BIO raised
to the protective level. 1t leaves the
business OF supplying tin.plate in Eng.
lish hands entirely. 1t merely levies a
revenue tax on that article when it
reaches this country, and this tax is
added 10 the price.
TIE CANT AGAINST thigh" DUTIES.
There is great cutlery on the part OF
our revenue reiormsrs" against high
duties. 1t is not the high duties which
are oppressive, but duties which, rs these
latter. develop no home industry and
create no home competition to control
the prices charged by the foreigner. Ii
we had put low duty on steel rails in
1867 We might still he paying $50 to $50
ton for them instead OF $50. 1t was
the high price that brought out Ameri.
can competition, developed American
ingenuity in the improvement OF
methods, and brought down prices. (2)
Under duty high enough TO be protec.
tive the farmer will exchange his grain
and pork Tor tin plate to greater adyant.
age to himaelf. lie will not do so by ex.
porting grain and importing tin plate,
but by sending his grain to the American
base OF the manufacture and making the
exchanging there.
Our Democratic friend probably would
insist on having the question answered
exactly rs he put it, OH the ground that
the American farmer has to export his
grain at any rate. That assumption is
what Protectionists deny. They assert
that the present export OF food 10 Europe
is due to the deficiency OF the home
market, and that this can be remedied by
produclngat home the 100000, 900 worth
OF goods We now import every year.
One-tenth OF this big sum is for tin.plate.
When We make it ut home We shall fur
nlsh employment to number OF labor
ers whose aggregate consumption OF
farm produce will be vastly greater than
that OF the English workmen, who are
now producing it for US. The English
workman may consume each year few
pecks OF American wheat. The
American will consume more than
the came number OF bushels. In
view, then, Of the need OF enlarsins
the market for our farm produce, which
is the best policy for the American far
mer? Is it to leave the man who makes
tin-ptates for him on the other side OF
the Atlantic or TO bring him over? So
long as he is in England he consumes (D
wheat raised by the cheap labor OF the
English hind; (2) wheat raised by the
cheaper labor of the Russian moudjk;
(3) wheat raised by the still cheaper
labor OF the Hindoo ryot. Our American
wheat has to compete with all these Tor
his custom, and he buys Of American
wheat just 80 much Gs he wants. AS
soon as he makes his home in America
no becomeS a customer to American
farmers only, and the farmers market
for his produce will be increased to this
extent.
\ short and narrow look ut thinga
tempts men to jump at unwise conclu.
sions. Thus, If the farmer takes a short
aud narrow look at things-if he regards
the profits OF a single transaction under
existing ircumstances-it would look
rs though a Protective duty on tia.pla.e
were very much in his way. But when
he remembers that it is not a question
OF making the best bargain in existing
markets, but Of creating still better mar.
kets for himself, the higher duty is seen
to be no hindrenCe, but help to him to
secure his own interest. Some people
will say that the American farmer is
much too short.sighted. 10 see this. ]
do not believe it. The vote Of the great
farming States in 1855 showed the con.
trary. All the West is alive to the need
OF establishing manufactures close beside
the farming districts in order 10 make
farming pay. The early American farm.
ers saw that very clearly. Their vote
it was thu. established manufactures
when the country was NJ destitute OF
textile aud hardware industries gener.
ally ms it Is now is Of the manufacture OF
tin.plate.
(3) 1t ia not simply benefit OF obtain
ing the increase market OF farm product
which the farmer has to consider. 1t is
the relation OF tin.plate to the price OF
corn. When two articles are produced
within easy reach Of each other the pro.
ducer OF each can make exchanges with
the other on favorable terms. When
they nre far apart the terms OF exchange
are less favorable to both. The corn
grower gets less tin.plate for his bushet
Of corn. and the tin.plate maker gets less
corn for his box Of tin.plate. But the
creates. burden falls on the producer OF
tho article which is most bulky in pro-
carton to its value. Ho has to pay the
heaviest charges for carriage and has to
put up with the smallest r5ss:a!!rn: Thus
the corn grower suffers more than the
maker OF tin.plate from the intervention
OF 5000 miles between the two kinds OF
produce, This can BIO tested by turn.
ing prices OF any kind OF manu-.
featured goods from cash into corn or
pork prices and comparing what they
now arc with what they were under
Free Trade. The farmer can buy with
his bushel OF wheat more hardware,