The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1890-08-30

~ cents per bushel under senate and
house bills.
Wheat llour-Exports,9 9 ,374 ,8O3 bar
rcIs; imports, l55 barrels Duty uuder
present law, 90 per cent. ad valorem;
raised to % per cent. under house and
senate bills.
Oats Exports. G2l ,22G bushels; i'm
ports, 22,32i bushels. Duty under
present law 10 cents per bushel; raised
To Is cents under house and senate
bills.
The senate committee informs us that
these increases of duty are intended TO
protect the American producer from
foreign competition. Yet the official
returns show there is really no compe-
| tiiion, the quantity OF imports being
too small to affect the market.
In the case of apples, both dried and
green or ripe, there are none imported
ut all, but the duty is raised for the
fraudulent purpose of impressing the
American apples grower that he is pro-
tcctcd from nothing.
TO show not only the unjust and
wicked bat sectional character of the
house and senate bills, call attention
TO the duty on rice. This is food
product raised in the southern atates,
and principally in South Carolina and
Louisiana.
The official reports show that we i'm
ported in 1883, 9,297, l09 pounds of
cleaned rice, anu in 1889 6I, ,164 1862
pounds, an increased importation of
l4,S67 ,S54 pounds, but the house bill
decreased the duty from 24 cents per
pound to cents, and the senate bill
still further decreases it to II cents per
pound.
The official reports also show thai i'm
| 1883 we imported of all kinds of rice
| lSG .243, ,lO6 pounds, and exported OF
all kinds only 4j7 ,206 pounds, revers-
ing conditions as between rice and
wheat or cOrn,yet our protection friends
raise the duty on wheat and corn aud
lower il on rice.
| The duty on uncleaned rice is reduc-
cd from Il cents per pound under the
present law, first to II cents by the
house bill, ,and then to cent per pound
by the senate bill.
The duty on rice flour, rice meal and
broken rice is reduced by the house
bill from 90 per cent. ad valorem under
existing law to cent per pound, and
then by the senate bill to one. quarter
Of per cent. per pound, although, we
imported in 1888 OF granulated or rice
meal 5j,379 ,279 pounds, and in 1889
62, ,Ol3,52S pounds, an increase in i'm
portation of nearly 1000, 600 pounds.
Now, if the real object is 10 protect
the agricultural interest from foreign
competition. why is this brutal discriIn-
inatiOn made against the rice planters
OF the south? There can be but one
answer-they vote the democratic
ticket.
We hear great deal from the advo-
Gates OF high tariff about the necessity
OF protecting the manufacturers of the
north against foreign competition, in
order that these manufacturers may be
enabled to pay higher wages to Ameri-
can labor. We are told that the in
crease of duties in the pending bill on
hardware, tin plate, ,woollen and cotton
cloths and clothing is in the interest of
labor.
We have also heard great deal of
sOlicitude expressed for the poor negro
of the south, who votes the republican
ticket, and is therefore All object OF
especial and disinterested affection W IN
the republican party.
Why Is il that the duty on rico is
decreased when il is raised exclusively
by negro labor? No white man can
work in the rice fields of South Caro-
lima and Louisiana, and the trainers OF
the pending bill well know this fact.
Why, then, is not the poor negro pro-
tected In the rico field. instead OF de-
crcasing the rice duty? will answer
the question.
This bill il to repay the mill owners
their contributions to the campaign
iund of the republican party during the
last presidential canvass, and, as the
planters of the south are democrats, ,and
the negroes are regarded by the repub-
Iican managers as mere political chat
tcls, who can contribute nothing, the
duties on northern manufactures are
increased while the duty on rice is
diminished.
POTATOES.
The duty on potatoes has been raised
from ID cents per bushel TO 25 cents
Under the house and senate bills.
The largest part OF our importations
come from Nova Scotia, and usually
in the late winter and spring months
when our own crop has been consumed.
The Nova Scotia potatoes are, from
climatic reasons, much harder and
less liable to decay than those raised in
the United States. Our total average
= imports are only l per cent. OF the
domestic crop,and come almost entirely
from Nova Scotia after our own crop
has been exhausted or njured by decay
The only effect of increasing the duty
will be to shut off our trade with Nova
Scotia and deprive the poorer classes
Ol our people of an absolutely necessary
article of food at time when the
domestic article cannot be had. The
ships which now bring us potatoes
from Nova Scotia in the spring and
early summer return loaded with
American breadsluffs and pork but our
> high tariff friends are anxious to des.
troy reciprocal trade with Nova Scotia
and establish it with South America.
, EGGS.
A duty of D cents per dozen is placed
on eggs, which have heretofore been
, on the free list.
We imported during 1889, Il, ,920, ,65(
dozen eggs, principally from Canada,
, valued at 81 4l9,004.
This seems TO be large importation
but it must be remember that we con
! sumo yearly 1,500. .0U0, 900 dozen eggs
the city of New York alone using
81 800 900 dozen in 1889. The impor.
tatiOns amount to less than | per cent
OF our consumption.
The largest impOrtations are in
. November and December of each year,
but prices are always higher in these
months, while III February, March and
April, when importations are least, the
, prices are lowest.
, The increase of duty will not help the
farmer, but il it does he can properly
inquire why the republican party has
Tor all these years permitted the free
importation of eggs in the face of the
/ American hen, and in open disregard
of the farming interest which now en-
crosses attention. The duty on bay /.
now 81 per ton, which is doubled under
the house and senate bills. We Im.
ported last year l05,372 tons. valued al
I 81 ,OS2, ,6S5.
, Our importation is less than three,
! temths of per cent. OF our production
! and vet the farmer is asked to believe
that an increase of duty on this incOn.
siderable quantity will raise the price
, Of the domestic article.
The greater part of the importation
comes through Vermont from the dis
trict OF Three Rivers in Canada, and
> the total product of that district an
, nualIy is about 10000 tons. The bal
ancc of the importation il distributed
along the Canadian frontier so equally