Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-07-30
tries would be absolutely free from all customs

tries would be absolutely free from all customs
uuties. That meant that the dutiabie impor;a-
tions would be diminished from S4S5, 900. 900 to
S510,000, 900, and that those on the free list
would be increased to $365, 500. .OO0 II the rate
OF duty covered the entire importations the
average rate would be 27 per cent.
HIGH DUTIES on ARTICLES OF LUXURY.
As there was 30 large an amount OF importa-
tions exempt from duty it was necessary to
impose higher duties on articles Of luxury and
foreign fashions that required skilled labor
and that were consumed by those who were
able to support the burden. High as
had not, and would not, shut out
the foreign merchandise of nations
where labor co mmanded much less wages than
1t did in the United States; nor would they
shut out the fact that the American people
never obtained general merchandise at less
cost.
MANUFACTURERS
by oratorical free traders indicated that they
preferred the prosperity of the foreign manu-
facturer to that of their own coun-
tryman, and that they would COM
pei the latter to manufacture as cheaply
as any foreigner, pay no higher wages or
abandon their business. The real purpose was
finally to break down and degrade the present
scale OF wages of American workmen. He
quoted from Sir Charles Dilke's Problems of
Greater Britain" as to the wages in Canada.
Australia and the United States, and said that
that WAS the sober, historical
TESTIMONY OF AN RNaIIsH FREE TRADER,
that American wages were 100 per cent higher,
for less time, than in Great Britain, and that it
followed that the difference was much greater
when contrasted with the wages current
on the continent of Europe The lever
age (Mr. Morrill, continued) that lifted
up protection was not really the demand of the
manufacturers, but that of their workmen
preston Mr.. Morrill, said that there was
A aLUr OF MIsINFoRMATIoS
disseminated on that subject and q conceal
ment Of the fact that prices Of farm products
are depressed throughout the world. The
only possible remedy within reach of the
American farmer was positive protection
against the foreign competition and such en-
enlargement to other avocations as would in
crease the consumers of their products. He as
serted tha. in 1888 had it not been for the
duty of 20 cents a bushel on wheat the
wheat of India would have snatched
the market of New York from the state of
Wisconsin as we'll from all other western
states. There were some political pessimists,
MIR. Morrill, went on to say, who croaked about
hard times and ignored
THE GENERAL PROSPERITY EVERYWHERE AP-
PARENT.
Admitting that the present condition Of farm
ers was not as good as it ought to be, nor as
good as he hoped it would be, he should at
tempt to show conclusively the great
causes OF the present worldwide
depression Of their interests. 1t
was said by such pessimists that farmers we're
oppressed by vast increase of mortgages.
That was certainly not true in the older states
where, whatever mortgages existed, were held
largely by other forehanded farmers. The bulk
of the mortgages were due, especially in
the younger states, from young men who were
just setting out in life and who had not suffi-
cient capital to pay cash down for q fair-sized
farm.
FARM MORTGAGE INDEBTEDNESS
had been exaggerated and ne understood that
the census reports would show that farm mort
cages in Kansas and Maine were less than one
quarter of the amount which had been repre-
sented. The New York Times had stated that
farm mortgages of Illinois amounted to $3.50,
100000 The st. Louis Republic had given the
amount as $4,000. .0O0, 900. But the Illinois
of Cook county, which included Chicago, q,
$l23733,0 ,09S. These we're only examples, he
said, of the
srUPRNpous FALsEHoops
with which the public had been dosed. The
charge that American farmers were hugely in
debt, or we're more so than the farmers of any
other country, was q gross calumny, and
the farmers would treat with con-
tempt the crocodile tears of pity shed in
their behalf by revenue reformers, who peddled
out such defamstory tales. The markets, Mr.
Morrill, continued, which could not be found
abroad had to be made at home and they could
only be made by protection. Whatever pro.
ducts could be made by machinery might some
time find market abroad, but cattle and wool,
wheat and corn were not made by machinery,
and greater market would have to be created
for such products by greater diversity of in.
dustrial employments, and with the abounding
mineral resources Of the United States, the
task would not appear difficult.