Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-07-26

Most of our readers doubtless remen-
her the story told In his own humorous
way by Henry Ward Beccher of the
profits Of his farm at Peekskill. When
asked what was the most profitable
thing he raised, he answered Hogs.
Raising hogs II the most profitable thing
that can bc done on a farm " and his
proof was this In the spring." said
he, "I bought twenty pigs mt 50 each
and In the following winter ] sold them
at Sl2 each, thus showing clear profit
of $3.50, and don't think there was rs
much profit from all the rest Of the farm
as from the pig-pen." But" said the
inquirer, you fed them with corn and
meal and you have not considered this
expense 40 yes" said Mr.. Beecher,
have considered IL, gave them corn
and meal that was worth $500, and my
books show that lost that amount on
corn but they show q profit on hogs"
Mr.. George Brickett, in the Boston
Transcript, attempts to show that this Is
paraphrasc OF the argument Of the
modern protectionist. The farmers of
the United States are compelled to pay
more than 5000 every year for every $50
of profit made by the protected hogs, the
manufacturers. They are compelled to
pay greatly enhanced price for every
manufactured article they purchase, and
at the same time to sell their products
at prices fixed in Europe by the
Competition of the naked Hindoo who
labors for few cents a day, and Of the
half barbarous Hun and Slav. Thus, rs
a nation we lose on the corn and wheat,
but our protected hogs make profit.
Though this IL a very fallacious state
ment and easily consumed in the fire of
common sense, which shows that
though the tariff duty is tax II may be
benefcent in its working IL il is wisely
laid, there Is enough Of the flavor of
truth about this story of the
hogs TO make IL interesting to
our farmers, whose industry is GER
tainly not protected and who pay
a good share of the tariff tax that sus-
tans manufacturing industry. 1t is to
their interest to see that this tax is not
excessive and that it be reduced when
and wherever possible and to reject
the Mckinley tariff, which proposes
such unnecessary burthens from their
backs.
Let our farmers consider the deserted,
deprecated and mortgaged farms for
which this system of /" raising hogs" Is
responsible. Lot them consider that
farms Of moderate size are decreasing In
number, while those sf larger size
are increasing ; that one-fourth of our
farmers are already tenants and, that
If the improved farm lands of the
country were put under the sheriff's
hammer to-day, they would not sell fol
two-,hirds of their value n quarter of q
century ago. In no state in the Unior
are producer and consumer brought
more closely together than in New
York, and yet the state agent reported
less than two years ago that thirty PEI
cent. Of her farms are mortgagcd on al
average of eighty.six and two-third
per cent. of their estimated value, anC
that they had deprecated in value al
average of thirty-three per cent. II
ten years while the Western mortgage
business Is estimated to have reached
the vast sum of one hundred and fift,
millions of dollars annually. When th'
honest farmers of this country have one
fairly considered these and many simila
facts which are among the chief bless
ings of unnecessary protection, the,
will stop forever this Improbable wa.
of raising hogs"