Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-10-09
EQUAL BURDENS FoR ALL.


EQUAL BURDENS FOR ALL
The Demand That Protection should b
For the AverAxs interest of An-HoW
This L. IznposstbSe and HaW the Farmer
Is Len to Foot therPeopie's Bills.
Among the pretectionists one some
times hears fair-soundinR words about
revising the tariff in such way that is
burdens will rest on all alike They
want what Mckinley calls "a just and
equitable revision of the tariff" Sons
demand a tariff that will be as much in
the interest of the consumer as of tho
produce Senator Plumb, in his speech
attacking the Mckinley bin. said that
whatever is done should be Or tho
average interest OF all
This is one of the dreams Of the pro8
tectionists from which it seems that they
will never awake tariff that viii al
everybody good in an equal measure
But how will the protectionists sas
about making such . TARIFF
In order to protect the manufacs1eer
the tariff must OF necessity enable Elm
to sell at higher prices-otherwise ther&
is no protection
Very we'll. then; you have put uF
prices for one man; the only fair thing
to do is to put them up for others-for
all others You are bound to put up
prices for all consumers on the goods
which they sell, in order to make good
the loss which they have suffered by
paying the higher price created by the
| manufacturers protection Ii 10 abso-
lutely clear that unless the consumer
pays higher prices for the articles he
buys the maker of them gets no pro-
lection Is ii not equally clear that the
consumer can not make up his loss ex-
cept by selling something to somebodT
at = price raised high enough 60 cosef
that loss?
The protectionists feel the force of an
this themselves-hence their doctrine
of the home market that the protector
manufacturers make MP to the farmer
for the increased cost Of the thinA h0
buys by giving him q market for hO
farm products. Then they labor -
show the farmer that this home markee
is the best for him. is closer to him, -
steadier, has no pauper-grown Hindoe
wheat in it, as Europe has; and yes the
| farmer knows all the time that he geto
precisely the same price for his products.
sold in the home market, as In the for
eign market
The farmer knows this and ye1 h1
feels that the Government ought to do
something for him-ought TO do just as
much for him as for others In this
feeling he is entirely right He has
the same rights before the law and
merits precisely the same considerations
as the manufacturer. The farmer is
feeling this and saying it more earnestly
than ever. Hence the great tormon
organizations of various kinds. and the
plan to build Government warehouses.
=
tiers
In the face Of the Mrmess' demand
that something should be done foe
him. Mckinley raises the duty On
agricultural products. in order to deceivo
him into thinking that now at last he =
going to get some benefit from the tan
i'll. But what about these so-calle6
agricultural products snd provisions?"
Senator Allison sized them up very
Justly in a speech in the Senate in is7o
! as follows: 1t is true that under Gus
toms laws there is a small duty O.
wheat, barley, oats and other agricultp
ural products, but it does not afford any
protection TO the great wheat and Ran
producing regions of the country"
The only two ways, then, in WHICH
protection can benefit the farmer-frs&
by giving him a home market which
will pay him higher price for his prodp
ucts than the foreign market viii pays
and second, by placing duties on his
products which will enable him 70 sel1
at higher prices-are both seen to offer
him absolutely nothing to make up -
the increased cost which the manufacsp
urer's protection has laid upon him
But even if some way could be found
for giving the farmer an advantage
4 u, &l% l..
laid upon him, is it not clear that the
two advantages-hiso own and the manu-
facturer's-wouldp precisely balance eacn
other. Equal protection to both sides
means no protection to either, and puD-
lection to only one side means loss g
the other; for protection has q money
value, and il 1t is to enrich come it can
only do SO by making others poorer.
Protection is not a thing that can SIM
ply be voted by Congress without any
one feeling it The increased price ha1
to be paid by the consumer; and in thu
way ne farmer not only fails to reap q
benefit from protection. but he has -
make up for the protection gains q
others. all the time and everywhere.
Is he willing to stand that? II he .
willing how long can he afford 1t? Will
the time not come sooner or later when
ne VIII see that ne Is playing q losing
game? Has not that time come when
the farmer sees his land values declining
enormously. when he finds the mortgage
on his farm about to be foreclosed? =
J it not all the more clear when he seeG
the protected classes thriving and null
tiplying as never before: when he sees
trusts crowding upon trusts As never b.
fore in the mad struggle for richest
What is the farmer doing to shake o.
this false system in which be is strug-
; Cling for existence merely What wiz
he do?
Mr.. Carnegie. our tariff millionaire
has had his four-in-hand coaching touU
in Scotland again He can afford il
the tariff has made him rich The
! profits on steel rails at his mills for the
, first six months of the year we're moo
, than s., 600, 900.
If the tariff is not tax why is the
smuggler always Wiling 70 run the risk
of the penitentiary in order to avoid
paying the tax2 And under the McKin-
lev duties the smuggler viii run that