The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1890-08-23

| Animals and products Except
wOoD Observation-Disclosures. . 6.996 91S
| Fibers. animal and vegetsble...... 1S 467 422
Barley and other cereals. ......... sos 062
Tobacco leaf Observation-Disclosures. 6O3, ,iCS
Total. .S4l 926 $50
IL this amount he doubled to cover
all plausible estimates, 1T shows $83, 1872.
900, instead of S233, ,000, 900 and $239,
600, 900, as stated by these government
| officials.
1t will be observed that in this esti-
mate have deducted nothing from the
amounts of imported barley, cheese,
fbers and tobacco, although, as l have
| shown, the importation OF these articles
cannot really lower the price of the
American product. Allowing these
servants of the people, who leave their
official duties to work for high tariff.
the full amount OF these imports as
shown by the official report, they have
swollen in their partisan zeal and ran
cor, $s3, ,000, 900 to $233, ,002, 900 and
$239 100000
Even ii their figures be correct, mon-
strous as is the assumption, inquire
with great humility why the party
which has controlled this government
for 25 years, to which they belong, and
for whose supremacy they are now
producing these outrageous and
fraudulent estimates over their official
lsignatures, has not excluded this
enormous mass of agricultural imports
which has brought American agricul-
ture to its present condition! Why
has not tariff tax been imposed suffi
cient to exclude all these deadly im-
ports from competition with the
American farmer2 Why this sDddan
discovery of All evil which has existed
for ye9rsp
Has the statistician Of the agricnl-
turai department, who has been paid
by the people to examine and report
upon all matters concerning agricul-
tursl interests, Just discovered the
truihl Has Col. Porter, a specialist on
tie tariff, editor of great newspaper
devoted to protection, and member OF
the tariff commission, just awakened
to q realizing sense of what is depress-
ing our farming interests!
Or have party exigencies aroused
them and the stern demand of the
farmer to know the meaning OF present
conditions?
Something must be done to still the
rising storm and protect the tariff
which furnishes tat for "blocks OF five,''
and the superintendent of the census,
the secretary OF agriculture and the
statisticlan of the department iecl il
necessary to neglect their duties in
, order to manufacture deceptive esti-
mates to be adminisi cred as official
, soothing syrup to the discontented
, farmers.
These well.ied gentlemen are mistak-
en-. The time tor soothing syrup and
emOllient application is passed, and the
full-grown men who have been plum :
dered under the pretext OF a home
market for years, will be no longer
satisfied with garbled statistics and the
! purring Off Gial assurance that the
farmer will be relieved by higher tax.
, alton.
The tables of Col. Porter and Mr.
Dodge are unfair and garbled. They
are made for the sole purpose O
divertIng the farmer from the real facts
, In the tariff Issue, and impressing him
> with the idea that enormous importa
tions OF agricultural products are caus
ing depression in farm staples.
As haye already stated, no intelli.
gent man can be induced to believ,
that the Importation Of sugar ha
3 caused agricultural depression in tbi
country. That item must, therefore. .bt
eliminated from these tables.
I The importation OF beet hides ant
8 sheep skins for consumption amounted
. in 1889 to $l7 ,433 ,S49, and as they are
i on the free list under the present law
] and have been retained there after q
desperate struggle, under the intluenc.
. OF the New England leather maputsc.
b turers, | assume that not even Col
Porter and Mr.. Dodge will hold th,
= democratic party responsible for the
large importation.
Raw silk, the importation Of whicl
In 1889 amounted to $l9, ,333,329, 4
included in the table of fibers, present
! ed by Col. Porter and Mr.. Dodge, bu
the American farmer deserves to b.
! disfranchised who can be made to he
lieve that the importation of raw sill
: has Injured his market for farm pro
ducts. Our farmers produce no silk
The Mckinley bill provides for
8 bounty OF 81 Oh each pound OF raw sill
reeled from the cocoon tor 10 years
> but this is stricken out OF the senat
bill as Utopian and unpracticable. Tn
y agricultural apartment has bee
! experimenting for years, and has sue
= ceeded In exhibiting as u resnlt som
very handsome specimens of raw silk
but 1t is not farm product, and thes
= officials know it, This item therefor
y should be eliminated from these tables
8 l call attention to the tact that botl
u Col. Porter and MIR. Dodge put in thei
Il tables the amount OF importation, an'
z not the imports for consumption. I'M
!, is maDiiestly unfair, aud they knew II
Q Only the imports for consumption com
d pete with any domestic products to
y the imports which remain III the OoDu
ed warehouses DO more compete VIII
= the American product than II not lm
6 ported at all. 1t is only when they are
r. iaken out for consumption that theS
% come into competition with the domes
+ tic product.
c In every instance these officials ignore
a this and place in their tables the fu!
d amount of the imports, thereby large,
increasing their estimates over thu
= actual amount consumed.
Y In order, however, TO dispose of tn,
fraudulent exhibits made by these gen