New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-04-23

lions in the Interstate Commerce law. fuller trial
needed to judge properly Of It's effects and to suggest
jndicious amendments The condition Of our agf1cun
IRE is such that large proportion If or farmers must
depend upon facilities for reaching distant markets.
and the law Will hardly accomplish It's purpose Oh sc
curing the greatest good for the greatest number II
it, ultimate result should be to raise the cost of the
long haul It's most valuable Office viii be 70 prevent
injustice By forbddng the granting by The railroads
Of special privilege to certain classes or corporations
which are denied 70 the community at large.
THE MIDDLEMAN.
Another cause opcratjng to depress the price Of the
farmers honest toll is the undue increase of the class
Of middlemen and the dishonesty and greed OF many
Of them Hence the wide gulf between the hlgh prices
charged to the consumer and the 10" prices p'ld 10
the producer. The mddleman. WITHIN certain lmlt~'
must be regarded a necessity Ihcre aye many
thing, he can do for the farmers which the latter
cannot do 50 proftably for themselves. and under
such condition. il i, wise t. employ him. The evil
which exists at the present day IN TINS direction could
undoubtedly be mtsaied by. first, familiarity on
the part OF the farmer himself with the market valnc
Of that which lee has II SELL and second a better
system of cooperation among the farmers. both in
Tho DISMISSAL Of their crops and in the purchase OF
their supplies
GAMBLING IN FARM PRODUCTS.
Few there are but are familiar with and dcpIorc
the conversion Of our exchanges ana Boards OF Trade
ORIGINALLY designed for the encouragement and con
veuiencc OF legitimate trading. into vast gambling
paccs rausht with the gravet danger 10 the country
At large but of which the farmer. whose products
are thus made the toy and playhing Of the game Is
,he immediate and chief sufferer. The frequent and
vtrcnc anctnations of price occasoncd by the opera
tion of irresponsible spectators Is the bane oil inc
nroducer whose bcS interests Will ever be served by
the maintenance OF a firm and reliable market. 10
tbe allegation not infrcquenty made. that if at times
cd tl.p. Aa1sn
when they are unduy raised, there is a simple reply
A. already asserted not only are Hnctua'on and I'M
apv he bane Of the producer. but the speculative
combinations which result in unduly raising or de-
messing prices are carefully calculated TO raise them
when the goods are longer in the producers hands
and TO dcprcss them when they are. Unquestion-
onl legislation is needed to remedy this evil. and IT
should be based on the principle that the evil Is
NOT a necessary one. requiring legislation. but an
utterly inexcnsabe one. 10 he cured 10y eradication
CONTROLLING COMBINATIONS
>tnco has been said and written alleging the ex-
;s,e,ce ~ unlawful combinations for the express pur
nose OF so controlling the markets as to lower the price
~ ~. farmers products and Of other combinations
whose object to raise the price Of the articles when
the farmer consumes. That such combinations exist
i is imnossible 70 doubt and the serious results 81
their greed and scfhness enhanced by the grave
difficulties attending any effort 10 limit their evil
egocts This Is one Of those evils closely allied TO
The matter Of interstate commerce that its rcgaa
tion nav possibly fail within the legitimate province
of National legislation The great difficulty Hes III
the close Observance of that line Of demarcaon when
clearly exists between combinations for mutual Se,-
help protection and the advancement by ieeuh"'c
means Of the interests Of class. craft cr INDUSTRY
ard combinations or trusts inspired by greed whose
objects are unattenabe save A. they infringe upoh
the legitimate rights of Others. In spite Of these d-
entities however there cannot he any doubt thal an
earnest demand for adequate legislation on TINS SUD
Iect sustained by popular opinion receiving tr earn
est attention Of our strongest minds. VIII c'cn'laF
result I'm some adequate means Of controlling ''N
gigantic evil.
PROTECTION FOR THE FARMER
now come 10 the consideration Of one OF the
rravcss causes in my opinion, Of the present AR
cultural depres- ION but which. AIN happy 70 siate.
can be efectuallv and directly dealt with through
National legislation. Few people realize that our
imuorts OF agricultural products. estimated at prices
paid by the consumers. are about equal 10 our "R'
cultural exports estimated at prices PAD 7" inc farmer
vet such the case Our imports Of products SOFA III
competition with those actually produced on our own
soil amount to nearly 7ll5.0oO.0Oo and A. nnon
more could be produced on our SOL under is'oi''N
conditions We must surely conclude that we have
here another cause Of depression. The subject Is ="
vast that I cannot dismiss il briefly. Indeed can
do 70 better than to repeat here views ALREADY eA
pressed by this subject
IMPORTS Of AGRICULTURAL PRoDUCrs.
If all the wonderful phases Of development Of which
the United States furnishes such striking examples
none is perhaps more remarkable than the wonderful
increase tOiaIlv dlsprOpOriOnatc :" our lhcNac u
population in our Imports Of products wh'h are III,
tlnctlv agricultural In $50 the imports oi s"''
products amounted 10 $4OOOOOuo foI the h''a s'"
ending IN $50 they amounted 10 The enormous sum oil
inc, ~
thc increase In population during the corresponding
uerod was considerably less than 800 per cent Im'
is all the more remarkable when taken III conjunction
with the fact That this il preenlhenty an a-f'"uiN
country, opening mp year after Ncii WIN ia"u'H
which Ina. alarmed the producers Of the ola World i'm
monsc tracts Of country 10 be dcNoted extensively -
,llaee. all the more remarkable when We realize
rftornc that over 60 per cent Of Ou total exports
are ;l, direc; product of The soil Accompanying ms
extraordinary movement there has been during IN" ''
decade in which the greatest Increase Of >nch imports
Ia, taken place. steady decrease n the prices "i
home -rcNl products. 70 any reasonable man u'
conclusion must be obvious. namely that IN the lire Of
prod lcts with the exception of cotton, upon WING u
npr farmers chiefly depend, there has grown up well
nigh ruinons competition ia which the labor Of NE
peasant Of Europe. Of the miserable ioah Of hfyp'
and Of the unfortunate half.afvcd Indian iyot WORK
! ing for panpcr wages. ncglectne all the amenities OF
lie IN order that women ana children a. wei a. men
J the lCd-- j. pillFN drfHi't b'"' va 'i4'
America, farmer relying upon his O~n and Ms sons
labor or where he employ hired help paving them
fair RATE Of wage, according 10 orr american standard
beside providing them with the same food ana shelter
A he gives 10 Dol, own family
Growing a surplus Of wheat, that surplus whose
urlce Is forced down BY The competition OF Russia and
India regulates the price OF the entire crop. TIC
product of our vast n'Ids. for which " com
paa,vcly Insignificant foreign demand exists must be-
utilized largely BY the farmer for The raising 81 canle
and hogs. The foreign market for live cattle which
exists in Great Britain T. 80 hampcIcd by the op
| prcssve regulations requiring slaughter at point o
landing n TO exercise little beneficial infuenc.
on the price Of his product. while the Obstructive
measures adopted by several uf The continental
countries in regard 10 American pork have reduced The
cx ports Of that product since lr-l over 40 per cent
| annually. ndcr such circumstances there can be
but one cause asscnale for The neglect 10y American
farmers 10 tura their attention to other crops III u'
! line OF such agricultural products a we now import
and that Is thai IN this they would meet an oven
more overwhelming and disastrou, competition thsI