Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1890-09-27
How Protection Has Benefited our
Farmers.

How Protection Has Benefited our
Farmers.
Charles NJ. Garman Of Des Moines
county, Iowa, who knows by practi-
cal experience all about the condition
Of farms and farmers IN that state,
writes to the American Economist as
fellows:
"In 1916 (frce trade period), as my
books show, we got only 10. l21la and
IL cents for corn and wheat IN pro-
portion. l remember selling hogs in
Schenck u Denise's pork house i'll
this city Burlington for $l.5O per
hundred net. Sometimes l would
have to stay in town, pay hotel bill,
take my turn while the hogs were
weighed aud slaughtered. Sales
were made in this city to-day for
80 go per cwt. gross. Every practical
farmer knows the difference between
$3.50 net and $3.50 gross. l remem-
Der seeing Jacob Comstock hauling
wheat into town with an OK team and
selling it for BIZ cents a bushel.
That was in 1916. That year We got
10 cents for corn and Z cents for oats.
Now, that would not have been so
bad if we could have bought every
thing we wanted as cheap in proper
ton. But unfortunately for us, that
was not the case. We had 10 pay ~
a barrel for salt, which we can now
buy at $l.20 TO $l.30. A farm wagon
cost $40. We can buy now much
better wagon for $50; and hardware
we can buy cheaper. A dozen files,
for instance. can te bought now for
the price which we then paid for one.
That was not OH exceptional case by
any means, hut all along through
those years prior TO the adoption OF
the protective tariff in 1861, there was
not any great opportunity for farm
ers to make money. We had TO pay
$50 to $50 for good overcoat which
can now be bought for SIS to $50, and
nobody ever imagined that good
suit of clothes could be bought for
$40.
With the development of our manu-
features in this country and a diversi'
tv of industries al immense amount
OF farm products is now raised for
which there was then no market.
And the rates of interest are much
lower now than then. l remember
paying as high as % per cent, before
the war, but money can now be had
for from 6 to 9 per cent. We used to
pay $3.50 to $500 for harvester; now
we can buy one with binder COM
pete for 800. So it was at every
point where the interest Of the farm
is touched. We can get better prices
for our products and we pay less for
what we buy. Occasionally there is
all article. like sugar, that is an ex'
ception to this. We sometimes bought
sugar as cheap as now, but it was not
as good a quality, mostly common
brown sugar.
There is another thing to be consid-
cred. Farmers now buy great many
InlUBS iuuJ II luOSS Nal o "N'S -"
thought OF, or would have been looked
upon as luXuries and extravaganza.
Our houses now have carpets and fur
niture, aud a great many cOnveniences
that we could not have afforded in the
DAYS OF low tariff. We dress better,
we have better houses, they are better
Furnished. We have better farm i'm
plements. We have great many
comforts that were not enjoyed by the
pioneer farmer. These things OF
course cost money. II we would live
as plain now as in those days, and do
as little for schools and churches aud
the requirements of social life, we
would probably put more money in
the savings banks than we do now.
But the modern farmer is inielligt nj
and progressive, aud wants to keep
abreast of the times. lie is reading
man and takes list of newspapers
aud magazines that in the days of low
tariff would have appalled, him by
their expense. Every farm house has
its little library. The prosperous far
mer keeps his family carriage. and IN
multitude of ways INDUCES IN expen'
ditures that he would not have
thought Of in the days of low tariff