The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-07-13
Harrison,s Letter to the Farmers.


In our dispatches yesterday there was
published al extract from letter which
President Harrison wrote in answer to an
invitation to attend the National Grange
exposition. The substance of the extract is
that the farmers are the backbone of the
country, and that therefore they should
understand the tariff question in order 10
vote upon it inteligently; that unless the
high protective policy of the Republican
party is maintained there will be great dis
tress throughout the land.
No doubt the President believes what he
says about the protection policy of the Re-
publican party, but is he not mistaken in
intimating that if the tariff doctrine of the
Democratic party were to be substituted for
that of the Republican party it would cause
great distress throughout the landl Tae
protection policy of the Republican party
has been in force for many years, and what
has been its effect upon the farmers of the
New England states, where there are more
factories than in any other part of the coun-
try? Are the farmers in the New England
states prosperous!
The theory Of the protectionists Is that
factories make a home market for farm
products, and that in the states where there
are many factories the farmers are better
off than those of the states in which there
are comparatively few. If this theory is
correct New England farmers ought to be
more prosperous by far than those of the
of the west and south, but, as matter of
fact, are theyl
1t is notorious that hundreds of farms in
the New. England states have been aban-
doned-many of them being within sight of
the chimneys of factories. Why is this? Is
it because the lands are worn out? If they
are worn out why cannot their producing
power be renewed by fertilizers If high
protection is such good thing for farmers
it would seem as if every foot of tilable land
in Massachusetts, and other New England
states would be in cultivation. Instead Of
that being the case, however, it looks very
much as if many parts of New England
were becoming a wilderness. The Presi-
dent should explain to the farmers why it is
that under the high protection tariff policy
of the Republican party SO many of the
farms of New England are being abandoned
land suffering from the effects of high pro-
lection, but the manufacturers are also
Many leading men of Massachusetts who, a
few years ago, were staunch republicans
are now acting with the Democratic party,
and there is a pretty well founded belief
that Massachusetts, at the next national
election. will be democratic. Why is this z
1t is because the manufacturers of that state
see that in order to get the products
of their factories into foreign markets
they must have free raw material.
One of them is reported to
have said the other day that with free raw
materials the manufacturers of this country
could compete successfully with those of
any other country in foreign markets.
Their improved machinery and labor saw
ing devices, he said, gave them advantages
possessed by the manufacturers of no other
people And yet President Harrison tells
the farmers that the prosperity of the coun-
try depends upon a high protective tariff
He ignores facts.