Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-04-24
SHE HIT HARD.
An Illinois. farmers Wife Talks
Tariff to Major Mckinley.
Some Facts Concerning the
Systematic Robbery Of
the Farmer.
A Lady Who Knows What She is
Talking About.-"CackIe
From the Farm"


One of the most striking papers evel
read before any gathering OF agricultur
lists was the paper by Mrs. /. H. Elliot
OF Princetown, captioned "Caekle from
the Farm" read before the trainers
institute Of the eighth congressional
district at its closing sesson in Sher'
woods opera house, in Ottawa, Ill.
Speaking Of the action of the Ways and
Means Committee In hearing sugges'
tions from manufacturers of all kinds
she said:
II believe l could go before that COM
mittee myself. II It was not quite so far
to walk. II / did, Mr.. Mckinley would
probably say:
"Well madam, what can do for
you?" "Mr. Mckinley" would say,
II live on an Illinois farm. | noticed
by the papers that all the other folks
have been here to ask you to arrange
matters so as to secnre for them good
round profit in their various business
es. The fact is that whisky and tobac-
co scheme of yours will not be much
help out our way. We don't use very
much Of it in our cooking, and so far as
| am concerned / would prefer that you
tax them so high that nobody could
possibly reach them instead of putting
them within the easy access of every
body. Our corn is down to 20 cents,
cattle and hogs to 81 cents, and we are
just giving away our hay and potatoes.
We haven't made any money for long
time, and I've walked all the way to
Washington to ask If you can't let up a
little on things we are compelled to
buy?
"The Chairman of the Ways and
Means Committee would probably
say:
my dear madam, you are mistaken.
Don't you know that high tariff on
every thing you eat and wear and use
on your farms enables the manufactur-
er to pay high prices to his employees
who with bushels of money and enor-
nous appetites buy anything you can
raise, and pay big price for it? Why
bless your agricultural heart, don't you
know that war tariff makes a home
market, and that home market is the
best market? Why my good woman
this country is booming right along and
getting richer and richer. know any
number of men who are making a mill
lion dollars year, and if the country is
prosperous Of course the farmer is pros
porous. am afraid you don't quite
know what you are talking about.
"Nlr. Mckinley" I would answer,
II have heard you say that before. Mr..
Randall says 30, Mr.. Cullom and Mr..
Farwell say so, and I have heard half
a dozen farmers of my own town say
the same thing and I suppose 1 ought
to believe it if the price Of everything
we raise on farm did not compel us to
say that there is not word of truth in
it. But l have proposition to make
to you. would like to have you do
for the farmers just what you have been
doing for other people who come here
to see you-that is, subsidize us little.
Pay US a bounty of, say, $1.25 on every
bushel of corn and oats we raise; $3.25
on wheat. $15a piece on hogs, $75 on
cattle, $3.50 on horses, and-well, we
don't want to ask too much-say seven
ty-cents for an ordinary chicken. Of
course these are not war prices, but /
think our folks would be satisfied with
those rates. From the experience we
farmers have had am sure your COM
mittee can 80 arrange it as to slip this
little tax out of the pockets of the
and monopolists with
out their knowing it. Iwould like to
have you so legislate the tariff as to
compel them to buy everything from
us, and then, Major, I would like to
have you stand around and see us
whack up the prices on them would
ask S3 a piece for my eggs. l would
charge your friends and Mr.. Carnegie
cents for an early rose po-
tato. Jay Gould could not buy loaf
of bread for less than SIG. With my
first crop of garden sass I'd buy dress
that would make those Washington
women who telegraph description of
their dresses all over the country, feel
silly. Now if you will help us in this
little game, we farmers will make you
President of the United States. It
strikes woman with great logical
force that If this government goes into
business of legislating so that one busi-
ness can receive sure profit, it ought
IN all fairness to do the same for the
farmers.
Another telling point was this: ~
cannot let the opportunity go by with
out saying that 1t would be a slight
tribute to agriculture to place salt and
lumber on the free list, side by side
with the oil Of lavender and the altar of
roses, thereby giving the American
farmer fair chance with the city dude,
and that it is beyond a woman's UNDER
to discover the wisdom of the
craftsmanship that will lay tax on
the comodities she uses In the kitchen
and offer her instead free whisky and
free tobacco"
"You may raise chickens as large as
you may grow your sheep
and hogs until they are as large as
your cattle; you may improve your cat
tie and your horses until they are as
large as elephants; you may raise pump
kins as large as hogsheads, and 1t will
not help you one particle until you hit
upon some plan to sell one bushel of
corn and one ton Of hay for what you
can now get for two and pay 81 tax
where you now pay $5. Speed the day
when the Illinois farmer may learn just
how much it costs to be fool"
The address created q profound sem
sation among her audience, and 1t is
probable that she will be called on to
repeat 1t several times yet In other
parts of the State.
Sought for the last hundred years. A
remedy for catarrh, hay fever and cold
In the head found at last In Ely's Cream
- O. % A." \