Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1890-03-12
A Woman's View of the Tariff Tax.

"Cackle from the Farm" read before
the farmers institute of the Eighth
Congressional District at its closing
session in Sherwood's Opera House in
Ottawa, Feb. ii. Speaking of the
action of the ways and means COM
mittee in hearing suggestions from
manufacturers of all kinds, she said !:
I believe | could 60 before that
committee myself if it was not quite
So far to walk. If did, Mr.. McKin-
ley would probably say:
"Well madam, what can | do for
you I"
"Mr. Mckinley" | would say, 81
live on al Illinois farm | notice by
the papers that all the other folks
have been here to ask you to so ar
range matters as to secure for them a
good round profit in their businesses.
The fact is that whisky and tobacco
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
asI am concerned | would prefer that
you would tax them so high that no.
body could possibly reach them in.
stead of putting them within the easy
access Of everybody. 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
have walked all the way to Washing.
ton to ask if you can't let up little
on things we are compelled to buy?"
The chairman of the ways and
means committee would probably say !:
"My dear madam, you are really
mistaken. Don't you know that u
high tariff on everything you eat and
use on your farms enables the manu-
facturer to pay high prices to his en-
ployes, who with bushels of money
and enormous appetites buy every
thing you can raise, and pay big
price for it? Why, bless your agri-
cultural heart, don't you know that
war tariff makes home market, and
that home market is the best kind of
MARKET Why, my good woman, this
country is booming right along and
getting richer and richer. l know
any number of men who are making
million dollars a year, and if the
country is prosperous of course the
farmer is prosperous. | am afraid
you don't quite understand what you
are talking about"
"Mr. Mckinley" | would answer,
81 have heard you say that before,
Mr.. Randall says so, Mr.. Cullom and
Mr.. Farwell say so, and | have heard
half dozen farmers of my own town
say the same thing, and | suppose l
ought to believe it if the price of
everything we raise on farm did not
compel me to say that there is not a
word of truth in it. But ! have
proposition to make to you. would
like to have you do for the farmer
just what you have been doing for the
other people who come here to see
you-that is subsidize us little.
Pay us bounty of, say, 1925 on
every bushel of corn and oats we
raise 1925 on wheat, SIS a piece on
hogs, $75 on cattle, $50 on horses,
and-well, we don't want to ask too
much--say 10 cents on an ordinary
chicken. OF course, these are not war
prices, but l think our folks would be
satisfied with those rates. From the
experience We farmers have had | am
sure your committee can 50 arrange it
as to slip this little tax out of the
pockets of the manufacturers and
monopolists without their knowing it.
| would like To have you so legislate
the tariff as To compel them to buy
everything from US, and then, major,
| would like to have you stand around
and see US whack up the prices on
them! / would ask SO apiece for my
eggs. l would charge your friend
and Mr.Carnegie 50 cents for an early
rose potato. Jay Gould could not
buy loaf of bread for less than sl5.
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. 1t strikes woman
with great logical force that if this
government goes into the business of
legislating so that one business can re-
ceive sure profit, it ought in all fair
ness to do the same for the farmers
Another telling point was this
| cannot let the opportunity 60 by
without saying that it would be a
slight tribute to agriculture to place
salt and lumber OH the list, side by
side with the oil lavender and the
after of roses, thereby giving the AM
erican farmer fair chance with the
city dude, and that it is beyond a
woman's understanding to discover
the wisdom of the craftsmanship that
will lay tax on commodities she used
in the kitchen and offer her instead
free whisky and free tobacco.
One other pertinent suggestion to
the farmer was the following:
You may raise chickens as large as
ostriches you may grow your sheep
and hogs until they are as large as
elephants you may raise pumpkins
as large as hogsheads, and il 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 SIS. Speed the
day when the Illinois farmer may
learn just how much it costs to be a
fool