The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-11-22
PROJECTION AND THE FARMER.


munication from r. H lockwood IL
which, after commenting on the causes
of the recent defeat of the Republican
party, he delivers himself or the IoiloW-
ing brilliant observations:
When was in Philadelphia, just before
the election, everybody seemed 10 De al,
most crazy over manufacturing, ano
| money was being invested IN MANUFACTURE
ing plants by the millions, as result OF
the increased prices caused by the Mchln-
ley bill
Now, as long as legislation Is sucn as 20
/ levy tribute upon the farmers OF TINS couh-
try by a tariff tax in the interest OF manu-
facturers, thereby greatly Increasing the
profits of the one and reducing the prohts
of the other, people will continue TO invest
their money where there Is the greatest
profit But the results of the last election
plainly show that the people nave ueci 1T
against this kind of class IeSls4aOiol: LUIS
viii tend to arrest the investnseht Oh Gapi-
/ tai in manufacturing and cause It TO look
to other fields for investment.
Now, if congress will heed the viii OF
| the people by revising the tariff, upon a
revenue basis, with incidental protection
sufficient to cover the difference, II any, ID
! the price of labor between this country
and Europe, thereby putting every section
/ OF the country upon an equal IOotIng,
/ there will Immediately be such demand
/ for farm lands as was never before known
! But the price of farm lands will never IN
/ crease as long as tribute Is levied upon the
| farmers and others in the interest OF the
manufacturers.
( Now there are many features OF the
| Mckinley bill that do not like, but even
in the excitement of defeat | have tried
| to temper my judgments with common
sense. Mr.. Lockwood filings logic and
common sense to the winds and rattles
off lot of antiquated platitudes of free
! traders that have been worn thread-bare.
| The investment of millions in manufac-
| turing will, according to his queer logic,
depreciate the value of farm lands, and
per contra the driving of millions out OF
manufacturing to be invested IN farm
lands, will enhance their value. have
always been led TO believe that the only
safe and sure way to increase the prices
of our lands was to increase, IN
some way, the prices OF their
products, and that to increase the
prices of their products we must in
crease the demand for them, and that
to increase the demand we must enlarge
our markets, and so on; but here Is
theory that processes to increase the
prices of farm lands by reversing all
these economic principles. On the theory
above set forth | have been admiring
Mr.. Blaine's tariff ideas, but Mr.. Lock
wood proposes a scheme which, If sue
cessful, will totally eclipse Mr.. Blaine
and his reciprocity policy. Now, just
think for moment, of his proposition:
Stop money going into manufacturing;
force it to buy lands, and thus make
two-edged sword to cut the farmers
throat, by doubling the competition
against him and dividing or reducing his
market! We raised an enormous crop
in 1889, and prices, owing to the inevita-
BILE law of supply and demand, were
below the cost of production.
Now, imagine if you can,
what prices will be the next time we
have full crop if Mr.. Lockwoods
theory has been adopted and production
greatly increased and consumption
necessarily decreased. Mr.. Lockwood
would answer this objection with glitter
ing generosity that all free traders fly
to when confronted with this difficulty,
viz: 1.-The markets of the world" just
how we are to make foreigners buy of
us when they don't want to, or when
they can get their products cheaper
planned, nor never will be outside of Mr..
Blaines scheme of reciprocity which
makes protection the lever by which the
results can be accomplished. Why,
in Gods name, does Mr.. Lock
wood or any one else wish to
increase the products of the farm with
out a corresponding increase In
market for them, and where a safer
10 ho,- nv
putting money into manufacturing enter
prises? The greatest fault find with
the situation is that the millions now go
ing into manufacturing do OF come out
here in the west instead of increasing
their capacity where they are. This
would create the kind of a demand for
farm lands that we need.
We had a great demand for farm
lands here few years ago, and great
many people, perhaps Mr.. Lockwood
among the number, bitterly regret that
sad fact. Perhaps, too, this is why Mr..
Lockwood is so anxious that money
should be diverted from manufacturing
to the purchase of farm lands.
Now does the much maligned
and badly misrepresented Mckinley
bill really increase the prices of
things as confidently asserted by Mr..
Lockwood! This morning | read in the
GlObe-DemocTat some interviews with
New York business men and the most of
them declare that prices are not raised
by this bill, especially on the necessarie5
of life used by the poor. Did 1t ever oc-
cur TO those who mveigh so bitterly and
indiscriminately against the Mckinley
bill that, by keeping the foreign articles
out by higher duties, capital would be
induced to go into manufacturing with
out necessarily raising the price TO the
consumer? This, / venture the assertion,
will be the practical results of the Nc
Kinley bill. But the golden opportunity
Of the demagogue was the interim
between the passage of that
bill and the election. Not
one of them could judge by
results, but they all jumped at conclu-
sions, and never in the history of
American politics has there been such
extravagant assertions, blind, partisan
misrepresentation as characterized the
the utterances of speakers and press
against that bill. Instead of combining
themselves TO intelligent criticism of
what was considered wrong and COM
mending what was good. they have
bhndly denounced the whole thing as
gigantic robbery. We are a great people
10 run TO extremes. and | predict that
before a great while we will realize that
none of US are entirely free from the
temptation TO occasionally make asses
of ourselves. Mr.. lockwood could have
condensed his article at the last into
"A tariff for revenue only, for that
is what he leads TO by great deal Of
circumlocution. 1t may he that this is