Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-04-17
Taxing an Illinois Farming.

A farmer of La Sale county, Mr..
Reed, has just returned from Liver
pool, where he shipped and sold the
surplus products of his farm for the
year 1883. Anxious to learn the finan-
cial result of his venture the writer
called on him and receive the follow
ing statement, which is a practical il
lustration Of the burden of tax that
n protective tariff imposes on the farm
err Mr. r. ed said: II got to Liverpool
and sold my produce without any par
ticular trouble or annoyance. After
| deductlng expenses | found that it
netted me but little more than | could
| have sold 1t foI in Ottawa. When
| got my money in my pocket L con-
cluded to spend few days in sight
seeing and in pricing such goods as
were used in my family, and such ma
chinery and implements as | used on
my firm. | found the prices of all
these articles so much lower than
could buy them in Chicago that | cou-
cluded to purchase sufficient guam
tity to last for a year or more. With
the dollar that five bushels of my oats
melted me, [ could buy more goods
than with $40 in Ottawa or Chicago.
So that, considering the price at which
| could buy goods, 20 cents for oats in
Ottawa was only equal to IL 12 cents
in Liverpool. Now you will wonder
that l bought a years supply. | had
the goods shipped, freight prepaid, by
the steamer OH which | took passage.
Immediately on arriving in New York
| set about making arrangements to
| have the goods forwarded to my home
in La Sale county. ] finally deter
mined to ship by Red Line which
| sent its trucks with me to the vessel
| to get the goods. / went on board and
made demand for the goods, when, to
my establishment, | was told in n most
authoritive manner that / could get
the goods only through the custom
| house, that their value would be de-
termined under the tariff laws aud
duly asst ssed, that when paid such
assessed duty could get my goods and
not before. | had heard much about
the tariff in my life but paid little at
tentioD tn the subject. Some men
whom | believe intelligent and honest
assured me that protective tariff was
damaging to the farmers, and other
| equally honest men assured me that it
was beneficial to the farmers. Between
the two, believing both to be equally
honest in their convictions, | somehow
came to the conclusion that the injury
or benefit arising To the farmer from
a protective tariff was SO small as not
to affect him noticeably one way or
the other. SO Indifferent was [ about
the matter that ] always voted for
protec elton. All this passed before my
eye in twiukliDg when | found that
| could not get my goods without pay
ing tariff charges. | felt instinctively
that | was about to get practical les
son on the tariff question. To my
ignorance of custom house rules and
regulations. / must have attributed
the uugrntlemanly treatment received
from the officers of that institution.
After much delay and mary rebutfs I
finally met t. gentleman. He listened
attentively to my story. and seemed to
be touch q witt genuine sympathy for
me. He sent out several messenger
boys, who returned quickly, each
handing him slip of paper which was
examined; after which he informed
me that my invoices were valued at
$500, that the average duty charges on
the goods was ~ per cent, or $500,
which L must pay before the goods
could be delivered. And where |
asked, does tie $500 go? Into the
United States Treasury ne answered;
adding, by way of consolation, you do
not lose anything by your forejgu pur-
chase. The goods would have cost
you 500 in Ottawa or Chicago, for
goods are sold by manufacturers up to
the tariff schedule "A nd in that case
he said-'that is, in case you purchase
home manufactured goods, protected
by tariff-the $500 would go where
protection intends it should, into the
pockets of the manufacturers. a pro-
tective tariff is in the interest of home
manufacturing industries, and duty is
the margin or percentage of profit
which the home manufacturer is per-
mitted to charge above the price that
his products would sell in competition
with the markets of the worl't.' But,
my FRIEND said, farming is as much
a some industry as any of the other
Industries. and there Are engaged in it
more citizens than in all the other in
dustrics combined. Farmers are ncces-
STATED to s.il their products in COM
petition with the markets of the w, rid
and should have the benefit of making
their purchases, as | have q ne, in
with the markets of the
world. Under this protection policy
am / to understand that over half the |
citizens of the United States are taxed |
more than 40 per cent. in the interest
of the other portion? He answered: |
You understand rightly, snch is |
the fact. You have practical illus |
tratiOn If the effect OF d protective tar |
if in ycur little transaction. You have |
for $500 bought gords in competition |
with the markets of the wori which |
cost you under the protective tariff
800. TIE differenc, between The two |
sums is what You pay to enrich your
neighbor and keep yourself poor. Com
sumers in purchasing goods in the
small quantities that their wants de-
mand do not realize the enormous
they have to pay on the aggre-
gate of years purchases to the pro-
tected classes. Could they do 81 for a
moment, the next moment would find
them up in arms against their task
masters masters to whom they would
understand they have been paying for