Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1890-09-18
TARIFF and The farmer.
The Argument of Senator Cascy's
Recent Speech OH the
Tariff Bill.
The Only Practical Farmer III
the Senate, His Speech
AWakenS Interest.
An Intelligent Exposition Of the
Question from II Farmer
Standpoint.
Senator Casey's Tariff Views.

senator CaScy'S IAflH VlcWSs
When the tariff bill was under consld-
Grafton in the U. S. senate, Senator Casey
delivered an address thereon which has
attracted wide attention.. AS the only
practical farmer in the senate he was
looked upon as the direct representative
of the agricultural interests, and as the
spokesman of their interest his words
carry weight. The speech occupies five
pages in the Congressional Record.
After an interesting consideration of the
farmers position in politics the argument
follows. It is here reproduced:
Mr.. President, I speak the more freely,
and perhaps not the less understandlngIy
of that which concerns the farmer be-
cause I am farmer and am aware of the
disadvantages under which he labors.
1t is true that my knowledge in these
matters is confined to the north, and 1
shall now speak under that limitation.
At this time the questions suggesting
themselves are these:
Do the interests of agriculture demand
protection for American industries? Or
do they demand free trade?
It is urged upon the farmer that his
true interest consists in selling his pro-
ducts to foreign countries, upon the prop
osition repeatedly laid down on this
floor that foreign nations will bny of us
if we buv of them.
Nothing has ever been shown from ex
perience to prove that proposition.
In fact all observation of the course
and history of trade goes to show that
the traders of every nation seek to "buy
in the cheapest market and to sell in the
dearest" wherever those markets may be.
Ir fact the rule is laid down as a funda-
mental principle in economical phlloso-
ply. That to buy our manufactured
our cereals is a fallacy SO fuIly exposed
by experience as not to merit discussion.
In any case it does not require it now
for reasons that will appear.
In order that these reason may become
apparent, as we'll as in order to reach
conclusions as to the questions proposed
it will be necessary to consider what is
the real condition of American agricul
ture, and what 10 the outlook for the fu-
ture.
Now, while many farmers are today
distinctly prosperous, generally in locali-
ties atfording markets for products other
than staples, or in others where condi-
tiOns for series of years have been en-
F.. tirely good, yet it is not denied that the
one industry of magnitude in this coun-
try suffering depression as a whole is
agriculture.
It has been we'll shown on this floor,
notably by the senator from Iowa Mr..
Wilson, that for the low prices of farm
products there are compensatiOns IN the
greatly diminished prices of articles of
necessity anC common use, of railroad
charges, aud the like. The tables he
presented are extremely instructive and
encouraging.
But there are some things which cost
not less, but possibly more, than dozen
years ago; things very essential, taken as
a whole-not only to the comfort, secur-
ity, and health of the farmer and his
family, but to the advancement, intelli-
gence. and morality of his children, who
must be depended upon to perpetuate
his virtues and good influence.
Let us mention the church, the COM
mon school, the doctor. Certainly if
necessity drives him to litigation his law
yer wild not be expected to charge a
smaller fee, (I have heard of no decline
in that particular commodity, and the
court costs will not turn out to be di-
minished. Suppose he wants to send his
daughter to boarding or other high
school. Is not the desire to be COM
mended? And how much less would
that cost? His taxes-well, they seem to
grow with adverse times; and there is a
multitude of things essential to modern
which cost no less than twenty-five
Go that in tho TO tho
returns of his farm have fallen off much
more than the cost of living on the same
scale.
How did this depreciation in farm pro.
ducts come about?
Previous to the earlier years of the
eighties the price Of farm products had
been ranging about point affordlng
good profit. Labor saving machinery in
it's perfection had come into use, and
with the aid of that prices which would
have been barely remuneratlve became
distinctly profitable. Naturally, it was
not very long before it became widely
known that fine opportunities to make
money were to be found in the opening
up of farms. Then came the rush to the
great plains with an impulse never seen
before. The younger men OF the east
forsook the old homesteads. Not few
OF their seniors sold ont and transferred
their energy to theprairies. Not farmers
alone made haste to secure western
homes. Word had gone out that wheat
worth dollar bushel at the local ele.
tor, was better than gold mine, and
many q small merchant, many mechanic
even professional men in numbers. hur-
ried TO secure ss much land as they could
file upon, while men of means bought
large tracts OF railroad land and opened
bonanza farms. The area under cultiva-
tion increased enormously.
The area of corn in 1874 was, in round
numbers, 41,OO0,OOO acres; in 1884, nearly