Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1890-01-24
Wants Free Trade for Farmer.
foonnuy icArEp1

ID an editorial in your paper a few
day. ago you note the fact that farm
values have greatly deprecated, hut deny
that our prote. tive system has anything
70 DO with IL and TO ease the mipds OF
those farmers whose views Of protection
are growing loss rosy than OF gore, you
cite the sale Of an estate in England
which brought about only one halt what
1t ought to. AZ the res dence on this
| estate, recently erected, cost $500. 900 TO
build, u In easy to account for liz selling
low. A building for living purposes that
| costs such sum can only be Iuduleed in
BY few, nnd the number OF persons seek
ing such Investments are worry email in.
deed, for no one wou d think OF buyiuQ
such building except TO live in II, "a ii
would be- almost impossible to rent II ct
> paying figure.
Mechanics houses put up at forced
sale will bring nearly their value, but
suppose We had . $500, 900 house In our
midst, what per cent OF Its real value
would It bring at forced salei In con-
GLIDING your editorial you ask some FREQ
trade the0rixsr to prove that protection
Is the Cause Of the decline In farm values,
] ! rccept your challenge aud would state
nrst, IN preliminary way. that I am
glad that no reductions In farm values
can be attributed 70 . free trade policy.
l propose not only 10 show that pfotsc.
ticn decreases the sale value oil farm
land. but also all that the farmer raises
Is decreased 10 prios by II, while the cost
Of raising his produce u largely enhanced
thereby.
In the frst place the tariff Increases the
cost OF ali the farmer hes to buy end de.
OH0nnea thu rsriRa <sfa IL k~ h. -. II L.
restricting bis market. Now n the
farmer could get eli those articles ueces-
sary TO raising aud marketing bis crops
at lesser rate than lie now pays, II
would In effect be the same Vt An iucrsss.
ed prod uctivity OF hiS land, and thu would
Increase its value.
Nearly every prominent industry In
this country under cover Of the protection
that the tarid adords, has formed trust
or combine. not to incresse production,
but To retard 1t, 90 that by making
fewer articles they can dictate higher
prices.
Now free trade would compel these
trusts to dissolve and be satisaed with
Legitimate pFodts, and by decreasing the
cost Of raw material would enable manu-
fscturers to compete with the whole
word.
Competition would compel the OPENING
Of the factories and mines that lad been
robbingly closed, aud the thousands o.
| men that are now Idle would be put tt
work, making o sharper demand for oil
that the farmer rylsrs for the support
and sustenaDOe Of labor; this again would
increase the value Of bis iarm land, fol
whatever would thsr increase the price
OF his product or decrease the cost OF rails
ing 1t (and ires trade would do both) Il
10 effec, au increase of productivity aud
would make greater demand for farm.
ing iand.
Under free trade the law that, what
ever increases demand or decreases sup
ply, adds to price would enable the
farmer TO liquidate the mortgage that
protection ~ has imposed upon him.
In the State Of Michigan alone seven.
eights OF all the farm iands are unde
mortgage. The farmers OF Kansas ar,
go prosperous this year that they ar,
burning their corn for fuel, and Governo
Farrabee (Republican) OF Iowa said re
Gently to newspaper interviewer
"With corn selling at eighteen cents
bushel, and oats for lees, We are no
t.lking tariff . great deal TO tho farme
just now" This, Mr.. Farmer, 10 th,
great home market that twenty-iy
years oil protection has made for you
and II the country hiss increased It
wealth IN that time enormously, Il Ia
been ct your expense, for you mus
admit that II you cannot sell more ct
higher price than now, you will soon al
be . class Of tenants scrdmbling for
mere existence.
| am constrained to think that 10 189
you will vote for the protection that pro
tscts-that Is freer trade.
Respectfully, GEO. W. KREER,
| No. 1905 Claymont street,
Jan. 81. 1890. Wilmington. Dial.