The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1890-01-31


Ex-Sreaksr Carlisle contributes 70 the
January nu:nbrr d the Forum an article
entitled 1.-THE Tariff and The Farmer
q j. marked ~ the c.earness y state
ment and accuracy which cAarac,cflzes
al the productions o. H. author.
The srbj-ct Is an oil one. and there
may b. those who think that II has az
ready been sufficiently discussed. II
such there BE-, let them remember that
within the past few months wo have
mad political conventions in agricul-ur
States and assemblies OF farmers who
have demanded that the tariff he so
framed As 70 protect farmers as well as
manufacturers. Scarcely q month has
elapsed since the head " the ncw De-
pariment Of Agriculture after an alln-
sion 10 the fact that agriculture is suf-
fcrinr from depression. announced that
ITO all the protection that Wise tariff
avs can afford > tho farming
industry Justly claims is inalienable
right While views - crude and base
less a. these prevail. il can not bc con-
siderrd work u supcrerogation TO
show that the farmer 81 the United
NJ "t"H tAN- tAttr AAAtAs ~ A-ArNtA - M"
immntahle laws Of trade. can not have
part or ~, in his matter Of protection.
The reason why is stated W Mr.. Car
Isle with admirable clcarness and pre-
cision-
After promising that II tariff taxation
protects any domestic industry 1t must
b. by preventing free competition from
depressing prices below the rates al
which goods can BE- profitably produced,
he states the principle applicable TO
such cases in these words:
rnie>s commodity ean b. sold here for a
higher price than il can be sold for ia the coun.
m wAerc Il IS produced il Will not b. brought
here nQr vii. an article b. exported from this
country fnr lle abroad unless the price there +
higher mai i = here.
This j. very elementary. but II COW
er> the whole ground. Agricultural
products will not be brought here.
whether subject to tariff tax or not.
higher price than they command abroad
Our agricultural products command a
higher price abroad than they do here.
and. therefore. are exported The laws
which pretend to protect them are, in
esecr. LAWS forbidding foreigners 70 sell
their wheat and corn to the lowest bid
der No laws are needed for such
purpose. and they are INTENDED only 70
deceive our farmers
The products Of agriculture constitute
from - 70 50 per cent OF orr exports.
In this connection Mr.. Carlisle makes
the point that ii the farmer had obtained
the home market which protection prom
iscd him. tho balance Of trade which pro
tectionists consider such an oycrwhelm-
ing misfortune would be horclessly
against u every year for all time 10
COME Such home market would. in
deed. be beneficial 70 the farmer. since
il would give him some influence in fix
ing prices In the hope Of acquiring
such market he has borne extr4orli-
nary burdens for hundred years. What
has been the result? At the END Of
century Of protection 70 others be j.
compelled to export larger percentage
cf his products than az the beginning.
Under these circumstances the farmer
may well inquire how much longer he
should follow the ignis fataus Of . home
market.
Mr.. Carlisle also pays his respects to
Senator Cullom. who had an article in
the Forum for October in which nc rca-
soned himself into the belief that what
ever may be the condition OF other in
dustrics. that Of agriculture Is absolute
IL dependent upon the protective tariff.
One Of the arguments employed by the
senator was that without protection we
should have 10 look abroad for at least
half Of our $1,000 600. 600 worth Of prod
ucts --other than AGRICULTURAL" and that
IS we should not be able 70 pay for them
we should have 70 do without them Mr..
Carlisle points out first that this argu-
ment destroys itself: for If we could not
get these goods abroad. we should. OF
course. make them at home. protection
or no protection He then proceeds to
show that the argument is based IN as-
sumption and cxagrerations-
From the figures Of the census OF 1850
Mr.. Carlisle shows mat the number OF
persons engaged in protected industries
does not exceed l. 100000. Of whom not
more than half are heads Of families 50
that the whole number OF persons in
terested in the earnings Of these people
i not above 3.0oo.o00. Mr.. Atkinson es-
tisnatcs that the working people Of this
country consume SIS per head Of the
food products Of all kinds. 50 that the !
total consumption Of the s.0OO.000 !
would aggregate s.le.ooo. 600. including
tea. coffee. fish. oysters and many other
articles not the product Of American
agriculture or purely agricultural prod |
ucts these classes will not consume
more than $780, 900. 0oo. estimated at the |
price paid for them by the consumers.
which includes all charges Of transpor-
tation and profits Fer these products |
the farmers receive mol more than SSO.- |
900. oOo. which is but triie over . !
per cent Of the annual products Of ag- |
ricultural industry. This Is the whole /
value Of the home market which pro-
lection gives to the farmer. in exchange
for which he pays =. per cent. profit on
AL protected products which he IS con-
pcllei TO buy.
senator Cullom laid great stress on
the rcduoSion in the price Of steel rails |
since 1861. and described 1t .'as typi-
cal case Of the working Of protection
Mr.. Carlisle shows that the reduction is
due 70 improved processes and the cx- 4