Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-07-02
POOLING THE FARMERS.
THE WAY 1T IS PROPOSED TO PROTECT THEm
UNDER THE MCKINLEY BILL.

/
UNDER THE MCKINLEY BILL.
Cleveland Plain Dealer
The farmers are told that the Mckinley
tariff bill was framed in their interest, aud
in proof of this they are referred to the pro-
lection given them by the increased duties
on agricultural products. Let US see how
the claim will bear investigation.
| The duty on corn has been increased from
ten cents to fifteen cents Per bushel in Or
der to protect the farmer from the importa-
tion of ''pauper labor corn" TIE total
amount of corn imported for the fiscal year
1889 was 2, 401 bushels. The exports for
the same time we're SO, 592, ,929 bushels.
How thankful the farmers ought to be for
the decreased protection against foreign
corni
On cornmeal the duty has been doubled,
the present rate of ten cents per bushel be-
ing raised to twenty cents. The necessity
of this additional protection is evident when
it is known that 1896 bushels of cornmeal
we're imported last year, against an export
of 312, 1856 barrels.
Oats are to be protected by an increase of
duty from 10 cents to Is cents per bushel
The imports of oats were 22, 80 bushels and
exports 624, 226 bushels.
Rye will remain with only 10 cents per
bushel protection. This is wrong. Sixteen
bushels of rye came into this country last
year, against 2S7,252 bushels sent out.
There ought to be protection against these
16 bushels.
The duty on wheat has been increased
from 20 cents to 25 cents per bushel. The
farmers will be grateful for this. Last year
no less than 1870, $40 bushels of foreign wheat
came in to compete with the home product,
of which 46, 414, 129 bushels were exported.
Wheat flour is to pay an ad ualorena duty
of 25 per cent. instead of 20 per cent. The
imports were 1,156 barrels and exports g.
374, S03 barrels.
The American apple crop must be protect
ed. There has been no duty On apples,
green, ripe or dried, but the American Or
chard is to have the protection of two cents
a pound on dried apples. Last year we ex-
ported 942, 496 barrels of green apples and
%, 102. $40 pounds of dried apples. We i'm
ported not an apple nor pound of dried
apples.
The duty on bacon and hams has been
increased from two cents to five cents per
pound. The imports were 272, 100 pounds
and the exports 400, ,224, ,646 pounds.
On beef, pork and mutton the present
duty is one cent per pound; the proposed
duty is two cents. The imports were 215,-
90 POUNDS ana tha exports oo,99l, III
pounds.
1t is as plain as a pikestaf> that the farm
ers are suffering because of want of protec-
tion on their corn, wheat, oats, rye, bacon.
beef, pork, cornmeal and apples. They are
burning their corn in Kansas because 2, 401
bushels imported last year ruined their
home market. They are scattering their
cornmeal on the ground because 396 BUSH
els of foreign meal found its way into the
country; they blew themselves to pieces
with dried apples and water because they
had no tariff fence to keep out the foreign
apples that had not sought admittance.
They mortgaged their farm because one
pound of bacon was imported for every 1900
pounds exported. The Mckinley tariff bill
will save them from further misery by in
creasing the protection against agricultural
products that have not and cannot come in
to competition with them in the home mark
ct, while compelling them 70 pay more on
articles they havs to buy.