Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1891-03-14
THE "FARMER'S TARIFF"

Agricultural Produce Not Raised In Price
by McKinley's Duties-A ProtectiOnist
Paper Exposes the Fraud of the "Farm-
er's Tariff"-Figures of Experts and I'm
ports of Farm Products.
A protectionist organ in attempting
to show that the Mckinley tariff law
has not raised prices prints a list of
articles which are as cheap now or
cheaper than year ago. The curious
thing about this list is that it is made
up entirely of articles produced on the
farm. OF course McKinley's duties on
farm product have had no effect in rails
ing prices. How could they have when
our farmers are exporting every year
vast quantities of their products, and
our imports of those products amount
in most cases to almost nothing?
- Let every farmer examine the follow
ing figures of exports and imports, and
old and new duties of agricultural pru-
ducts and see if he can discover any sub
stantial reason in them why the Nc
Kinley law should have been expected
to help the farmer The figures for ex-
ports and imports in the following sum-
mary are taken from the official report
of the treasury department for the fis-
cal year ended June 30, 1890:
Barley-Old duty 10 cents bushel,
Mckinley duty 80 cents; imports H.
$50, 900 bushels; exports, 1,4O0, 900 BUSH
els.
Corn-Old duty 10 cents, Mckinley
duty Is cents; imports, 1925 bushelsi
exports, 1Ol, 900, 600 bushels.
Oats-Old duty 10 cents, Mckinley
duty Is cents; imports, 21,OOO bushels;
exports, 13,69OOOO bushels,
Oat Meal-Old duty half cent per
pound, Mckinley duty cent per pound;
imports, 2,36O,00O pounds; exports, 25,-
400, 600.
Wheat-Old duty 90 cents bushel,
Mckinley duty 25 cents bushel; inn
ports, $4,000 bushels; exports, $780,
900 bushels
Flour-Old duty 90 per cent, McKin-
ley duty % per cent; imports, 1919 bar
rels: exports, 1881, 900 barrels.
Hay-Old duty 81 per ton, Mckinley
duty S4; imports, 124, 900; exports, $4,000
tons.
Hops-Old duty cents per pound,
Mckinley duty Is cents; imports, $780,
900 pounds; exports, 100000 pounds
(in 1889, imports, 100000 pounds; ex-
ports, 12,500,0 900 pounds).
Potatoes-Old duty Is cents per
bushel, Mckinley duty 25 cents; i'm
ports, S,415,OOO bushels; exports, 400, 900
bushels.
Apples-Old duty none, Mckinley
duty 25 cents per bushel; imports, none
reported; exports, 45S, 900 barrels.
Dried apples-old duty none, McKin-
ley duty cents pound; imports, none
reported; exports, aO,sOO,OOO pounds.
Butter-Old duty cents per pound,
Mckinley duty 8 cents imports, 1888
pounds; exports, 29,74s, ,O43 pounds.
Cheese-Old duty cents, Mckinley
duty cents; imports, 9,s63,57s pounds;
exports, 95,S76,O ,O53 pounds.
Bacon-Old duty cents, Mckinley
duty cents; imports, too insignificant
to get into the Treasury reports, but all
"meat products" were about $500, 900
worth; exports, 531, $780, 900 pounds.
Hams-Old duty cents, Mckinley
duty cents; imports, none reported;
exports, 6,59l, 900 pounds.
Beef-Old duty cent, Mckinley duty
cents; imports, none reported; exports,
35S, 5OO,OOO pounds.
Mutton-Same duties as beef; inn
ports, none reported; exports, $1,000
pounds.
Tallow-Old duty and Mckinley duty
1 cent per pound; imports, none report
ed; exports, 112, 1000, 900 pounds.
Pork (fresh and pickled)-Same duties
as beef; imports, none reported; ex'
ports, O,0Oo, 900 pounds.
Lard-Old duty cents, Mckinley
duty cents; imports, none reported
exports, All, 900, 900 pounds.
The above figures cover the principal
articles of farm production. In only
three commodities-barley, hay and po
: tatoes-do our imports exceed our ex
: ports. 1t will be seen that Mckinley
r n ised the duties on nearly all the above
7 articles, and now the protectionist paper
7 above referred to undertakes the very
easy task of showing that Mckinley
D "Farmers' Tariff" has not raised prices
This paper is the New York Press, for
merly edited by that rabid protection
0 ist. Robert p. Porter, and its column
y are seen mainly by city people, who ar
i interestedin having farm produce cheap