The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-01-06
lMPOVERISHING A DOZEN MEN
AND ENRICHING ONE.

At a banquet given by the Reform
Club of New York City, on the 23d'
ult., quite a number of distinguished
gentlemen delivered speeches. Among
them was the Governor of Iowa; and
we reproduce his speech, as reported
by the press, as worthy the serious
consideration of all patriotic men. It
will be seen that as far as he goes he
plants himself squarely on the de-
mands Of the Alliance. He is right
when he declares that agriculture
shall be put on a different basis, or
the politicians must prepare for a
storm. Read and ponder his weighty
and truthful words:
Gov. Horace Boies, of Iowa, was
the next speaker, in response to the
toast, "Our new allies In the North
west; what our farmers have a right
to demand"
The situation in his own State of
Iowa, Mr.. Boies thought, fairly re
Elected the condition of the agricul
tural classes throughout the North
west, the principal food produciny dis
trlcE of the continent. During the
last FIVE years the production OIL corn
in Iowa mad been carried on at a net
yearly loss of 81 cents a a acre, a con,
dition of adversely which no other
business in the country could have
withstood. What is true of corn is
equally true of all the great staples
raised on farms. Had it been prac
ticable for the farmers to withdraw
their capital from this line of industry
their numbers would have been great
ly reduced; but this was impracticable,
and from the very necessity of their
situa ion they have continued a bust
ness, burdened with less, out of which
this nation has gathered three fourths
of all its exports, and by reason of
which it has been able to preserve a
balance of trade in is favor shat has
constantly added to the national
wealth. If the chief business of a
country is being done at a loss, and
yet the country as a whole is growing
richer, there must be some fragrant
error in the industrial system that
produces such a result; that so operates
that those who produce the grea yer
part of the wealth do not enjoy iS; that
by law compels the great body of men
engaged in agricultural pursuits to
surrender to a few the profits Of their
labor; that, in short, impoverishes a
dozen men where is enriches n
There is nc possible justification for
a system of laws that produces, such
a result. No plea for the nations
prosperity al smother the ~indefensible
wrong that takes a single dollar from
the earnings of One class of its citi
zens and bestows it as a bounty upon
those of another. Time alone is
required to divide these classes in
thus, the %proudest Republic on the
globe, as the human family is already
divided In the a~ristocratic monarchies
of the old world. It is infinitely
better that this nation should remain
ROVAJ "A0A Aus P4OPOAHy N4SOAAOUHOO
among all classes, than become the
richest on the globe with its wealth
concentrated in the hand of a few.
No tariff levied on products which
a nation produces in excess of its own
wants, which must find a market
elsewhere, can have any effect upon
the prices of such Commodities. On
the other hand a tariff upon foreign
manufactured goods increases their
cost and the cost of like goods
produced at home, because of such
goods we produce less than we use,
and hence must supply our wants in
part by import alton.
But this increased cost is not the
farmers chief ground of complaint
against protective tariff. A tariff
that keeps the products of any foreign
nation out of our market must to
considerable extent keep r out of it,