Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-05-07

fit however growing out of the building
up of the protected industries is slight,
casual and uncertain. These protected
industries consume the farmers staples
at Liverpool prices less the cost of ship
ping to that market. The operatives
of these protective factories will have
withdrawn, SO there must be the same
home consumption. But suppose they
should manage to get along on half
ratiOns there would be a small addi-
tional surplus to go abroad for a mar
ket, and it may be admitted that this
slight additional. surplus might cause a
slight, the very slightest possible'
depression in the foreign market, which
fixes the price here practically at all
times. But for purpose of practical
argument to determine upon public
measures it would be quite too small to
notice.
These people will not buy their bread
in Liverpool. They must live and must
eat. They will not buy in Liverpool
and pay freight back to this country,
when they can buy here at the Liver
pool prices, less the freight. They must
then, in any event. eat the bread of the
farmers. Protection, then, does not
keep the money in the country!
Protection, if withdrawn, will not
cause the factories to close, and their
operatives to turn farmers.
Protection then. practically does not
benefit the farmer. He is not in it.
We claim to have shown then, that
the so-called protective tariff which has
been persistently forced upon the re-
publican party as its doctrine, is almost
entirely in the interest, and at the
behest of the manufacturing east, and is
very unequal and very unjust to farm
labor. The farmer labors in competition
with the cheap labor of the world, and
protection compels him to give the half
of his meagre pittance to double the
wages of protected labor, and to quad
ruple the profits of that labor's en-
ployer. The farmer has been deluded
with the shadow of protection while he
has been robbed by this confidence
game.
Like the peon of Mexico, the western
farmer seems to be forever bound, he
and his descendants after him, to his
crafty and grasping master, by the
bondage of debt, and this condition will
continue to get worse if possible under
the delusion of protection.
What then is the remedy?
So long as ninety per cent. of the farm
product is marketed on free trade ba-
sis; and so long as nine-tenths Of what
the farmer buys is upon the basis of a
protection which adds frsm twenty-five
to one hundred and fifty per cent. to its
cost, the all important question to him
is not where he shall market his pro-
duce but where he shall buy his sup
plies. Protection compels him to sell
abroad at one price and buy at home at
two prices. Why hesitate then about
the remedy? Agriculture never has
had protection and never can have it
until the great staples produced here
will not supply the home consumption.
That never has been the case and is not
likely to be, for agriculture is increasing
in greater proportion than manufac-
turing. Let all other classes of business
stand upon their own merit. Let the
general government collect it's revenues
by direct tax as the states do. Let
there be graduated income tax. Leave
the internal revenue taxes upon whisky
and tobacco, and raise the rest of the
revenue required by the government by
direct property tax. Go gently back
on the democratic doctrine of tariff for
revenue only, and the republican doc
trine of tariff for protection. Let there
be no tariff either for revenue only or
for protection. Every tariff for what
ever purpose, (unless it be on articles
which are not produced in this country,
creates discrimination which is bound
to be unjust.
1t was tolerated at first as being the
L
simplest, surest, and least expensive
method of raising the revenues needed
for carrying on the government. But
our experience shows that however ii
may be adjusted whether for revenue
only, or for protection, it must always
give an undue advantage to such in
dustries, as are enabled by it. to derive
an advantage against foreign compe.
tition. As we have shown, farm in.
dustries in the staple products, are
forced to meet this foreign competition
This is one great edict of the great Law
of com merce from which there is no ap
peal. Other industries, if they grow tG
have surplus which must be marketed
abroad will find themselves in the same
condition.
| But it is said this throws down the
bars and opens all our markets to com
petition by the cheap labor of the ole
| uOrld Farm labOr hos alwavS hopp II