The Wilmington daily Republican., 1891-12-17
THIRD EDITION.
A Little Tariir story.

Ell Perkins, lin private life Melville
d. well-known as lecturer
and satirist has just told little tariff
story In a letter to the editor of the
American Economist which is so much
To the point in the general tariff dis
cusslon that we reproduce 1t for the
benailt OF our readers:
Iwant to tell our little children a
etory about chicory. | suppose you
don't know what chicory is. We'll. 1t is
a vegetable ike a parsnlp, which the
French and Germans have been raising.
drying. browning, grinding and using
instead OF coffee. We have been send
ing out to Germany about 5000 600
every year for this little article. 1t
tastes like coffee, is good, wholesome
food, but it has no nerve stimulant
like coffee.
10 get to the story: When they
were putting the Tariff on different
things last year and got down to 'C'
they came right on to chicory.
whats chicory?' asked Major
Mckinley.
No one was able to tell anything
about 1t except that we paid Europe
{ $4,000, 900 every year to get what we
used.
"Well, what shall we do about it2"
why, If We can't raise it, said Me-
Kinley, ''and the people want 1t, we will
let raw chieory come in free, but we
will put a Protective Tariff on maui
featured chicory. We will try to bring
the manufactures to America II we
can't raise the stuff" SO the tariff
was put on manufactured chicory.
Suddenly | noticed great stir
among the ehicory importers.
why, this Mckinley bill has raised
Il fbn DinEPDSs wa can't iIupnrt TrpuOI
chicory any more. We must make it
here
SO they wrote and telegraphed the
Foreign manufacturers that they must
bring their factories over here. And
nure enough there was stampede
from Europe and factories began to go
up In this country until there were IA
of them employing 900 chicory max,
ers They got their raw material from
Europe, where 1t was grown with
cheap labor. This worked well in
New York but out in Detroit they said
I'VE are too far away. We mus
rnise our own chicory"
So they got ehicory seed from Ger.
many and put in small crop III Mich
tgan last spring, The farmers mads
ymore money than they made out ol
wheat. 1t set them crazy Every one
wanted to raise more OF it. Well, thi!
fall the Detroit factory Is doubling iti
capacity and all the farmers are get
ting SEED throughthe factory aud Jerr,
Rusk, and preparing to plant chicor,
next year.
What Is the result? Why, after pay
Ing out to France and Germany oyel
$40, ,000, 900 for chicory we are finally go
ing to make 1t here. at home and save
our money-keep it in this country.
Ihe history OF this industry and how
we got IL is like that of dozen Other
Industries which have come through
ths wise tariff measure.
1t is funny about the price OF chic.
ory, too. 1t used to sell for 12 cent
per pound wholesale. Competition
Brought 1t down to 10 cents then to
cents, then to cents, then TO 4 cents
and now it is offered wholesale at 81
cents. Our retail grocers are keeping
the news from the people and still
selling chicory Mt 12 cents per pound
when they could sell it ut cents.
By and by, II we get a tariff on raw
chicory, every farmer can raise a
substitute which will improve his col
Zee One half chicory gives a de
lightful flavor to coffee. Good cofTe
0osts so cents pound. 1t is one o
fhe burdens OF our farmers and me
ehanics to buy it, for we all drinL
coffee. But soon ehieory will lie on
OF our town crops and IS o0o,000 vii
be saved to our country every year.
Putting in chicory, flax, beet sugar
and raising more sheep for wool, will
reduce the acreage for wheat, and wit
the present Tariff of 25 cents agains
Canadian wheat rye, oats and barle,
we will next year consume our suIpiu
wheat, and then wheat will go to
dollar bushel in Dakota, farm land
will 90 up the farmer will again, afte
fifteen years OF low prices, be on top
and all through the wise Proteetlo
put around us by the Mckinley bill.