The Press., 1891-05-21
GEN. BUTLER ON THE WRONGS
 OF FARMERS.

At the Butler annual festival recently held, Senator Pfeffer, of Kansas, was present, and as the rule is for every in vited guest, he was allowed to speak free ly on any theme he pleased. He chose, naturally enough, the grievances of the western farmers, which he set forth in the usual way, attributing all their troubles to the injustice of eastern capitalists and the oppressive railroads. When he had concluded, Gen. Butler responded, taking for his theme the condition of the farming interests and the remedy, and his words Senator Pfeffer will remember long while as he speaks on that subject. He said:
 The farmers as class have received more from this country than any other class, and if you reflect you will see it. We not only gave them, every one of them, farm substantially, but we spent millions upon millions, and millions upon millions untold, to build railroad to ev- cry mans farm to carry to market h s products. More at this point was done in behalf of the farmers of this country than in behalf of anything else. Now what the result? What was the cause of that result? The result was that we could keep none of the boys up in New Hampshire tilling farm. They wanted to go west, where they could have farm given them. Our farms were deserted We could not compete with the west on those cheap lands. The best lands in the world could be found in the west for $ 1. .25 an acre. That ended our farmers, noth- ing more. or less. Not high interest, nothing but competition. ~ a
 What was the consequence to the farm els? 1t was there was an immense rush into the business of farming, so that we raised of all the staples of farming but one great deal more than we could use in this country, and had to go abroad to find a homemarket, and when we had to do that we had to sell at the plice of the market abroad, until it became so that the price of wheat is determined in Liver pool, the wheat of the American farmer ; the price of cattle is determined in Liver pool; the price of hogs is determined in Europe, and therefore the farming class is contending with the foreign pauper la- Dor of Europe and Asia upon their own soil .f.s
 We have about got rid of all our public lands that are fit for cultivation. There won't be any more to be taken up in this way of which 1 have told you; and when we get there then this thing stops, and the price of land goes up, and the farmer stays at home. Then our boys will come back and begin to work here in the mills, and every one that comes back will be one producer less and one consumer more in the country, and the thing will equalize itself, and we shall depend on home market.
 Now, then, what is the other trouble with the farmers of the west? Why dc they borrow money at per cent? :? Why are they all in debt? Because they are all attempting, in very few years, to i'm prove their farms and bring them up to the highest state, and they run in debt fol improvement on their farms, and that makes great demand for mortgages
 ftAnd saw niy friend was a little inclin toscompIain that they could not make their tools as they used to do. Why, think he is little mistaken about that think a man, if he will go to work witf his hoe, can earn three hoes while he could make one. Why, I used to set them when l was boy make an OK yoke on our farm. It took three men five days to do tito dig it all out with the adze
 
 the work of one laborer one day will buy better OK yoke than that. And so il may be with everything.
 Oh, but they say you put a tariff or these tools. Yes, we do. The only trou. ble is we do not put it high enough, be. cause the higher the tariff the more cer. tainty the eastern or any other manufac. turer has of the market, the more meI rushing to it, the greater the competition and the cheaper they bring it down, sooner and faster; and all our manufactures are lower now than they were before the tariff was placed on any articles.
 The general related the history of the manufacture of bunting in which he is en- gagged. They sent man to England tC learn the business, and they started witt 12 looms. And there was 40 per cent tariff placed on bunting, the effect o which was that in 12 years there were 13,O0O looms weaving bunting, and the price fell from $35 piece to $18.