The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1891-08-22
How It Hurts the Farmer.


farmer of Frederick county, Md. asks what
articles used by farmers sold at high prices by
reason of the passage of the Mckinley tariff act
His inquiry is a very pertinent one. But for the
fancy prices that and the like acts that preceded
it have forced the farmer to pay for nearly all he
buys, he would be vastly better off than he is.
penny saved is a penny made. If manufactured
articles used by farmers cheapened by the
amount of the Mckinley tax our agreulturists
would be aStonShed at the difference in their
finances.
The average tariff rate before the Mckinley act
passed about AZ cent, nearly half the
foreign price of the imported article. The Mckinley
act raised the average tax rate to about 60 per cent
which is much more than hal the price the farmer
might buy at if there were 10 tariff On many
articles used by farmers the Mckinley act more than
doubled the foreign price of the imported article,
with the effect, of course, of increasing TO that
tent the price protected manufacturers, trusts,
combines &c, can get for like articles produced
here. on one kind of wool dress goods, for example.
of the sort used by the poor the foreign price is 80
cents per yard the Mckinley tax IS cents per yard.
On pearl buttons the Mckinley tax is greater than
the whole price of the foreign article The same is
to be said of spectacles, knives, and number of
other articles the poor must buy.
But the farmer will be more interested in the rates
his yearly expenditure, Agricultural machinery is
taxed in the Mckinley act IS per cent That is 10
say the protected home manufacturer is enabled to
get nearly halfa much again forhis goods they
could be had for abroad This is shown in the fact
that our manufacturers sell their agricultural ma
chinery abroad at a heavy discount. The Engi-
neering and Mining Journal, of New York, publishes
regularly list of articles which manufacturers
sell abroad for less than they will sell at here It
gives the wholesale prices for Americans, and then
the discounts off for foreigners. Preceding the list
the words, discounts are for wholesale exports
only" OF course, if manufacturers sell abroad
with profit at the low prices fixed by English
competition, they could if they chose do the same
here. The discounts given below show, therefore.
the extra profit they make out of the American
farmer by means of the Mckinley tariff: The fol-
lowing is part of the Journals illustrated list, and
is authentic:
PLANET Jr., No. seed DRILL home price So "dis-
count" TO the foreigner, go per cent" or $40 off
net price to the foreigner, $3.50.
Combined drill cutivator rake pillow, &c" HON
price, so; price to foreigner, $40
Fire Fly hand plow,' home price $3.50; to the
| foreigner Si.75.
Hayfors S2i per DOZEN price to the foreigner $40
Hoes 50 per dozen; to the foreigner s315.
Reversible oneonta clipper pillow, iron beam cut
| ter Sl4; to the foreigner S9.oO
Cast steel garden rakes per Dozen plain IS; to tho
foreigner $500.
scythes fine cutlery steel full polished SlO to the
| Pecks axes, handled, per dozen, sl5; to the for
eigner $50.
Pecks hachets, per dozen, IS; TO the foreigner 81
Knives, bone handles s15S5 per gross pairs; to the
| foreigner sll.52.
Feed cutters, knives ten inches long, $50; to the
foreigner s21.
Portable FORCES $50; to the foreigner SO.
Horse lawn mower $50; to the foreigner $3.50.
Empire scroll saw, price boxed, s25; to the for.
eigner s2n.
| Lathe, $40; to the foreigner $50.
Meat cutter 81; to the foreigner 81
syphon force pump, s25; to the foreigner $3.50
Rat traps so per gross; to the foreigner SIS.
Butter trip scales, SlO.50 to the foreigner S5.25.
whifitrees double &c inches long No. g. So; to the
foreigner SLIGO.
windmfls, 10 feet pumping, SIS; to the foreigner
$3.50
| These figures show sufficiently that the Mckinley
tariff is enabling the tariff lords get much fol-
their goods, and they show how much more than a
fair profit it enables them to get on the articles
| named.
But the farmer buys other things besides agreul
tural machinery and tools. He buys salt and pays
| Mckinley tax OF Al per cent on 1t, which means
that he pays Sl4i for 81 worth of salt On stoves he
pays tax of 40 per cent on brides aud harness. So
per cent; on horse shoes So per cent tinware 81
per cent; on spoons, 10 per cent; on saws IS per
cent wire nails $50 per cent; hammers 50 per cent
on brooms, 35 per cent; on thread "a per cent on
common wooden goods, Ill per cent; ON glass tunl-
blers and lamps, $50 per cent hats l55 per cent
locks As per cent on flannel shirts 100 per cent
socks 100 per cent; on clothes, s. per cent.
paregorc, 40 per cent; on shoes, . per cent; on
Bibles, % per cent: on his coffin. 10 per cent
These figures are eloquent They tell what has be-
come of the farmers money His money has gone
in the payment of taxes concealed in the price OF
what he had 10 buy. His remedy, of course, is to
demand the repeal OF laws that authorize his fellow
citizens to rob him. What he wants is to buy cheap
and keep good money in his pocket, not TO forget
what hurts him. and be persuaded to clamor for
light weight silver dollars.