Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-10-01
THE FARMER ROBBED.
NhiAT NEcEssARlEs COST AT M'KiN-
LEVIED PRICES.

Tariff Rates Before the Bill Passed and
since-One Hundred and Ten Per Cent.
on His Coffin-Repeaiing the Law His
Remedy.
A farmer has recently written to the
Baltimore Sun to ask what articles used
by farmers are sold at higher prices by
reason of the passage of the Mckinley
tariff act. The Suns answer is as fol-
lows:
But for the fancy prices that act and
the like acts that have preceded it have
forced the farmer to pay for nearly all
he buys, he would be vastly better off
than he is. A penny saved is penny
made. If manufactured articles used by
farmers were cheapened by the amount
of the Mckinley tax our agriculturists
would be astonished at the difference in
their finances.
The average tariff rate before the Nc
Kinley act was passed was about Al per
cent, or 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 half
the price the farmer might buy at if
there was no tariff.
On many articles used by farmers the
Mckinley act more that doubled the
foreign price of the imported article,
with the effect, of course, of increasing
to that extent the price our protected
manufacturers, trusts, combines, ETC.,
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 thirty cents per yard;
the Mckinley tax twenty-eight 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 a number
of other articles the poor must buy.
But the farmer will be more interested
in the rates of duty and the increases of
duty on the larger items of his yearly
expenditure. Agricultural machinery is
taxed in the Mckinley act As per cent.
That is to say, the protected home manu-
facturer is enabled to get nearly half as
much again for his goods as they could
be had for abroad. This is shown in the
fact that our manufacturers sell their
Agricultural machinery abroad at heavy
discount.
The Engineering and Mining journal,
of New York, publishes list of articles
which our manufacturers sell abroad
for less than they will sell at here. 1t
gives the wholesale prices for Americans.
and then gives the discounts off for for
eigners. Preceding the list are the words,
discounts are for wholesale export
only"
OF course, if our manufacturers sell
abroad, with profit at the low prices
fixed by English competition, they
could. if they chose, 90 the same here.
The discounts given below show, there
fore, the extra profit they make out of
the American farmer BIZ means of the
Mckinley tariff. The following is a
part of The Journals illustrated list, and
is authentic:
Planet. Jr.. No 2 seed drill. hcme price,
50: discount TO the foreigner, 30 PEI cent, or
$3.50 off; net price TO the foreigner, $3.50.
Combined drill, cultivator, rake, plow, etc..
home price, sl2; price to foreigner. $40.
FREELY hand plow, home price. $50; to the
foreigner, SL15.
Hayforks, S24 per dozen: price to the for
eigner. $40.
Hoes, 50 per dozen; price to the foreigner,
S3.l5.
Reversible Oneonta clipper pillow. iron beam
cutter, S14; to the foreigner, $3.50
Cast steel garden rakes, plain, per dozen, IS;
to the foreigner, $3.50.
Scythes, fine cutlery steel. full polished, $40;
to the foreigner. ST.
Peck's axes, handled, per dozen, SIS: to the
foreigner, $3.50.
Peck's hatchets, per dozen, IS; to the foreign
er, 81.
Knives. bone handles, s15.35 per gross pairs:
to the foreigner, SIl. 52.
Feed cutters, knives 10 inches long, $50; TO
the foreigner, s21.
Portable FORCES, $50; to the foreigner, s12
Horse lawn mower, SOS; to the foreigner,
$3.50.
Empire scroll saw, price, boxed, s25 to the
foreigner, $50.
Lathe, $40; to the foreigner, $40.
Meat cutter, 81; to the foreigner, 81.
Siphon force pump, S25: to the foreigner,
S12.50.
Rat traps, $50 per gross to the foreigner, SIS
Butter trip scales, $1,000; to the foreigner,
S525.
wbifletrees. double, Bs inches long, No 3.
So; to the foreigner, SLIGO.
Windmills, 10 feet pumping sT5; to the for
eigner, $3.50
These figures show sufficiently that
the Mckinley tariff is enabling the tariff
lords to get too much for their goods.
and they show how much more than
fair profit it enables them to get on the
articles named.
But the farmer buys other things be
sides agricultural machinery and tools.
On stoves he pays tax'of As per cent;
on bride and harness, SO per cent; on
horseshoes, SO per cent; on tinware, SIS
per cent; on spoons, as per cent; on
saws, 55 per cent; wire nails, $50 per
cent; hammers, so per cent; brooms, 80
per cent; ON thread, "A per cent; on
common wooden goods, Ill per cent; ON
glass tumblers and lamps, $50 per cent;
on hats 155 per cent; on locks, IS per
cent; on flannel shirts, 100 per cent; on
socks, 100 per cent; on clothes, s. per
cent; on paregoric 40 per cent; on
shoes, % per cent; on Bibles, 25 per cent;
on his coffin, 40 per cent.
These figures are eloquent. They tell
what has become of the farmers money.