The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1892-04-16
FREE TRADE NOT DESIRABLE.

FREE TRADE NOT DESIRABLE.
A Democratic exchange, attempting
to hide its free-trade opinion, pub
fishes the following editorially to in
duce the farmers to vote the ticket:
The American farmers are as much en-
titled to the protecting care and favorable
consideration of the American govern
ment as is the protected manufacturer.
If not, why not2 There are about two
thousand farmers in the United States to
one protected manufacturer. The farm
ers pay about the same wages to their
workmen, and board them, as the pro
tected woolen and cotton manufacturers
pay their workmen without board. The
natural rights of farmers, to buy where
they can buy the cheapest, and to get
the most they honestly can for what they
sell, are as clear and should be as sacred
as the rights of the protected manufactur
ers to do so. Farmers produce wheat In
excess of home demands, and that excess
is exported to countries where the de-
mand is greater than the supply.
The doctrine of protection Is broad
enough to guard all industries against
unfair foreign competition, and this 1t
does. Even the farmer is protected,
and the foreign product from cheap
labor India, or any other country, can
not be brought to the American
marxet without going through the
custom house and paying duty. This
was found necessary because of the
fine grade of wheat produced in Man
itoba, from which better -four can be
made than from that grown in the
United States, and from the possible
importation from Egypt or India, dur
a year of plenty. But. in the effort
to caiole the farmer into the free-trade
ranks, the Democratic editor oversteps
the mark and demolishes in the. fol-
lowing sentence all his smooth-sound-
ing words about the American farmer
being "as much entitled to the protect
ing care" of the government as the
manufacturer:
A duty of $40 bushel on wheat would
not affect its price one cent except in case
of failure of the crop, and then i'm
ported wheat would cost Its foreign price
with the $40 per bushel duty added.
1t is true that protection only bene-
fits the farmer in the instances we
have named and the case stated by our
cotemporaay, and the Republican
party has wisely provided duty in
case these emergencies arise. 1t could
do no more for the tlllers of the soil.
But the logic of the Democratic
editor is fully illustrated in the follow
ing:
Farmers and manufacturers send their
surplus products abroad and sell them at
foreign prices. The balance of the farm
ers' wheat Is not upheld by tariff, and
it is only worth its foreign price with
cost of transportation added. The bal
ance OF the products of the manufactur-
ers are upheld by the tariff and they can
demand and obtain for them almost
double prices because of the tariff.
Our cotemporary admitted that pro-
lection could not raise the price of
wheat except in case of failure of crops,
and the reason is, in ordinary seasons
there is surplus produced over home
consumption. Of course farmers are
forced to "send their surplus products"
abroad, and no act of congress can in
crease the price per bushel in Liver
pool. There are marked differences in
regard to manufactures and growers
of wool. The surplus products" of
all the looms of Great Britain are con-
stantly seeking this country for mar
ket, and if free-trade were inaugural
ed for single season English goods |
would be placed on sale at ruinous
prices, and home industries would be
throttled and killed. This was tersely
stated by member of the British par.
lament in debate on free-trade a |
few years since, when he said: "Give
us free-trade with the United States |
and we will ship the surplus products
of our factories to that country, sell |
them at any price, kill American IN
dustries. and then we will clothe Amer |
leans at our own figures" Notwith-
stsnding the tariff of about IL cents a
pound, Australia will send this season
several shiploads of wool-aggregating
several millions of pounds-to the
Boston market. The fact is apparent
to all that manufacturing and wool
raising are industries that must be
developed by years of experience and
the adoption of the most skillful
methods. This is not true regarding
the production of grain, which almost
entirely depends upon the fertility of
the soil and favorable climate. Ever
since the settlement of the country its
adaptability to the protection of GER
eals has been well-known, but without
protection we're few articles would
have been manufactured and a very
small amount of wool raised in the
D United States. The doctrine of pro-
lection adapts itself to the natural
'esources of every country, and thro VS.
IS safeguards around all industries
which may be developed, and those I
which cannot are placed on the free
ist.
"Only by union with the United
'tates can Canada get out of her
roubles," is the opinion of the rising
"a ma dian ctotoomop opd oDpavo tiop,ot | 4