Middletown transcript., 1892-10-13

Bavaria, Switzerland, South France,
and Spain, all would use wheat pro-
ducts in much largor quantities could
they afford them; and the anomaly is
presented to-day of people in Europe
hungering for bread (those who manu-
facture the textiles), while in the
West, people Those who produce the
grain), are shivering for the want of
warm clothing, and are actually burn
ing the wheat to make fires to keep
them from freezing.
The cost of sending the textiles from
Europe to the West, and the flour from
the West to Europe, is very insignifi-
cant. And yet here are industrious
people in their respective sections with
an abundance of what they produce,
who really are suffering priyation be-
cause they cannot exchange those
things of which they have super
abundance, with their neighbors across
the sea, for those things of which they
have superabundance, and who are
in want of the surplus of their Trans
Atlantic fellow-men. / am not going
to say that this is entirely the result
of the tariff system, but I 10 say
that proscriptive tariff laws add much
to the restriction that prevents the ex-
changes, which il effected, would give
to the people of the respective sections
an abundance of those things which
60 to make life pleasant existence.
now return to the home market.
Twenty-Five years ago England depend
ed upon America for her cereals. We
then commenced proscriptive tariff
system, and England began to look out
for other friends from which to gather
her cereals. / am not going to be so
dogmatic as to assert that it was be-
cause of those tariff laws of the United
States that England did this, for there
were other reasons that may have in
duced her TO look for her grain from
other quarters of the globe, but GER
tainly the desire of England to find
other wheat fields than those o.
America was much intensified by our
proscriptive tariff laws. Up to 1868.
the wheat and corn, but especially the
wheat, which was not required in the
home market could readily find a
market in Europe, and so active in
deed was the demand of the European
markets for the American cereals,
that it forced up the price in the
United States, compelling the home
consumers to pay much higher prices
than they otherwise would have paid.
1t was then that Europe began to turn
her attention to Egypt both for wheat
and cotton, Egypt failed her as a
wheat producing country, but the de-
velopment of cotton cultivation in that
country has been marvellous.
England next devoted her attention
to the high land of India. She found
vast areas of territory admirably adapt
ed to the cultivation Of wheat where no
wheat was grown, and encouraged
wheat sowing there, and India has in
creased her wheat productions to such
an extent, that, as far back us 1887,
she was successful competitor of the
Americans in the Liverpool market.
AsI have already said in a former
article, England stretched out TO
South America friendly hand !; she
poured out her capital through the
Argentine Republic; she sent her
young blood to that country, with the
result of establishing vast wheat
fields there that are now most or quite
capable of supplying the Kingdom of
Britain with her flour, and the farm
ers of the United States to-day are
taught a lesson that perhaps they will
never forget.
One year ago the United States produc-
ed the greatest wheat crop ever known.
Her surplus over the actual require
ments of the entire country ran up into
the hundred of millions of bushels, but,
Notwithstanding that immense wheat
crop, it was marketed at good prices
and there was rejoicing throughout the
land. Mortgages were lifted, debts
were paid, additional comforts were en-
joyed by the farmers, and they felt
much encouraged. They planted even
| more largely for the following year but
the yield was not So great. Although
there has been produced this year a
great wheat crop it does not equal that
of last year by many million bushels,
and the price at which wheat must be
sold this year is all the way from thirty
to fifty per cent. less than last year. In
those sections of the country where the
expense of marketing is great, such as
from Kansas, Nebraska and the
Dakotas, the wheat growers there will
not receive more than one-half the
money per bushel this year that they
received last year.
What is the reason of this ? It was
because last year, throughout Europe
and India, there was great failure of
all kinds of cereals, and the demand
came from all portions of Europe for
our wheat and corn, and the people of
Delaware were enabled to sell their
wheat for about one dollar Per bushel.
This past season, while there has not
been an average crop in Europe, it is
sufficiently great to cause the falling
off in the demand for American grain
to such an extent that the Delaware
and Maryland farmers will consider
themselves fortunate if they are able
to sell their wheat for seventy cents
per bushel.
We have the home market for grain
this year and we have seventy odd
millions of people to consume the pro-
ducts of our farms and we have found
out exactly what the home market is
worth to us. The tenant farmer and
the farm owner whose farm is mort
gagged, stand face to face with bank
ruptcy, and as they raise their detected
eyes from earth they can gaze up and
enjoy to their hearts content that
beautiful picture of the home market
that has been painted for them so
artistically by Major Mckinley.
C7nA .1f. "A IT,