The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1892-09-10

THE PRETENDED PROTECTION OF FARM
PRODUCE.

THE PRETENDED PROTECTION OF FARM
PRODUCE.
Q. Is there any tariff ON imported
farm producer
A. There is, but it is a pretence.
@. Name some of these duties.
A. There is a duty of 20 cents q
bushel on wheat; 10 cents bushel
on rye, corn, barley and oats; 10 cents
a bushel on corn meal; cert poand
on beef and pork; 2 cents a pound on
bacon; 4 cents pound on cheese and
butter; cents pound on lard; and
81 q ton on hay.
@. Why do you say these duties
are a pretencef Do they not protect
our farmers against foreign competi-
ton?
A. No--and they never intended
to. We export these farm products
in large quantities, to be sold for
what they will bring in free foreign
markets in competition with similar
crops from all parts of the world
and il our farm produce must com.
pete with the farm produce of the
world, in the Liverpool market, after
paying the cost Of ocean carriage, ii
can certainly compete with it in our
own markets Besides, how can a
protective duty of 20 cents on wheat,
and 10 cents bushel on corn, bene.
fit Kansas or Nebraska farmer,
when it costs him 25 cents a bushel
to send his grain to New York?
@. But do not these duties in some
measure benefit the farmers of New
England and northern New York, by
protecting them against Canadian
competition?
A. Probably they do--and these
few Eastern farmers are the only per
sons they were intended to benefit.
@ Are there duties on imported
sugar and rice?
A. Yes-100 per cent. on rice and
80 per cent. on sugar--and these are
a severe tax upon the whole people
for the benefit of a few planters in
South Carolina and Louisiana.
BALE OF COTTON.
@. Is there any protective duty
on cotton?
A. In the hands of the man who
raises tho; in the hands of the
man who manufactures it-yes.
@. / do not understand you.
A. There is no duty on raw cot
ton--and if there were, it would be
ineffective, since we export the larger
part of our crop to Europe, to be sold
for what it will bring, after paying
30 cents bale for the baliug cloth
and ties that cover it. The colored
man in Mississippi who raises bale
of cotton, does it without any help
whatever. from the government, but
when Rhode Island manufacturer
buys II and has IT made into shirt
ing or sheeting, the government steps
~ W heip nun VIVID protec1ive outy
~ ~ per cen'--anu ~ actually forces
she ~ iss,ss'ppl coiofea man 10 pay
'a1 on Tue cos.on Q. ms own rais
my, ~ paying @i'4o iof 9l worth OF
shife'ngi
= no ge's she extra 4o Genus
a. ine hnooe island manuiac-
'af -
" 9uppoSe .ue eoioreu man pale
s"ouiu &c sn'ppeo 70 Engiana' Win
q ios u oene,s, anu 1nere oe maoe
.ns' elo'n anu Sent PACK 70 enis coun-
" -"nas "oalo ene co'oreu man
VINO ra,scu ~ nave 10 pay Tor ~
"o.'n =, snirtlng IN mat casef
a ne mouia pay @l.4o.
y nowf :,
a, Inc government would not az
low u 70 come INTO the country with
oue paying 2 ouey o. AZ per cent ana
s1is "ouid make IL cost $l.4o Tor the
~ WORTH
MANUFACTURING PAYS 30 PER CENT
FARMING 81 PER CENT.
G. Are there any statistics show
ing the relative profits of manufac-
turing and farming in this country?
A. Yes: the census report of 1880
furnishes a good deal of information
on that point. The nine manufac-
turing states, Maine. New Hampshire.
Vermont, Massach usetts. Conrecti,
cut, Rhode Island, New York. Penn.
sylvania and New Jersey, had 81
725, 10000 invested in manufacturers
they paid out for materials $I.975.-
O00,00O, and for wages, $605. 900 600;
and they turned out an aggregate
product of manufactured goods Of
SO, lS6. 100000 Add the wages Maid
and the cost of materials used to.
gether, and1we have a total Of So
$50, 100000 Then deduct this from
SO, 1876, 100000 which is the sum they
sold their product for and tbaro ra.
mains $500, 600, 900 which represents
ther gross profits. This, on the CAP.
ital invested ($I, 725. 900 OO0l ia over
35 per cent. But the general onin-
ion of all who have investigated the
subject is that farming does not
yield over 4 per cent a wear on the
capital invested in it-and the cen
sus Of 1880 indicates even lower
rate. The total value of all farm nro.
ducts in the United States for that
year was $2,2l3, OOO,O 900 and the
whole number of persons engaged in
farming was 100000. and the total
capital invested in farming was $40.
Estimate the wages Of
these 1870 900 persons at onlv 1900
a year, aud you have SI.534 600 900
as the eost If tha lahor.an thon a.