Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1892-10-19
Prices of Farm ImpIem.nts.

AIteI OellS tuoIOuSnIy oNpOSeu anu
Withdrawn from service by the Democrats
in the campain Of 1883 and 1890 the old
falSehOOd concerning the prices of farm
implements in the United States and else
where is being pressed into service again.
III answer to numerous inquiries we repro
duce the substance of the old controversy
that IS undergoing renewal in certain of
the less generally circulated Democratic
newspapers.
The retail price of farm implements is
lower in the United States than in any 9TH
er country. That is to say the American
farmer can buy a hay tedder, a mower, a
reaper, cultlyatOr. roller, threshing
machine, or any like implement at low
er price than the farmer of any other cOun-
try.
The figures dishonesty circulated by the
Democratic press represent the retail price
the price for one implement in the United
StateS--and the wholesale price-the price
for very many such implements to foreign
dealers.
But even these figures are false in
amount, as we'll as dishonest in their APP
pllcatiOn. The country press frequently
has given instances of lower prices in vii
lage stores than are quoted IN the Demo-
cratic list, and farmer at Bridgeport, n.
Y, wrote to the New York World, in
which newspaper the wonderful Wilson
first published his false charge, that he
had bought a hay tedder IN the local store
at less price than Wilson quoted as whole
sale rate. The World was honest enough
to print the letter s. l.. Allen 81 Co., of
Philadelphia, also wrote the World in con-
tradiction OF Wilson figures. They said,
among other things:
We deny altogether that our prices to the
domestic trade for the same quality of goods
are higher than to the export trade.
1t is the practice of many makers to pre-
pare an Inferior and therefore lower
priced, class Of goods for the foreign trade,
but for the same quality of goods there is
30 reduction.
Furthermore Allen & Co. said:
We deny that our FREELY hand plow is ever
quoted at the price you give.
We deny that we are advertising to sell
abroad at retail cheaper, or as cheap as we sell
at wholesale at home.
The Mccormick Reaper Company, the
Studebaker Wagon Company, the Oliver
Chilled PlOW Company, the AmeS Shovel
Company and several other eminent firms
made explicit denial through the columns
Of the Inter-Ocean Of any knowledge of
lower prices 10 foreign than to domestic
customers. This put an enc to the wicked
system of falSehOods IN 1890.
Please notice that during the two years
in which there was no political excitement
the Democrats have not dared to repeat
these false charges. They are reiSSued
general election, and are confined to the
country preSS-evldently IN hope that they
Will escape the notice OF the larger and
Detter-intOrmed newspapers.
Except where sales are made in very
large lots, and for cash on delivery on
board ship, no standard American impIe-
meDt is sold lower to the foreign than to
the domestic trade. Interior goods, made
purpOSely for export trade, of course, sell
lower than standard goods made for the
home market.
Reyertlng to our first assertion that the
American farmer pays less for his imple
mentS than the farmer of any other cOur
try, we reproduce some figures, first pub
nShed by an American country newspaper
the Anamosa (IOwa) Eureka in proof
thereof. It's about four years since they
were published, and no free-trade writer
or speaker has dared to call them in queS-
ton. The British prices are prices at the
factory, the American prices are prcA@ a t
store III AnamOSa, which is d little town
of 1900 souls. Note the difference:
Bristol, Engld, Price. Iowa Price.
Four e | Best Star wag-
wagon $165(0265 on. ........ $6O@ 65
Light cart 76@ 83iL1ght wagon. COG rs
Stowmarket, Iowa
Eng. Price. Price.
Grain grinding mills. ".S155S375 $2O@4O
Horse harrOwS........ ........ 126D 20 1870
Horse ral.es.....".. 501 90 2C(025
Land-rOll ers.................... 34@l102 10022
Hon. Thomas Dudley, when acting as
American consul in France. made care
full examination as to comparative prices
of farm implements in America and Eu-
rope. and found that they were, on an av-
erage, 80 per cent. cheaper in price and so
per cent. better III quality here than
abroad.