Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1892-08-18
From Judge Patterson.
VlNELAND, TENN, Aug. 13.

~NlNELAND, Tenn aug 10.
Editor Herald and Tribune:
Let me thank through your paper
Mr.. Snow, of Washington, D. c., for
his communication in the II. & T. of
the 18th instant, correcting one of the
estimates made in my tariff article of
last week.
In M sense, however, and the one
had in view as / wrote, | was not far
wrong in my estimate. What l had
in view as products constituting home
trade was the surplus not needed and
actually consumed by the farmers and
fruit growers producing them. For in
stance, a farm producing $1,000 worth
uses, on an average, for consumption
on the farm, about $500 worth, leaving
S40O worth for direct sale. This last
item is disposed of in what we call the
home market. Right here in Washing
ton County a large part of such home
marketing is done at Jonesboro and
Johnson City ; only a small percentage
of such surplus goes to points n hun
dred miles away. AS you will see by
my estimate only some four tenths of
the staple products referred to go to
sale, and of this amount not more than
Ii fourth Il of 4-1O) go to foreign
markets. The residue is sold and used
in our local, home or strictly American
markets. But give red nosed free trade
Democracy its will, as expressed in
their late Chicago platform, and more
than nine tenths of this one third sur
plus of our general farm products
would have to cross the ocean for a
market. No, not exactly that, as for
eign manufacturers would bring their
goods, cheap TT first, but o going up
to high rates las in 1S46', to exchange
for all such surplus products.
Now, looking back to painful facts
as they existed under operation of the
"for revenue tariff only" prior to 1860,
let us see how such free trade barter or
exchange would operate. For example,
let us suppose that prices of farm prod
ucts would remain at their now salts
factory rates, / bushel of wheat, 2
bushels of corn or 12 pounds of bacon
equaling 81.
Now for that dollar, OF rather for the
wheat, corn or bacon stated, the farmer
gets a hand saw, 25 pounds of nails, 20
yards of domestic or % yards of calico,
but under free trade, as it would very
soon adjust itself las in 1S46) all he
would get would be from 10 to 12 yards
OF calico or domestic, 10 pounds of
nails and a little over one half of a
hand saw. That would be all right for
a deliberate Democrat, especially the
piece of a hand saw, for any mar of or
binary sense desiring to turn away
from our present general prosperity
and favorable prices under the protect
i've system and 60 back to the humili-
ating and impoverishing realities of the
practical free trade prior to 1860, ought
to have no better tool to work with
than a broken hand saw, and then, if
to accomplish his mech nical task, he
had to labor like the devil beating
tan bark, all the better.
In this, as in former articles, l have
sought by general but safe estimates
to deal with the tariff question SO as
to show its protective value to all
classes in our country.
would be glad at an early date to
review the question with official data
before me. If Mr.. Snow or some M. C.
or Senator would send me the late cen-
sus bulletins and official records bear
ing on the subject, l will use them not
much to the advantage of the stuffed
prophet" and his associates of tariff re-
form. N. A. PATTERSON.
There is a limit even to the activity
of Mr.. Cleveland's pen. 1t is stricken
with temporary paralysis every time
the man who guides it is asked to ex-
plain his pension vetoes.