Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1892-10-13
The Price of Farm Implements.

marked to the REFLECTOR the other
day, II don't believe in protection
because 1t makes us pay more for our
implements than than the same goods
sell for abroad" Being pressed for
proof he could only reiterate the state
ment that Democratic papers say So"
SO II seems that after having been
exposed and withdrawn from duty in
1888 and 1890 the old falsehood Is
going the rounds again, A resume OF
the situation as shown In the Inter
Ocean and Tribune as well as by the
REFLECTOR will be Of interest.
The retail price OF farm implements
is lower in the United States than In
any other country. That is to say the
American farmer can buy hay tedder,
mower, reaper, a cultivator, a
roller, a threshing machine, or any like
implement at lower price than the
farmer OF any other country.
The figures dishonesty circulated by
the Democratic press represent the
retail price the price for one imple-
ment in the United States-and the
wholesale price-the price for very
many of such implements TO foreign
dealers.
But even these figures are false in
amount, as we'll as dishonest In their
application. The country press fire.
quently has given instances Of lower
prices in village stores than are quoted
in the Democratic 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 wholesale rate.
The World was honest enough TO print
the letter. $. l.. Allen d Company, Of
Philadelphia, also wrote to the World
in contradiction of Wilson's figures.
They said among other things:
We deny altogether that our prices
TO the domestic trade for the same
quality Of good are higher than TO the
export trade.
1t is the practice of many makers TO
prepare an Inferior and therefore lower
priced class of goods for the foreign
trade, but for the same quality of goods
there Ia no reduction. Furthermore
Allen s. Company said:
We deny that our Firtly hand pillow
is ever quoted Mt the price you give.
We deny that we are advertising to
sell abroad at retail cheaper or as cheap
as we sell Mt wholesale mt 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 luter
Ocean OF any knowledge Of lower
prices to foreign than TO domestic
customers. This put an end to the
wicked system OF falehoods in 1890.
Please notice that during tho two
years in which there was no political
excitement the Democrats have not
dared TO repeat these false charges.
They are reissued now on the eve aud
IN the excitement Of a general election,
and are confined to the country press
evidently in hope that they will escape
the notice Of the larger and better
informed newspapers.
Except where sales are made in very
large lots, aud for cash delivery on
board ship, no standard American
implement is sold lower to the foreign
than to the domestic trade, Inferior
goods, made purposely for export trade
Of course sell lower than standard
goods made for the home market.
The Hon. Thomas Dudley, when
acting as American Consul in France,
made careful examination 10 to the
comparative prices of farm implements
in America and Europe and found that
they were, on an average, 80 per cent
cheaper in price and so per cent better
In quality here than abroad.
Free tradeiam based on no stronger
ground than that given by our South
Dickinson friend is very weak.