The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-08-05
PROTECTION AND PRODUCERS.
A LeveI-Headed Argument from
Tiller of the Soil.

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because it is the policy of my party,
but don't see that it helps me. 2"
There are others like him. They
believe in protection to certain
extent. 1t is kind of greatest
good to the greatest number" affair
But deep down in their heart of
hearts they have a lurking suspicion
that they personally, or farmers as
a class, derive little or no benefit
from it. Let such look at these
facts. Protection was adopted by
the First Continental Congresa.
That Congress was composed large
ly of farmers-almost entirely of
farmers and those representing
farmer constituents. They adopted
it because of their full persuasion
that it would be of benefit to farm
ers, and none can say that they
were not "a company of level-headed,
clear Drained men. They saw
and their constituents saw-the
evil of big crop and no market
for it. Crops wasted and brought
no income, simply because almost
everybody was engaged in the one
industry of farming-all producers
of crops, few outside as consumers.
1t was to remedy this condition of
affairs that the policy of protection
became the established policy.
Protection fosters diversified indus
tries. 1t fosters manufactures.
The men employed in factories
must eat, and the farmer must sup
ply their needs, thus selling what
was unsaleabla as long as everybody
was engaged in agriculture.
Under Protection America has
prospered. Under free trade En-
gland has declined. Agriculture
was once England's main source of
wealth. Today IL 900, 900 acres of
the best farming lands in the world
lie idle in that country. The num-
bers who leave the agricultural dis
tricts for city life, for the provinces
or for the United States reach hun
dreds of thousands annually. SO
much for free trade there. Shall
we exchange our protection policy
for it?
A home market is indisputably
the farmers best market. Ameri-
can farmers want to be independent
of prices established in Liverpool.
70 that end they must have large
class of consumers, who are not
producers, of food products-the
very thing that protection is fast
bringing about. No less an author
ity than Andrew Jackson-and we
recommend it to our Democratic
brethren who are clamoring for
free trade-said, IN advocating the
tariff of 1924: "Take from agri-
culture in the United States 600,-
600 men, women and children and
YOU will at once give market for
more breadstuffs than all Europe
now furnishes u.s." Is there no
benefit to the farmer in this in
creased market at his door?
Senator Ewing, of Ohio, said of
the low tariff just before the tariff
of 1924 was adopted: every por-
ton of the world was searched by
our intelligent merchants, and all
combined did not furnish market
adequate to our surplus productions.
Every farmer in Ohio long knew
and felt the pressure consequent on
this state of things. Year after
year their stacks of wheat stood
unthr6 shed. scarcely worth the
manual labor of separating the
grain from the straw. SO low it
was reduced in comparison with
manufactured articles that | have
known forty bushels of wheat given
for a pair of boots. " Do our far
mers want to try the experiment Of
low taritf-practIcally free trade
over again and reach a like result?
The theory Of free trade may be
all right. 1t has been asserted often
enough to be true at any rate.
But the fact remains that Ameri-
can farmers and laborers, under the
! protection policy which the Repub-
lican party has given to our coun-
try. are the envied of the farmers
and laborers of any country on
earth where free trade is the rule.
When theory runs full against we'll
established fact, the fact is not the
side usually the worse for the en-
counter, American farmers will
continue to stand by the policy
which has built up manufacturing
industries in this country and so
supplied an army of hungry mouths
to be fed by the products of the
farmers labor. Protection pro-
tects, and it protects the farmer.
II. p. c.
Lyons, Kan.
There's No Use TpIking.
" hen YOU want a good suit of