Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1892-08-27
Theory Versus Fact in Relation to
A Great Economic
Problem

said farmer in my hearing n
few days ago: Il vote for protec-
ZION because it is the policy of my
marty. but don't see that it helps me.
There are others like him They be
Ueve In protection to Il certain extent.
It is a kind of greatest good to the
greatest number affair But deep
down in their hearts they have Turk
Ing 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 congress. That con-
gress was composed largely Of farmers
almost entirely of farmers and those
representing farmer constituents They
adopted it because of their full persua-
sion 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 con.
sdtuents saw-the evil of a big crop and
no market for it, Crops wasted and
brought no income, simply because al
most everybody was engaged in the
one industry of farmers-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 fost-
ers diversified industries 1t fosters
manufactures The men employed in
factories must eat, and the farmer must
supply their needs, thus selling what
was unsaleahle as long as everybody
was engaged in agriculture,
Under protection America has pros
pered. Under free trade England has
declined. Agriculture was once En-
glands source of wealth Today H.
100000 acres Of the best farming lands
in the world lie idle i'm that country.
The numbers who leuve the agricul-
trwal districts for city life, for the prov
incas or for the United States reach
hundreds of thousands annually. So
much for free trade here Shall we eN-
chuUgc our protection policy for it?
A home market is indisputab}y tho
formers best market. American farm
us want to be Independent of prices
established i'm Liverpool To that end
hay must have a large class of con
sumors. who arc not producers, Of food
woducts-the very thing that protection
is fast bringing about. No less an au-
th0nty than Andrew Jackson and we
recommend it to our democratic broth
rem who are clamoring for free trade
sai1 in advocating the tariff of 1924;
Take from agriculture in the United
States 100000 meu, women and chill
dren and you win ut once give a mar
ket for more breadsmffs than all Europe
now furnishes us" Is there no benefit
TO the farmer in this increased market
at his door?
Senator Ewing, of Ohio, said of the
low tariff period Just before the tariff
of 1924 was adopted Every portion
of the world was searched by our in
telligcnt merchants, and al combined
did not furnish a market adequate IA
our surplus projections. Every farmer
in Ohio long knew and felt the pressure
consequent on this state Of things. Yeal
afte' year their stacks of wheat stood
Unthrcshed. scarcely WORTH the manual
labor Of separating the grain from the
straWstraw. So low was it reduced in
comparison with manufactured articles
that have known forty bushels OF
wheat given for a pair Of boots Do
uur farmers want TO try the experiment
of low tariff practically free trade
over again ard reach a like result2
The theory Of free trade may be all
right 1t has been asserted Otter
enough to be true at any rate. But the
fact remains that American farmers and
laborers, under the protection policy
which the republican party has given
10 our country. are the envled Of the
farmers and laborers OF any country or
earth whore free trade is the rule
When theory runs fun against well-es
t1blished fact, the fact is not the side
usually the worse FOR the encounter
American farmers win continue
stand by the policy which has built NJ
manufacturing industries in This coun
try and so supplied an army of hungry
mouths to be fed by the product Of TIN
farmers labor Protection protects
ana it protects the farmer II. =. c.
LYONS, l[aS.