Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-10-10
TARIFF PRIMER.
Farmers Read This-The Depression of
Agriculture.


Agriculture.
Q. But has not the agricultural In
tereSt thrived and prospered under the
protection policy? Are not farmers bet
ter of under it?
A. No. The agricultural interest has
not thrived under il. Farmers are
growing worse of every year; and con-
elusive proof Of this is that farm mort
cages in the West are rapidly and even
alarmingly increasing every year, lands
are becoming lower in value and more
difficult Of sale; and in many OF the best
farming regions, the obnoxious landlord
and tenant system is taking the place Of
independent proprietors.
q. Still, has not the farming interest
developed far more under the last twen-
ty-seven years of high tariff than it
could have done under low tariff?
A. The census reports furnish an in
ter ssting and instructive negative an
swer to your question.
The total value Of farms in the United
States Ia 1850 was S3,271, 575, 425. In
The next decade, ending In 1860, this
had increased to S6,645, 045, 007-the
increase being So, 373, 479, 5s1, or more
than 100 per cent. In 1870 the total
value was 50, POP, sos, S61-the increase
In this decade having been S2,617,75s,-
S54, or about 40 per cent. At the end
of the following decade, in 1880, the
total value was $40, 1877, 096, 776-the In
crease having been 1924, 292, 9l5, or less
than 10 per cent.
These figures show that in the low
tariff decade from 1850 to 1860, the
total value Of farms increased two and
half times as much as in the high tariff
decade from 1860 TO 1870, and nearly as
much as In the two high tariff decades
between 1860 and 1SS0-and this, too,
although the population Of the country
increased over Is, 600, 0OO-from 1,443,-
32l TO 5O,155, 7S3 in these last two de-
cades. They show also, that only one
of these three decades, between 1850
and 1880, in which the increase was less
than billion, was the high tariff period
from 1870 TO 1850.
The number of farms in the country
increased sos, OO4-from 1,449,093 to
2.O44, O77-ln the low tariff decade, be-
tween 1850 and 1860; and it nearly
doubled, increasing from 2,O44,077 to
4, OSS, corn the two following decades,
between 1860 and 1880; but while the
number has thus largely increased, 1t
took them twenty years OF high tariff
to show as large per centage OF in
crease I'm value, as they made in ten
years OF low tariff Again, the value Of
agricultural Improvements aud machin-
cry increased go per cent. In the low
tariff decade, between 1850 and 1860,
aud only 81 per cent. and 20 per cent.
respectively, In the two following high
tariff decades.
The value OF all live stock on farms
increased nearly 100 per cent.-trom
S544, $50, $40 TO S1,0S9, S29, 0l5-in the
low tariff decade between 1850 and 1860;
and only 40 per cent. In the two follow
ing high tariff decades between 1860
and 1850. There was an actual falling
off OF nearly SOS, 100000 in the last de-
cade. There were 5000, 900 more farm
animals in the country, but they were
not worth as much by SOS, 0o0,0 600. The
numbers were, for 1870, IS, 700, 600; for
1850. 13l, 900, 600; and the values were,
for 1870, 81, 425, 276, $50; and for 1850,
s. 500. AGA, 600. The average valne OF
ali farm animals fell off from Sl77O to
s11. so per head, in the decade between
1870 and 1sS0-a period in which the
high tariff policy is claimed to have
reached it's greatest development and
brought the largest amount OF oeneht TO
=, afafal