The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-09

been made to believe that the low prices
are due TO the high tariff and the Mchin-
lev bill A greater mistake than this
could not be made. The Mckinley bill
viii do more to benefit farmers than any
bill ever passed bv congress- if 1t Is sns-
tanned and allowed to get IN its good
work.
Secretary Rusk, in his late report,
shows very clearly the fallacy OF the
doctrine that protective tariff injuries
the farmer. He says:
Reviewing the fiscal year which
closed June 80, 1892, we find that on"
foreign trade in that year far surpassed
;hat of any previous year IN the history
of the country. aggregatlng grand total
of 81 ,S57 ,679, sos: more by one hundred
and twenty-eigllt millions than ever be-
fore. OF this great sum, S1,63O, 27S, G3b
represented our exports, and of these all
but fourteen and one-half millions repre-
sented domestic produce, which amount
ed, for the first time in our history, to
more than billion dollars. By brief
comparison with former years we find
chat during the past fiscal year the bal
ance of trade in our favor was over two
hundred and two millions, against less
than forty millions last year, and an adj
verse balance of nearly three millions in
1889. and of over twenty-eight millions
in 1888 Moreover, the increase in trade
over the figures of the previous year was
entirely in our exports, the imports
showing a slight falling Oft from the
record of 1891.
OF the vast sum representing exports
of our domestic products, nearly ~ per
cent, or, to be very exact. IS. l per cent,
consisted of agricultural products, the
same being $793, H. $40, a sum which
exceeds by more than one hundred and
fifty millions, the shipments OF agricul-
tural products in any previous year,
while il surpasses the record of 1889,
when this administration undertook the
direction of affairs, by more than two
hundred and sixty millions. Indeed, it
is actually greater by sixty-three mil
lions than our total exports of all pro
ducts in that year, while it exceeds the
value of our total foreign trade, imports
and exports included, prior to 1870.
The total import trade for the fiscal
wear 1892, exceeded eight hundred and
twentv-seven millions, of which it ap-
pears that ole percent was made up of
agricultural products, an increase of
eighteen millions over similar imports in
1891, and Of fifty-three millions over inn
ports of 1890.
IAN examination of the items making
up these agricultural imports shows this
increase to be mainly confined to pro-
ducts that do not compete with our own
products. In fact, comparison Of the
wear under consideration with the fiscal
year ending IN 1899, shows that while III
the last named year our imports en-
braced 81 per cent of the agricultural
products coming into competition with
our own, a similar division for 1892
shows but A per cent of such products.
This is highly encouraging as an evl-
denoe of the value, to our agricultural
interests, of the policy of this admins
tration. At the same time this crafty
ing result must not cause us to ignore
the fact that of our total agricultural
imports so large d proportion still con-
sists of products competing with the
American farmer in our OWE markets.
eve still import over $40, 600, 900
worth of animal products, exclusive of
woods, which are included in the fiberS,
and of these last, the tibers, we import
ed in the past fiscal year over S67, 900,
600 worth, the far greater part OF which,
or substitutes for the greater part OF
which could certainly, with proper en-
couragement, be grown III our own
country.
In the last fiscal year we imported
S27 .00o, 600 worth Of hides, which came
in free of duty. Our imports of raw
silk amounted to $50, 000,000; of fruit
and wines we import yearly $3O, 1000, 600.
'We import $780, 600 worth OF
sugar every year, every pound of which
can just as well be made in this country
as not.
There is a chance for the farmers o!
this country to raise over 1868 600 00t
worth of products that would find q
ready market here, that they do not
now produce. Another thing to be done
is, to place such a duty on products pro
duced iii this country as tC
make their production profitable to pro.
ducers in this country. When that i:
done there will be less wheat and corr
raised, and the price Of what is raised
will be higher and more renumerative tx
! the farmer.
Now what these facts clearly indicate
| is this: That The farmer. IN order t
make their industries more profitable
must diversity their products; they mus
raise less wheat and corn, and more scr
! ghum, silk and other products that we
are now importing. Ii the people o.
| this country would raise and manufac
! ture their own sugar, they would sOoI
! find a remedy for this over production
of wheat and corn, and the conSequen
| low prices of these products. Thous
| ands of acres now devoted TO raising
wheat conld be devoted TO raising sor
| ghum, beets and sugar-caue. and III thu
way the supply of wheat would be
! greatly lessened, and the demand in
creased, which would raise the price
and att he same time increase the pro
duction of sugar, and thus lessen it
cost,
The soil of Kansas Is also admirably
| adapted TO the culture OF mulberry trees
for the production of raw silk. By in
creasing the manufacturing industrie
/ for those products that We have all th'
materials and facilities TO produce, bu
which We do not now produce, on &C
( count of low tariffs, we should nJateri
/ ally help the farmers. Every factory
! started tends 10 increase the demand fol
farm products, aud 10 increase the prices
! while at the same time these fac,orie
are increasing the supply OF mauufac
! ,ured products, which lessons the prlc'
OF these products to consumers.
The farmers Of Kansas have already
been severely injured bv tariff reform
yet many OF them have again voted t
have another dose of II, and they vii
get ali they voted for. T. T. MILLER,
u-~aa----~-1rE-z--=~@-~@
New York's Cf7cIal Figures.
from the Nsw York Herald