Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-05-05
Mr. HoRR TO the QUESTION clus

He E.peses Some l,esnis~s sspAistry
About chsspaess.
The Boston Question club, one Of tho
most prominent free trade organiza-
tons in Massachusetts,. sent q list of
questions some time ago 10 Mr. 4. g.
Horr, of the New York Tribune, to-
gether with polite request that thoy be
answered Below viii be found one Of
these questions and Mr.. Horr's forcible
reply:
Why. II it cheapens things, should a
tariff be put on anl thus cheapen wheat
and other products. which form such "a
large percentage Of our cxports7 In it
desirable for US thus TO cheaper for for
eigners the main bulk Of what We have
10 sch abroad?
1t does not follow because q protective
tariff. which leads up to large factories
and gives constant employment to large
numbers Of men, and thus enables them
TO take the greatest advantage Of labor
saving machinery and the great power
Of the division of labor, and 20 cheapens
products-I say, it does not follow that
the same rule win apply to the products
Of the farmer. Farmers products arc
not manufactured in q week or a day
The price Of farm products depends
largely on matters entirely outside of
the chsapness OF labor or the continuous
operation Of mills. The wheat crop can
be raiscd only once in . year. No in
vention, no continuity Of labor, will
produce q greater number Of crops. The
amount Of wheat raised Is limited by
the amount of acreage. There are NJ
such limitations apon those producing
manufactured goods.
l do not claim hat the tariff on wheat
in the United States at tho present time
will have very much bearing upon its
price SO long as we export that article
largely. A tariR on that article inst now
has very little eject. nor was the tariff
placed on wheat with . view of affect
ing its price materially Ut the present
time. Such, however, was not the case
with most farm products. The produc-
ton OF wheat In the United States. in ex
cess Of our own consumption, Is growing
less and less each year. There hes been
decline Of about 10, o0o. 900 bushsls n
year for the past ten years. In little
while the entire product Of wheat IN the
United States will be consumed by our
own people. The moment that that point
il reached the price II wheat win be af-
fected BY an attempted importation Of
wheat from abroad when that time
arrives the farmers Of this country viii
need protection against the cheap labor
Of India and Russia.
Is is clear to me that the law which
cheapens the price OF manufactured
goods by continues operation OF large
factories does not apply with anything
like the same force. If At all, 10 the prod
nets Of the soil. OF courys an increased
price Of an article Hike wheat W any
ether farm prodnct woald IN vxy short
period stimulate the production sad re
suit perhaps in chespsning the article.
but in that case the competition would
be between our own farmers paying the
same price for their la6or and AL con-
tributsng to the ssppsrt q our govern
ment alike. Such . competition would
be healthy and she~ld always exist In
every country. That u entirely . dif
f-reut thing from permitting Ne people
Of every nation sadsr sAe IN To dump
their snrplss farm prodnss into this
country and - d1se1rb md ru'a The
markets Of oar eva fsrnaS.
But why do yos ne traders - NE
thr ausstios, Yss olalM tAAf the levy
ing Of dssy 90 - article tnBs2 increases
the price Of that article. I behevs the
price Of farm preaue0 hns been tos low
in this country fsr he ,ast 6~e yesrs-
Yea win sdnnie. Win yos Rs<. - IN
srsscis 49, Be 10 cheap Wcch yoz
sos liks 10 do sssnsahiAg 10 sassts Ne
farmers 10 ges . bsssvw pvsns for t'sssr
grain sad horses sd hnas Whs< sAvs
ysuw ei1b' Tia nsKs.tsy IN ssssspts
20 AID shers fxsusss ~ GIVING thea con
troll Of cur hn4e narb~A Are - m
farer II tat - no Whnx ~ she
Brssss Qssse$rs siss' wosh yss hks
IN Dc sayshfxg 49, vsajd give 49,.
s>swe~s rsfsec
IT, pssrs II fsrnsr's pvcs>rA A~A>-
vsln~s ~ ws9sa The eo~~anss sast~ty
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