Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1893-10-25
Secretary Morton to Farmers.

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of the fact that he is secretary of agri
culture, was invited to address the
congress of agricultureit was suppos
ed that he would say something con
corning the relations of the govern
ment to agriculture and detail what
the department over which he pre-
sides was doing for it's advancement
Instead of making such a practical
talk he saw fit to deliver a free trade
stump speech on the tariff, as full OF
errors and misleading statements as
Democratic speeches usually are. AT
ter reclting certain platitudes regard,
ing the danger of a debased cur.
rency, with a ponderous solemn
ity which indicates a close study oil
the style of Grover Cleveland, he asks
% series ofquestions which The Inter
Ocean takes pleasurein giving an even
wider circulation than the secretary
could have hoped to secure. At the
same time it volunteers to supply the
information of which the cabinet Of
ficer stands IN need. He says:
Tell me why farmers should not
be growing and selling at profit of
twice as much grain as is now in sight
in the United States? sit not because
their natural world market is shut
off from them by law? Has not leg
islation brought the price of wheat
down to IS cents ? Does not every
dollars worth of imports kept out
by a protective tariff keep in q dol
lars worth of export grain that would
otherwise leap to 60 out? Would
not the farmer under q decent COM
mercial freedom be growing three dol
lars worth of products where he is
now growing only one because a
worlds market is a great deal wider
than woefully restricted home mar
ket?
l. Farmers should not double their
grain production, because there is no
demand for such an increase either at
home or abroad. The world needs
just SO much wheat for food, and any
excess over requirements means lower
prices. If we should grow all that
the world needs it would be because
we could sell it lower than any other
producer. If our farmers will volun-
tarily degrade themselves to the
plane Of the fellahs of Egypt or the
ryots of India. who live on the cheap
grains and seeds our farmers now
feed their cattle, they can feed the
world. Is Secretary Norton ready
to advise paying this price for the
privilege Of feeding the world ?"
2. "The market Of the world" is an
airy phantom of the free-tradeb brain.
Aside from wheat, cotton and tobac-
co, there is practically no market
abroad for our agricultural products.
Taken as whole, not more than 10
per cent. of our farm production is
wanted abroad. Every nation seeks
to supply its own wants, and until
the people Of the world can sit in idle
ness we can only sell them what nat
ural limitations prevent their pro-
ducing for themselves. The markets
of the moon are quite as valuable
and just about as accessible as the
free traders "markets of the world"
3. The main reason for the low
price Of wheat is the fact that pro-
duction IN recent years has been over
taking consumption. Just now it is
held down by failure of the senate,
under control of Secretary Morton's
party, to enact legislation which the
country demands, and threats to
enact that which is not wanted.
4. The tariff does not keep in the
country a single ounce of wheat. We
sell now just what is needed abroad,
and no legislation will increase the
capacity of the human stomach.
Great Britain buys of us just what
she needs, if she can get it cheaper
here than elsewhere. If we are to sup
ply a larger portion of the world re-
quirement it will be because we
are willing to sell grain cheaper
than Russia, India, or Argentine
Inter Ocean,