The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1893-12-15
A RUINOUS MEASURE.
The Democratic Tariff Bill Will De-
stroy the Profit of Barley
Growing.

The Chicago Board of Trade is send
ing circulars over the Northwest,
showing that the change in the tariff
on barley will destroy that crop in the
Northwest, and urging the recipients
TO circulate a petition to congress to
have the barley rate in the proposed
new tariff bill changed. r. d. Hub
bard & Co. are sending out circulars
to all elevators and mills in this part
of the state upon the subject, which
is one of vital Importance to our farm
ers. If the tariff goes through as pro-
posed, barley raising will be thir
of the past in this section. The
lowing is copy of the Chicago Board
of Trade circular:
IMPORTANT TO BARLEY GROWERS AND
GRAIN DEALERS.
CHICAGO, Dec. l, 1868.
DEAR SIR:-The Ways and Means
committee of the National House of
Representatives., by it's chairman,
Wilson, has just made public the out
lines of a Tariff Bill which 1t is pro-
posed to pass in both houses of con-
gress so That it may become law In
the shortest possible time. Among
the many changes proposed in this
"WilsOn Bill' is one which will very
unfavorably affect the growers OF bar
lev and the trade in that cereal gen
orally, by reducing the import duty
on barley and it's product to nearly
nominal figure, and thereby doing
away with one of the few provisions
Of the present tariff bill which ma
terially and directly benefit the farm
er.
1t is proposed to reduce the import
duty on barley from the existing specific
duty of 3Oc per bushel to an dd UdtOren1
duty of 20 percentum, which, accord
ing to Chairman Wilson's own state
ment, will be equal to about nc. per
bushel. The latter is plainlya fallacy,
as Canada barley has not during sew
eral years past been worth more than
from SOC. to 4Oc. per bushel at home,
which on 20 per centum ad ValOrem
basis means duty of &c. to SC. per
bushel at most. This may be still fur
Their reduced by the under-valuation
so commonly practiced by dealers, SO
that the actual duty cOllectaole is
likely to be as low as &c. per oushei.
To avoid such practices and to pro-
vide market for his barley, 1T is alb
solutely necessary to protect the west
ern farmer by a specific duty nigh
enough to overcome the advantage OF
locality enjoyed by theCanadian farm
er.
The proposed ad valorem charge of
20 percentum will reduce the duty to
looU and uncertain figures, and, open our
gates for a flood of Canadian barley
and it's chief product, malt will shut
off all of the heavy eastern demand
and force the western and north
western farmer TO slaughter their
barley at feed prices. No od UdtOren1
duty will roperly protector farmers,
because of the element of uncertainty
connected with it. The duty should
be specific, and nothing else. There
is no denying that the present specific
import duty of SOC. per bushel on bar
ley has opened the eastern market
the largest in the couhtry-to the
great west, and it is equally certain
that to admit 100000 bushels of
Canadian barley on so nearly a free
basis will shut off this eastern demand
as though it had never existed.
Please obtain as many signatures
as possible to the enclosed petition
and forward toyour congressman when
filed. Please use your personal infiu-
ence also with the congressman for
your district and do what you can to
prevent the passage Of the proposed
UBIQUITOUS measure.
Prompt action is absolutely neces-
sary. Yours Respectfully,