The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1894-08-16
FREE RAW MATERIAL
WHAT IT MEANS TO THE AMER.
ICAN FARMERS.
How Our Cotton and Wool Growers will
be Made to Compete with the Barbar-
isns Of the Orient-Our M0ngrel None
tory System.


Do our farmer readers realize what
free raw material means to them? If
there is protection in tariff, and both
oil parties claim that there is: One
claims that the tariff protects Ameri-
can labor, allowing the manufacturer
TO get better price for his goods.
and therefore to pay better price to
his workmen, the other that it enables
the manufacturer to get more for his
goods, which the great body of con-
sumers must pay, and which excess
goes to the benefit of the manufacturer
and not to the labor employed in the
manufacture. One calls his tariff Il
tariff for protection; the other calls
his tariff for revenue; both agree
that taking the tariff of decreases tn
price of the article, and putting tariff
on increases the price.
Free raw material, then, which MIR.
Cleveland declares to DC the tunda-
mental idea of u Democratic tariff,
means much to the American farmer.
especially to the American producer OF
cotton and wool. Take the item of
cotton, which has not been very much
talked about. American manufacture
our cotton growers have exhausted
their capacity, and are getting re-
munera,ive price for all they can pro-
ducc. and yet the mills need cotton
which the home growers cannot sup
ply, then cotton would he n proper ar
ticlc for the free list.
The fuct is that American cotton
production has not even approached
its limit. and the present price paid
for it in competition with foreign i'm
portations, is below the American cost
Of production-a beggarly five or six
cents u pound. Yet says MIR. Cleve-
land, cotton is u raw material and
must be placed upon the free list SO
that the barbarians OF the Orient may
come in competition with the Demo
cratic &! growers of cotton in the
south, thus running their great indus
try. and paralyzing the strongest arm
of their grand country.
But how much of foreign cotton is
brought in competition with the
American article? The Chicago Inter
Ocean refers us to page 2lS, United
States Treasury abstract for 1893, for
tn. following figures ns the imports OF
raw cotton for the years named:
-ll.i so pounds. OF which 776, 4S3 pounds
were imported Tor reshipinent IS raw ma
teriai.
l>,l-a. ilv 40 pounds. OF which i."lO.576 were
exported ~ raw material.
iNvi-:ONa.Sl1 pounds. OF which AT. ~ were
exported as raw material.
ISy.-.s ,'a2 ,ba pounds. OF which 1877 were
, exported AZ raw material.
iSy3 ~. NJ. ,V55 bounds. " which UOGG we're
exported ~ raw material
Note the constant increase of this
inflow of foreign cotton. This is slim
ulnted much by the demonstration
and chenpening Of silver, another inn
portnnt American product. but il it is
true that putting an article on the
FREQ list cheMpens it, as both old par
ties declare. free raw material must be
D direct blow, and hard one. mt the
American cotton grower. 1t is ut tho
very same time AS much a protection
to tho cotton manufacture as would be
the laying of All increased tariff upon
manufactured cotton goods. and is u
fur m.aner method of doing it, be-
cause it makes the cotton grower pay
it NJ der cover, instead Of leaving it to
be paid 10y the consumer of cotton
goods.
An analysis of the countries from
which this foreign cotton comes. shows
that we are building up the industries
Of countries in which We have no inter
est, and ut the same time destroying
our own. From the United States
commerce and navigation report for
1892. We learn that 1923. 1?5 pounds
come from Great Britain. having no
doubt been first shipped from British
possessions i'll India. Australia and
Africa. and thence to the American
mills i'll free competition with our
southern fields. Nearly 1900. 200
pounds come from Turkey and Egypt
nearly 2.0OO.O 900 pounds come from
Peru. and the remainder comes in
small lots from South American states
and from the islands OF the Pacific.
The position We take on the tariff is
this: Ii one class of our people be
protected by y tariff tax, all other
classes should he protected in like
pro, orilon. If the farmer and planter
must pay bonus to the manufacturer
of the clothing h. wears and of the
the other articles he consumes. lei
him have the benefit of 4 correspond
ms protection on the raw material he
produces. 1t may bc argued that the
producer. who is largely the wearer OF
the manufactured goods will add the
protection accorded the raw material
to the selling price. But this arsu-
ment is not conclusive. for the pro
Queer OF the raw material may manage
to buy less and sell more. and thus es-
cape the tax, and leave it for tn.
weather., who buy without selling. to
pay. And We have very good reason
to believe that to prevent this is tn.
free raw material idea-it compells tn,
seller to bear the burden rather than
the buyer. and makes it impossible TO
the producer to avoid the tax.
This is tariff with free raw materia
for basis.-Progressive Farmer.
Our Mongrel Monetary System.
/ am, rs Democrat and citizen
says u correspondent of the Southern
Morcury forever OOuOSpI 10 using fh