Huntsville gazette., 1894-07-07
THE FARMER SLAUGHTERED.
Tarin Reductions Favoring Foreign Com
petitOrs.


Tarir Reductions Favoring Foreign Conn
petitors.
The senate has approved the agri-
cultural schedule of the Wilson bill, as
reported by the finance committee;
and the American farmer has been
ruthlessly slaughtered by the very bill
which extends favors to the trusts and
combines.
Reducing all specific duties to an ad
valorem basis, IN order that compar-
ison may be made between specific
duties, in which the Mckinley law
abounds, and ad valorem duties which
are proportionately as numerous in the
Wilson bill, the extent of the slaugh-
ter is revealed.
On all animals including horses,
mules, cattle, hogs and sheep, heavy
reductions in the tariff duties have
been made Mckinley rates on horses
ranged from 80 to 93 per cent; Wilson
rates are 20 per cent. Mckinley
rates on cattle ranged from 12 to SO
per cent; Wilson rates are 20 per cent.
Duties on sheep have been reduced
slightly to 90 per cent, although wool
is admitted free of duty by the Wilson
bill.
In breadstuffs the Wilson reduction
is equally pronounced. In the case of
barley, the change is from IS to so per
cent, although barley malt, in the in
terest of the maltsters, is increased
from 80 to 40, and manufactured bar
ley, pearled or hulled, is also increased
from TO to 80. Buckwheat is reduced
from 81 to 20 per cent; corn from % to
20; corn meal from 25 to 20; maearoni
from 80 to 20; oats from SO to 20; oat-
meal from IS to 10. While the. moder-
ate protection of the Mckinley law on
these northern products is reduced, in
the case Of the enormous duties on
South Carolina and Louisiana, amount
ing to 112 per cent. on the cleaned
article, the reduction is moderate and
leaves the duty at "a per cent. In
cleaned rice is reduced from Ga to 40
per cent, but manufactured rice is
left unchanged. Rye also is left un-
changed, doubtless through the
whisky interests influence, while rye
-four receives one of the few increases
from to 20 per cent. Wheat is prac-
tically unchanged, but wheat -four is
reduced from 25 to 20 per cent.
All dairy products are cut-butter
from % to 90 per cent; cheese from 43
to 25; condensed milk from "a to %.
Likewise vegetables are reduced
pease, beans and mushrooms from 40
to 30; hay from 43 to 20; honey from As
to 20; hops from SO to 20; onions from
81 to 20; pease, both dried and split, are
slightly increased; but potatoes are re-
duced from 81 to SO; linseed and flax
seed from 23 to 16; all vegetables not
especially provided for from IS to 30.
Wool of all grades, in another sched-
ule, is placed upon the free list. In
still another schedule the duty on fax
is cut in two.
The duty on grapes is left practically
unchanged, but plums are reduced
from A to 30 per cent; raisins from 50
to 30; apples from 54 to 90; dried ap-
Piles from ~ to 20; live poultry from 80
to 20; dressed poultry from 54 to 60;
dandelion root from 40 to 80. vinegar
from 81 to 20.
Taking the entire agricultural sched-
ule the reduction of duties averages
from 3a 80 per cent. to CABS per cent.
These reductions are not in the in
terest of American farmers but rather
of their rivals and competitors prin-
cipally in Canada and also in Austria
liza and other distant parts of the
world. 1t is not claimed that the
American farmers are not competent
to produce all these articles which
have been enumerated in sufficient
supply to meet the American demand;
that they do not sell their products in
open competition with each other;
that they are organized in trusts or
com bines to impose upon consumers.
Indeed, the leading difficulty which
the farmers have experienced i'll their
treatment at the hands of the tariff
smashers is that they are not organ
lied into trusts or combines. Lacking
organization and unable to offer in
ducements of the kind held out by the
sugar, whisky, lead and tobacco
trusts, they receive no favor at the
hands of the tariff smashers, but are
ruthlessly exposed to increased compe-
tition with their foreign competitors
who have the advantage of cheaper
farm labor. The reductions of duties
in the agricultural schedule are Of
serious import not only 10 farmers but
to farm laborers. They mean in
creased importations of the products
of foreign farms and lower prices for
American farm products, lower wages
for American farm laborers and low
cred profits for American farmers
Albany journal.
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