Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-08-01
Stauntol1 Spectator.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST
From the New York Herald, July 25th.l
A Grave Outlook for All Agriculturists-
What Should Farmers and Planters Do !!

From the New York Herald, July 25th.]
A Grave Outlook for All Agriculturists-
What Should Farmers and Planters DO !!
The agricultural situation has rapid
ly assumed very grave aspect. With
the unheard of fall in the price of
wheat since Friday last, together with
the official report of largely increased
wheat-acreage in Argentina-now fast
becoming our rival in foreign wheat
markets-the farmers of the West and
Northwest must be at their wits end
to know how they can make both
ends meet" next year. Almost every
grain crop will bring low prices, and
Southern cotton is not likely to fare
better. A magnificent season in Great
Britain and good crops in Europe will
reduce the foreign demand tor Ameri-
can farm products till 1896.
The Secretary of Agriculture recent
ly sail in the Forum =
Selling in competition with all the
world the most serious drawback TO
y
buying in the home market" whence
all competition of the outside world is
excluded. = 1t is great wrong
upon agriculture to force it to sell in
the free trade markets of the earth,
and then restrict, coerce and bulldoze
it into buying the things which it is
somewhere compelled to purchase in
the United States, whence by the high
protective tariff all competition is abso.
lutelv shut out. Under commercial
freedom the purchasing power OF the
farms yearly produce would buy more
at low price than it can now even at
a high price in a restricted market
which is walled in and guaranteed
competitionless to the protectees."
The Herald showed on Friday and
yesterday by official statistics that the
Mckinley tariff forces up the prices OF
all articles farmers have to buy to
nearly double their value, and the ag-
gregate sum it thus takes every year
from the people as bounty to home
manufacturers and trusts is not less
than $4,000, 100000. If this tariff is not
repealed distress, bankruptcy and ruin
must be more widespread next year
than now, especially among agrlcul-
turists. Should the German tariff-bill
pass some relief will be felt, but the
relief will be slow and scanty.
American agriculture is grooming
under a. mountain of tariff taxation,
and yet every republican Senator and
Congressman opposes the Wilson BILL
which would, if passed, take off 81 ,O0O,-
O0,O0O-a whole billion of dollars-of
taxation from agriculture-a vast sum,
not one cent of which goes into the
Treasury, but all of which is extorted
from farmers and planters to swell the
fortunes of the protected" trusts
The negroes under the old Southern
slave holder were less crushed beneath
the iron heel of despotism than oul
farmers now are under this brutal
''protection." Only free-trade can save
American agriculture from pitiable de-
cadence and disaster. All farmers and
planters should at next November's
elections and now make a hot and
heavy fight against every candidate
for the Legislature or Congress who
has not proved himself fearless and
honest advocate of real tarlff-reforn
and commercial freedom. Let then
by letter and telegram hasten to de
mand of their Senators at Washington
to pass the Wilson bill instead of the
miserable German protection" subter
fuge