Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1894-05-17
THE PROTECTION POT
me FARMER PUTS MUCH IN. SUIT
TAKES NOTHING our.

sition and Asks For Consideration Less
Protection on What Ike Has to Buy Is
What the Farmer Needs.
The following letter was received by
tho ways and means committee last fall.
1t was written by Mr. Datus {. Smith. u
large whCatSrowcr Of Blanchard \. d. {:
"GENT.EMEN-Mmy makers and sell
erS Of goods having Appeared h1toye yuU
with arguments to show why the gov
crnmcut should assist thpm i'll getting
better prices from theiY customers III
the United States than they otherwise
would get will you not consider Sug-
geStion or two from Il buyer: 1t is not
intended by this c0vortly to remind YOU
Of the fact that thorc arc really buyers
as we'll rs sellers of goods i'll this country,
but II is desired seriously to call Your at
tGntiOn to the fact that there IS large
class Of people III this country engaged
Ill agricultural pursuits whose selling
market is the world, Il market governed
by the law of the worlds supply and do
mand, and that all who send their prod
uctS to such market must accept prices
that are quite beyond the jurisdiction Of
the congress Of the United States, l am
aware that this must be we'll known to
oil the members of Your honorable COM
mitteo, but | am led t. believe that it
may emphasize the fact if one whose in-
IL thl,S NtfsNt,,il Sl,,,,1 4
fore You. am engaged in wheat farm
ing i'll North Dakota, and although l do
not present an argument by request !
trust that | shall not miSrrprCScnt the
very large number of people who arc On
gagged in that industry.
Tho great product of our state is
wheat, and it So happens that, owing to
our geographical position III relation to
the great lakes, nearly all of it goes to
Europc-that is, we are raising wheat
very largely for export. This affords an
unusual opportunity for the study of the
selling market for all of our great OK
port crops. In our own case our wheat
finds its way to Europe, there to meet
the streams of wheat from India and
south Russia and Argentine. Mingling
with those whcats and the wheatS of the
importing countries, they all find there
common level of prices Our wheat
must mainly 20 to Europe and must
there meet the prices of the world or else
be dumped into the sea- Let there be "a
marked decline in wheat in India today,
the news outruns the sun, and tomorrow
morning wheat prices drop i'll the re-
hottest corner of the DahotaS. No better
proof that our markets for wheat are
fixed by the world need he given than
is found III the fact that with the small
est crop i'll years the prices of wheat are
the lowest ever known to the trade. 1t
seems pretty clear that, however it may
be with other products and manufac-
lures of the United States, the wheat Of
North Dakota is III direct and unavoid-
able competition with the wheat raised
by the paupcr labor not of Europe alone,
but of Asia rs we'll
Nov, does it require any argument
to show that if the wheat Of the Dako-
tas, the great wheat states Of America,
must accept the worlds prices all other
wheat raised III this country must, grade
for grade and transportation allowed for,
meet the Dakota prices or else remain
unsold? | shall assume that no such ar
gument is needed; but, for the consid-
Grafton of any members of your commit
tee who are not familiar with farming,
! wish to say a word regarding other
crops than those that are exported.
They, too, are generally regulated i'll
their prices by the remuneration found
in the great staple export crops,
The Michigan farmer turns to rails
ing beans and other small crops because
there Is SO little profit in the staple
crops Other farmers become bcangrow-
ers because Of the fine profit they think
the Michigan farmer finds i'll beans, and
bear down the price and the profit to
the level Of other farm products
And SO on through a great list that
might be given are the prices of one crop
after another pressed down to a fair re-
lation with the profit found in the great
staple export crops.
II claim then and it seems as though
men with open minds must accept it us
a fact, that the products Of most farm
crs of the country meet i'll competition
directly or indirectly the products Of the
world and must accept the worlds
prices.
Since you cannot then give us any
efficient protection on what we have to !
sell, we would he very glad if you could |
bring it about that we pay little less |
protection en- what we have to buy. | |
know that his tributc that we pay is for
the alleged good If the country as
whole, but | beg You, gentlemen, to .
look about YOU Soc the wonderful pros
pcrity Of the protected manufacturing ,
interests and th.uthc tladily increasing
lcpr ,sion in agriculture and say if you
think it wise or larri.t,e Or even fair to /
so enhance thcp5ea IF thing, the latter
must buy, c}lII taG the >ahc # general .
Tho country il Indeed pros /
porous, but the farmer has generally to |
90 away from home 10 soc cvideGccs If ii. /
4 am not uuHindful If the arta,-
mcnts Of the manufacturers. Incy en- /
pl4y ]ar,ra .IlfrII4T- 50 M ,va-Ialf If .