The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-06-29
THE FARMER SLAUGHTERED.
Tariff Reductions Favoring Foreign Com
petffors.

T.rin Reductions F.voring Foreign Com
petftors-
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
Talorem 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 so to % per cent; Wilson
rates are 30 per cent Mckinley
rates on cattle ranged from IL to 50
per cent; Wilson rates are 20 per cent.
Duties on sheep have been reduced
slightly to 20 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 s. to 30 per
cent, although barley malt, in the in
terest of the maltsters, is increased
from SO to 40. and manufactured bar
ley, pearled or hulled. is also increased
from 10 to 80. Buclxwheat is reduced
from 81 to 90 per cent; corn from 90 to
90; corn meal from 25 to 30; macaroni
from 80 to 20: oats from 80 to 20; oat-
meal from is to Is. 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 liz per cent. on the cleaned
article, the reduction is moderate and
leaves the duty at 81 per cent. Tn
cleaned rice is reduced from Ga to 40
per cent, but manufactured rice Is
left unchanged. Rye also is left I'M
changed, doubtless through the
whisky interests influence, while rye
-four receives one of the few increases
from to 90 per cent. Wheat is prac-
ticaIly unchanged, bu. wheat flour is
reduced from % 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
beans from 65 to Al per cent; prepared
pease, beans and mushrooms from 40
to 30; hay from 43 to 20; honey from As
to 90; hops from 80 to 20; onions from
81 to 20; pease, both dried and split, are
slightly increased: but potatoes are re-
duced from So to 80; hnseed and fax
seed from % to Is; all vegetables not
especially provided for from IS to 80.
Wool of all grades. in another sched-
ule. is placed upon the free list In
is cut in two
The duty on grapes is left practically
unchanged, but plums are reduced
from II to 80 per cent: raisins from 81
to so; apples from "a to 90; dried APP
pies from ~ to 20; live poultry from 81
to 30; dressed poultry from "a to 20;
dandelion root from 10 to 80; vinegar
from % to 20.
Taking the entire agricultural sched-
ule the reduction of duties averages
from 80. 81 per cent. to 2a.3s 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 in 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 20 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