St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-02-02
THAT BAILEY HUMBuG.


statistics that do not statist. gathered by
our assessors and tabulated by the as
sistant secretary of state, and which are
not considered worthy of credence by
those who know the perfunctory, hap
hazard way in which they are obtained,
lie Wove an argument establishing the
benefits accruing to our farmers through
the benign effects of the tax of 80 cents
a bushel on Canadian barley.
There is no dispute that the effect Of
that increase of tax was to stimulate the
production of barley. There are always
a sufficient number of gullible persons
who believe that the government can
give them something for nothing, and
the farmers nave as large a number of
these as any other class. Partly 10 this,
and in part TO the necessity OF some
rotative crop. there has been large in
crease in the barley output in this
country.
But the question that concerns the
farmer, the practical question to him, is
not whether more barley is raised as
result of McKinleyism, but has it raised
the price to him? If the price has re-
manned unchanged, or if it is lowered,
he will not be able to appre ciate the
advantage of law which stimulates
product, but not prices. In fact. it may
dawn on him as he ponders the complex
problem. that prices would have been
better had the product not increased,
and that, therefore, the act has operated
disadvantageously to him.
Tho HhopIoS Ti,poc nuhIichod in
Mr.. Tawney's county, says that, taking
grade for grade, there has been very
little change in the price of barley for
eight years. But the grades have been
changed so that 1t takes better quality
of barley to grade No. 2 now than be-
fore, and the effect of this is to give the
farmer less price per buShel.
A MankatO correspondent of morn
ing paper comes to Mr.. Tawney's sup
port with another assortment of guesses
and transformation, and sublime con-
fidence in the mental capacity of the
farmers to swallow and digest the stuff.
He assumes ali average yield Of forty
bushels to the acre. which is nearly
twice the average, to demonstrate the
proftableness of barley as compared
with wheat, but makes the serious ad.
mission that this year. because the crop
last year was off-eolor. the price has
fallen from so and So cents to 35 aud 40
cents bushel. This is precisely the
difference between barley grown in the
states and that in Canada. Climatic
conditions. that no Mckinley bill can
obviate, makes the domestic barley
nearly always off color and exempt the
Canadian barley from this defect. But
Of what use is the tax of 80 cents a
bushel on Canadian barley unless it
equaliZeS these climatic conditions and
cOmpensateS our farmers for their dis
advantage?
Another absurd statement is that the
price in Buffalo is 53 cents buShel, and
that therefore the Canadian farmer gets
only % cents bushel for his barley
This assumes too much. 1t assumes
that the Canuck farmer has no market
but ours, or 1t assumes that he is such a
fool that he will sell his grain in the
cheapest market. In fact. he does no
such thing, and is no such a goose. The
English grain papers have noted the
immense increase of Canadian barley
received in that country since 1890,
which shows that the Canadian farmer
has found market where he Will have
to pay no tax. Ii he sells at Oswego or
Buffalo he gets the American price
for his barley. and the American
maltster pays the tax, recouping it by
exporting the beer made from it and
getting back from the treasury 90 per
cent of the tax.
Another uncalculated effect, showing
how laws of trade operate to counter
hostile legislation, is that this country
is now large exporter Of barley. It is
automatic that the price of the surplus
exported fixes the price of the whole
domestic product. In stimulating the
production McKinleyism has forced our
barley out in competition with all other
barley in the common markets OF the
world, where it meats on common COM
petitive ground. AS long as we did not
raise enough for home consu mption, a
tax OH imports might have an effect to
raise prices, but when we pass that
point and send out surplus it loses all
power to affect prices and leaves them
subject to the competition OF the central
markets Of distribution.
This barley tax illustrates the opera
ton of protection, its uselessness, its
harmfulness and its utter inefficacy as
means of getting something for nothing.
1t is another object lesson teaching the
farmers the futility of class legislation
for themselves, and should stiffen them
in their demand that all such laws,
whether pretentiously in their interest
! or that of others, should be repealed
| and never re-eAacted
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