Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-07-03
CANADIAN CONTRIBUTION TO
THE TARIFF DISCUSSION.

In the Standstead Jo urnal of last week,
we find an argument for Protection by
ian Old Tory of the Province of Que
bee. 1t was written, primarily, for the
readers of the Dominion, but the argu-
ment is so pat, and, withal, so unique,
that we give our readers the benefit of
it's perusal. He says:
The free trader tells us that it is the
competition of the Russian Moujik (who
knows not the meaning of the word COM
fort), and the Indian Ryot (who can live
upon ii handful of rice per diem and be
happy, which fixes the prices of Cana
dian wheat in Great Britain's markets.
He also tells us that protection does not
benefit the farmers, because the price of
his products is fixed by the competition
of the whole world, and consequently he
is forced to sell at free trade prices.
This, by the way, is just the Southern
idea as told to our townsman, Col. DIN
Scott, and to which we referred recently.
Free trade prices are such as will keep a
Russian Moujik and an Indian Ryot pro-
ducing wheat; a western ranchman
whose ideas of comfort are satisfied by
an occasional spree, producing beef; and
the dairymaids of Denmark and Sweden
producing butter, for the magnificent re-
ward of fifteen dollars year. What
free trade means to the farmer who
grows wheat for living, is the comforts
of the Russian Moujik and the Indian
Ryot; for the farmer who produces beef,
the comforts of western cowboy; for
those who furnish the dairy products,
fifteen dollars year and board and lodg-
ing. What free trade means to the farm
ers who have become civilized and are
-,
they compete with seml-civilized farm
ers in the markets of the world they
must sell their products at the price
which satisfies theil semi-civilized COM
petitors, and that price will be such as
will allow them to live only in a semi
civilized manner. There is no doubt
about the fact that competition fixes
prices, and there is also no doubt about
the fact that the prices received will fix
the standard of living for the producer.
Under free trade policy the semi-civil-
lied portions of the world have fixed the
standard of living for our farmers, and
all that is left for it to do is to fix the
standard for our artisans. Our farmers
who wish to enjoy all the blessings to be
derived from free trade policy must
make up their minds to live upon as low
a scale of comfort as their competitors
who fix the price of their products, and
our artisans who think that they can en-
Joy all the blessings of civilization while
maintaining a policy which is degrading
the civilized farmer will yet discover
that what degrades the farmer degrades
them. There is no more difficulty under
free trade policy of using the semi
civilized artisans of Asia to fix the stand
ard of living of the civilized artisan,
than there is in using that same kind of
competition to degrade the farmer.
Free trade prides itself on not handicap
ping the foreign competition, conse-
quently free trade is the ally of semi
| civilization, and by its action shows that
as far as lies in its power, it will aid its
war upon civilization. The kind of civ
ilization which free trade will give us, is
such as flourishes in India and Russia.
The toilers will be degraded to the low
est level upon which it is possible fol
them to exist, and the wealthy will find
their pleasure in the qualification OF
their senses. The interest of the artisan
is identical with that of the farmer. If
the farmer prospers the artisan will share
in that prosperity, and there can be nc
permanent prosperity of the artisan
which is not based upon prosperous ag
riculture, and there cannot be any pros
porous agriculture under a free trade
policy.