Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1894-01-06
PLo1rINe.
Efforts Of High Tariff Organs to Humbu
The rarmera.

the Farmers.
The high-tarif press Is still trying
| to "fool the farmer" by telling him
that a reduction of the high Mckinley
| duties on certain farm products would
put him IL the poorhouse. A Vermont
paper SAYS that ''all over the state live
stock may be bought at panic prices"
and that good young horses trained to
work are quoted in many localities ut
$50 to $40 per head" Low prices for
other products are mentioned, and then
the farmers are asked Ito figure out at
their leisure" how much more deplor-
able their condition will be under the
tariff proposed by the Wilson commit
tee. We recently pointed out that
many OF the duties On agricultural
products. such as wheat and corn and
pork and lard, were shams from either
a protective or a revenue point Of view,
and were known to be shams by the
tariff makers who imposed them. Let
us see what there is to be said about
these good young horses" that are
quoted In Vermont at $3.50 to 40 per
head"
We suspect that our contemporary in
Vermont is not familiar with the pro-
visions of the tariff concerning horses.
The duty Is $50 for a horse worth less
than $3.50 and so per cent. for a horse
worth that sum or more. How has it
come about that under the benign In
tiuence of this high tariff tthe duty
vas very largely increased by the Nc
Kinley act the price OF good young
horses has fallen In Vermont to $50 or
s4OP And II this very high duty did
not prevent the price from falling be-
low the price prevailing under the old
tariff In 1889 or 1890, how does our con
temporary know that the restoration Of
the old duty of 30 per cent, as provided
by the Wilson bill, would prevent the
price from rising to the old figures?
The official reports show how much
the horses imported from Canada are
worth. The average value was s102 in
1892; in 1891 it was s103; and IN 1850, a
year before the duty was increased by
the Mckinley act, it was 500. So 1t will
be seen hat the change of duty has
had practically no effect upon the i'm
port trade in horses from Canada, so
far as the value of the animals is con.
cerned. The Canadian horse that was
brought into the country last year,
like the Canadian horse that was i'm
ported four years ago, Is a horse worth
about 800. II good young horses
can be bought in Vermont for $50 or
s4O, why should anyone In that state
look forward with alarm to an impend-
ing flood" Of Canadian horses worth
sl00 apiece before the duty is paid?
The duty at present would increase the
cost to $3.50, and the Wilson duty
would make 1t tl9O. Even If the price
OF the native good young horse
should be increased from $50 or s4O'
to 800. it would still be lower than the
cost Of the imported Canadian horse.
The truth Is that the high duty on
Canadian horses is a burdensome tax
upon farmers in many parts Of New
England who have been accustomed to
buy horses from that country for use
in teamwork. Our contemporary in
Vermont also processes to be depressed
by the probability that the enactment
of the Wilson bill will cause the New
England market to be crowded with
Canadian grain This is wholly IN
sincere. 1t ia the grain from our own
western states with which the New
England farmer must compete, and not
the grain of Canada. 1t Is the western
corn that is selling now at Chicago for
80 cents q bushel.-N. Y. Times.