St. Paul daily globe., 1895-03-21
THE GERMAN AGRARIANs.


THE GERMAN AGRARIANS.
The movement in Germany, be-
ginning in 1879, for the increase of
duties on foreign meat and other
farm products, which took the form
Of prohibition of meats in 1883, and
which recently found expression in
the renewal of tariff and other OBJ
stacles, is one that is of both an alb
stract and concrete interest to our
farmers. In 1883 it cut the price of
pork in half and it now promises to
effect a great reduction in all meat
products. The movement against i'm
ports of our cottonseed oil is in the
same source, both being concessions
made to the junkers, or landed
proprietors of Germany, located for
the most part in the eastern part of
the empire. Of these Bismarck is a
type, and with them he has always
been in sympathy.
The reason of this movement is
found in the social conditions pre-
Vailing among them, and which is
taking no part and having none of
the necessities pressing them that
are driving their more aristocratic
and wealthy fellow agrarians to
seeking governmental relief The
Junker is an aristocrat. Trade and
manufacturing are beneath him. He
is statesman. His sons go into the
army or the civil service In either
the compensation is inadequate to
maintain the style of living becoming
young junker. The home farm
must supply the defic;. In addition
to these charges the law of entail,
which gives the farm to the eldest
son, brings others. The younger chill
dren must be paid out their shares
of the value of the estate. The con-
venient money-leuder furnishes the
needful means, securing himself by
a mortgage. Between the dependent
sons and the interest charges the
income of the estate is taken up
and poor crops may add more debt.
Then came the inevitable appeal
to the government for these indus
tries for protection from the west
ern competition that was cheapen-
ing the produce and reducing in
come below the outgo point. The
scale of expenditure must be kept
up and the government must en-
able it to be done. Bismarck, in the
boat with them, sympathetic with
thnn1 n Of
of protection. The stimulation of
beet sugar-making by bounties on
product and export was inaugu-
rated.
The inevitable result followed
there as everywhere. With increase
of income came increase of outgo.
The bounties adding to the value
Of the product, reacted in an in
creased land value. This enabled an
increase of the mortgagable margin.
For while the farmers basked in
prosperity. Protection was vindi-
Gated to them by it's results. They
and the American manufacturer wor-
SHIPPED the State. Protection was
holier than the bull Apis. The Ger
man free trader was a crank; worse,
he was an enemy of the nation. But
the end of the dance came. Under
the stimulation of the bounty the
export of sugar became enormous.
Home consumption was discour-
aged by increased price. France,
pursuing ithe same mad course,
poured her surplus sugar on the
worlds markets. England quit re-
fining, content to let her neighbors
make cheap sugar for her. The
United States alone ventured to fol-
low the foolish course, and tried to
make their peoples sugar dear.
The foreign price of sugar inevita-
bly, fell. The junkers attributed it
to everything but the naural cause.
The characterization of silver is
grasped by them there as it is here
by those similarly circumstanced.
The income diminished with the fall
In sugar prices. The outgo kept up.
Land values shrank. The junker
was in trouble again. The effect of
the stimulant was gone; there must
De more StlmulantS. protection of
sugar had run around it's vicious
circle and ended in disaster. There
must be more protection. And so it
is discovered that American meats
are unhealthy, and under the thin
guise of guarding the health of the
poor, dear people, imposts must be
raised and importations stopped or
checked. Then, too, the dairy inter-
ests found that the poorer classes,
shut out from butter by the protect
ed prices, were taking to substitute
butter, and cottonseed oil was used
in making it, and so up go the bars
against that competitor. And so the
folly runs on in augmenting meas
ure to the crash that is as inevita-
bic as the inflow Of the ocean tides.