New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-10-04
Mr. ArK1NsoN's PREFERABLE LOGIC.
THE FArI.ACY OF HIS RECENT DELlNEKANoE'
EXPOSED BY AN ENGLISH ECO
NoMIC WRITER.


EXPOSED BY AN ENGLISH ECO
NoMc WRITER.
To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir. Tho Iarus face OF the American free-trader
has sreouantlv attracted your attention Al nome
vour tariff system is held up to your western iti"
ers As mere record of public plumber. lhey are
assured that they have to sell what they produce al
half-price In a market controlled by rings anu
trusts while they have to buy what they consume AT
4o,,be nrces in order that your manufacturers may
bloodsuck and fatten inside your tariff fence. On
the other hand. the American free-trader aoroau
depicts the prosperity OF the American farmer as
the greatest show on earth Instead OF the price OF
what he produces being low and what ne consumes
high II is lust the other way and the Arcaiian de-
This of the millionaire farmers Of Dakota and
Kansas great creditor class. it now appears-are
wear after year portrayed to US By Edward Atkinson
In colors as o. FURNISHED brass until the wonder
grows that our hapless farmers AMI mbecile WORK
ing classes 10 emigrate IN nody 10 De apso'O'u
In your great protected community
The latest ucubratiCu from the pen Of MI Akin
son YOU viii find in THE London statist' Of Sep
tember : and The statst' in a grave and critical
editorial swallows II whole. while presenting the
gentleman from Boston to It's readers as AN Amer
lean statistician OF high authority. And THIS Is
what Mr. Atkinson declares has followed from your
protective system Of the last twenty-five years
The intention OF his communication is to deny that
American farm prices have fallen. and, by Jumping
together indiscriminatey maize, wheat and oats in
millions OF bushels he shows that the value OF this
strange composite bushel has steadily risen in value
in prairie States from ~ cents in 1870 70 nearly
20 cents to-day Mr. Atkinson thus sums up this
farmers position and let Kansas and Dakota make
"A note OF IL:
We have absolute proof that lower prices tat the
point OF consumption have been brought about by
from the Mississippi valley to Great Britain on the
other hand. II the prices OF textile fabrics, metallic
tools and implements and almost everything else that
the Western farmer buys are taken At the points of
distribution, II VIII appear that there mas been an
cent 's'O'''0" since 1870 o' more ina" d" per
50 that. according to that gospel light which
shines from Boston the Western farmer
gets good a price for what he sells twenty
five years since the while h. Is paying only half
much for wat he buys Such the results
declared by a tree-trade Democrat to have taken
Place within your high tariff area. Let now
take the official figures Of the Government Of
New South Wales community whore direct tax
alton Is more exclusively direct" than even in
free-trade England Mr.. Coghlan. the official stat
istican Of that Government. has shown in a
cent publication that az the level OF prices prevail
Ing In S72 The exports o. that debtor colony which
last year aggregated SS0.o0~o. would have fetched
$500 Co0. while tae Imports which cost *@eJlUQ
would. at the price lev. ~ ISL have cost SSt@0oo0
Thus The balance against this free-trade community
is f6'oooGo or about $50 per capita, out of a total
annual wealth product OF only sl0i PR head OF
only as reliable as the agures Of the New south
Wales Government. while We should be likely TO
hear very little OF free trade in the United
states an era OF protection would be at hand Tor
the colony Of New South Wales.
CdndOr. however. Ob,iges me 70 admit that Mr..
Atkinson. not FOR the first time. has led Us forward
to a mares He has Jumped together in thou
sands % millions OF bushels. wheat. oats and maze.
three commodities. the cost OF producing winch is
very unequal. being perhaps 81 cents for wheat and
Is for naiZa. and by comparing prOpOrtiOnately
more wheat and less maze in $50 with more maze
and less wheat in 1894 he H. able 90 that
his tab.e proves conclus!vely' that gold has not
appreciatedr' IL Is though said. "LO
sold lc1 bushels % potatoes and pneapples In 1870
for 300 and again 100 bushels of plneapples and
potatoes in 1895 for 500 arga gold has deprecated;
there has been rise In prices but the good boy
from the Boston Board school would perchance
reply: MY friend. your figures are lnterest.ng but
did YOU have fixed ratio at the two dates you
corr pare between the volume ~ your pineapples
and the volume Of your potatoes"
fear that President Clevelands mOnOmetallc
emissary to teach us benGhted Brtishers that
there is no virtue IN currency reform. has again
blundered badly even more badly than last year
MORETON FREWEN
Levens Hall Nilnethorpe. Sept 49, 1895.