The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-09-26
FARMERS And TARIFF
Home Demand Supplies the Chief
Market for Agricultural
Products.
WHERE THEIR INTEREST LIES.
Effect of Curtailing the Purchasing
Power of the Men Employed
in Factories

We export about one-third of the
wheat grown in the United States either
in the form of flour or of wheat. We
export only about ) per cent. of our
corn crop. The expectation of other
grain is rs a rule trifling in quantity, al
though the very low price of oats for the
past two years. owing to heavy produc-
ton and falling of in the home de-
mand for consumption 10y street rail
way horses and driving horses. has led
10 considerable foreign movement in
this grain. or our meats we probably
export about 10 per cent. although exact
statistics are not available on this point
These figures are sufficient to make il
PLAIN To the intelligent farmer that the
home market is his great market. and
that any causes which reduce the. home
demand for provisions directly injure the
farming interest.
Besides the staple articles of grain and
meat there are II multitude of farm
products for which there is no market at
all except the home market. This in
cludes the whole range of perishable
fruits and vegetables and also includes
10 very great extent the dairy products
Othcr important items are poultry and
eggs. All thrifty farmers know the value
OF home markets for such articles as
these, and know, too, that much of the
proht of farming comes from the minor
productions of the farm.
If we are to have increased homo CON
sumption of farm products we must have
labor generally employed, and at fair
wages. in the towns and cities. To keen
labor well employed il is absolutely cs-
scntial under the present conditions that
we should have protective duties upon
q large range of foreign-made articles.
Il = lnnUNr t.s Of
about which intelligent men dispute. Ii
was held for time by the advocates of
free trade that the superior intelligence
OF the average American workingman and
the superior quality of the machinery he
used would be sufficient protection to
insure our own markets for our own
manufactured products. This is n de-
fusion which no intelligent man now ad-
vocatcs. The extension of commerce by
steamship lines all over the world, the
laying of submarine telegraph cables.
the worldwide habit of travel the cheap.
ness and convenience of Transportation.
and the general spread of intelligence
by newspapers has put the entire civ
llizcd and semi-civilized globe in close
business relations. Our ingenious labor.
saving machines are being introduced
into China and Japan. and no important
Improvement Is made in inventions in
tins coutry that is not Immediately
known in all parts of Europe. The skill
and producing capacity of the mechanics
and operatives of other countries are
constantly being increased by the sharp
ness of competition aud by the introduce
ton OF new methods and machinery.
Labor all over the world is tending to n
common level
Now the thoughtful farmer will readily
see that II we were To keep M the abil-
" Of our own shop and factory popula-
ton TO consume his product in liberal
quantities We must maintain an excep.
uonal rate ot wages. Ii through guch
trec-tradc legislation as Mr.. BRYAN and
his followers advocate we are to lower
our American wagc-earning popuIation IN
the standards of living prevailing Ina tho
manufacturing countries which comnetc
with Us, then there would be great
surplus Of farm products I'm this co,IttrN
Tor which there would bc no home mar.
ket. We must put up n tariff wall TO
Keep out Hood OF such articles rs we
manufacture ia our own country, or We
VIII soon be dcluged with cheap wares
and fabrics fran fannn anI China M