The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1896-10-16

And That Is Protective Legislation Which
VIII Keep Out the Foreign Comp etitors
of the American Farmer-Free Coinage
of silver viii Not DO 1t.
The farmer needs better markets, the
wage Garner more general employment.
the manufacturer more consumers, and
the railroad managers more tons Of
freight to carry.
By the German tariff act, which Mr..
Bryan supported because 1t was a
movement toward the original free
trade which he advocated as vehe-
mently as he now does the cause of the
silver miners, the farmers have lost
a considerable part of the markets they
had control Of in 1892. The wool in
dustry has been ruined. Canada, un-
der q half duty, crowds its way into
all the cities along the border, causing
a decline in demand and price. The ad
valorem duty on cattle and cheap
horses has stimulated their importa-
ton from Mexico so that tens of thou
sands come into Texas at the present
time where practically none reached
our markets in 1892. For poultry.
eggs and other articles Canada COM
petes under lower duties, depressing
ting the American producer out by as
much as the Canadian producer sells.
Furthermore, the American farmer
has lost thousands of consumers
through their incapacity to purchase.
The consumption of wheat in the Unit
ed States in 1892 was 1856, 1912 bushels,
but during 1894 and 1895 the average
consumption for the two years was
only 274, 579,673 bushels. Here is fall
ing off in the home consumption of
wheat of 112,153,051 bushels a year.
There being no market for this wheat
at home it was exported to Europe to
crowd the already well-stocked market
and depress prices. If that wheat could
have been consumed at home the price
would have been as high as in 1890,
1891 and 1892. The summary of the
Pennsylvania bureau of statistics for
1895 shows that 3S1 establishments en-
ployed in 1894, 1921, and in 1895, $780,
725 hands, against 140, $50 in 1892. These
figures show the incapacity of wage
earners to purchase. Here is an aver
age loss of 1902 men in the last two
years, compared with 1892. This means
that 1874 per cent. of the men employed
in 1892 were idle in 1894-5. The wages
which the 140,S3S employees received in
1892 was $6S, ,2S7, while the average
of the amount paid for wages in 1894
and 1895 was $51, 1856, 291-a loss of $751;
285, 291, or of "a per cent, which Is al
most one-fourth. In 1890 4,712,662 men
and women were employed by manu-
featuring establishments, and they
were paid $2,2S3, 216,529 in wages If
1914 per cent. of that number were idle
it would mean that $4,000 men and
women who were in the factories in
1890 were idle in 1894 and 1895, under
the present tariff. If the wages earned
in these years was 20 per cent. less in
stead of "a, as shown in Pennsylvania,
it means that the factory people had
an average of s456, 643, 300 less in 1894
and 1895 to spend for food and shelter
than in 1890 and 1892.
Thus it appears that the farmer has
lost his market to outsiders in part,
and in part because over 100000 men
in the factories, with 100000 people
depending on them, have lost their en-
ployment, and the aggregate of wages
with which they purchase has been re-
duced s45000O.00O year in round num-
bers.
How will the farmer regain these
consumers and the wage Garner those
WageSI by the Tree anu uniIIuiteu
coinage of silver bullion? Has farmer
or wage Garner or manufacturer any
Of this bullion? Not an ounce. How
then can it restore the markets which
free wool growers, Canadian farmers
and Mexican ranchers have seized?
No one can tell Can free coinage
start the factories? Not one in a hun
dred of the manufacturers Of the
fxxrx 6vaft n a
they predict that free silver will close
those now running.
There is but one remedy, and that is
such protective legislation as will keep
out the foreign competitors of the
farmer and secure the home markets
to home observation-disclosures
Ioi1rtnal