Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1896-10-08
FARMERS and TARIFF
Home Demand Supplies the Chief
Market for Agricultural
Products
WHERE THEIR INTEREST LIES.
Effect Of CurtaiIing 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 -four or of wheat. We
export only about 5 per cent. of our
corn crop. The expectation of other
grain is AS II rule trining In quantity, al
though the very low price of oats for the
past two years, owing to heavy produc-
ton and falling off In the home de-
mnnd for consumption by street rail
way horses and driving horses, has led
to n considerable foreign movement In
this grain. OF our meats we probably
export about 10 per cent, although exact
statistics are not available on this point.
These figures are sufficient To make II
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.
Resides 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 pcrishable
fruits and vegetables. and also includes
to a very great extent the dairy products.
Other important items are poultry aud
eggs. All thrifty farmers know the value
of home markets for such articles ms
these. and know, too. that much of the
profit of farming comes from the minor
productions of the farm.
If we are to have increased home con-
sumption of farm products we must have
labor generally employed, and at fair
wages. in the towns and cities. To keep
labor well employed il is absolutely cs-
sential under the present conditions that
we should have protective duties upon
n large range Of foreign-made articles.
This is no longer matter OF theory,
about which intelligent men dispute. 1t
was held for a time 10y 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 IA sufficient protection to
insure our own markets for our own
manufactured products. This is a de-
fusion which no intelligent man now nd
vocates. The extension of commerce by
stea fnship lines all over the world the
LAYING of submarine telegraph ca les
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
iIlzed 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
this coutry that is not Immediately
known in all parts of Europe. The skill
and producing capacity of the mechanics
u
constantly being increased by the sharp
ness Of competition and by the introduc
ton of new methods and machinery
Labor all over the world is tending to q
common level
Now the thoughtful farmer will readily
see that if we were to keep up the abili.
ty of our own shop and factory popula
ton 10 consume his product in liberal
| quantities we must maintain an excep
tional rate of wages. If through such
! free-trade legislation as Mr., Bryan and
| his followers advocate we are to lower
| our American wage-earning population tc
the standards of living prevailing in thu
/ manufacturing countries which compete
! with us, then there would be a grea
surplus of farm products in this country
/ for which there would be no home mar
! kct. We must put up tariff wall Il
| keep out a food of such articles as W.
manufacture in our own country. or W.
will soon be dclugoi with cheap wares
and fabrics from Japan and China al