Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1896-10-15
NUMBER 9

own paper Of last week, he would, If
he cares a straw for the truth, never
again say that the Wilson tariff has
not hurt the farmers Of America, but
we suppose it is impossible for him
to do SO. His stupidity and super
f~ciality prevents hmm from going
deeply into anv subject.
Let us take his figures and see
what they show. In 1891, the num-
Der of cattle imported into the q. S.
free of duty was 2,740; the value
was s49,226 or $14 per head. In
1895, the number of cattle imported
into the q. S. free Of duty was a.
$50, valued at S95,l04 or Sc per
head, or a fall Of So per head. In
1891, there were imported into the
II. S. 1925 cattle on which duty
was paid valued at $53,G25 or So per
head. In 1895, there were imported
into the u. s. 134,l04 cattle on
which a duty was paid valued at
1906, 749 or 81 per head. Total
number of cattle shipped into this
country in 1891, 56,342 ; in 1895,
149,7S6 ; increase 1895 over 1891,
1884. In regard to horses and
sheep, every farmer in the u. S. who
has any Of these animals knows that
the price was so ruinously low in
1895 that it was impossible to ship
them here !; and the same is true of
every article where there has been a
decrease. Flax is one Of the staple
articles of our Day County farmers.
In 1891, there was imported into the
u. S. 1,515,54j bushels Of fax ; in
1895, 4,166,222 bushels, or an in
crease of 2,650,676. Cheese is an
other staple product in which the
importation Of 1896 exceeds that of
1891 nearly 100000 pounds. The
importation of hay increased from
5S,242 tons in 1891 to 201,900 in
1895. The wool imports Of 1895
exceeded those of 1891 6 ,130,25S
pounds, and the per capita consump-
ton of wool decreased in the u. 5.
to make the matter worse.
The table printed shows two facts:
first, that there has been an increase
in quantity in importations under the
Wilson law of every article produced
by our farmers, except those articles
where the price has fallen so low as
to make it impossible to import at a
profit ; second, that the total decline,
which is given in dollars, is not due
to a less quantity of imports, but
because prices have been so much
lower that a large quantity gives a
smaller price. Perhaps this is a
blessing, but we don't gee it that
way.
In his attempt to make the table
more forcible, Mr.. X. gives the
whole snap away. He says in refer
ence to the year 1894 that the am
cunt of imports was less than 1895
for the reason that importers were
restricting importation because they
expected the passage of the Wilson
law. If the importer did not expect
t.haa. the passage Of the Wilson law
would benefit him, why did he wait
for it's passage !? and il it benefited
the importer, it must necessarily
benefit those from whom he purchas-
ed-the foreign seller ; and if the
foreign seller is benefited, SO is the
foreign manufactures and laborer !;
and if they are benefited, it is at
the expense of u people.
Mr.. Kelley and every other demo
cris knows what the difficulty is /;
they know that since 1891 thousands
upon thousands of our people have
been thrown out of employment and
their wages stopped on account of
the Wilson law : they know that
the per capita consumption of every
product of the farm has decreased
since 1891 they know that the only
way to get money into circulation is
by paying it out to laborers as wages
or for the product of labor ; they
know that people can't compete
with cheap foreign labor unless we
have u protective tariff they know
that we will never have prosperity
until our factories are opened, our
laborers put to work, and u home
market created for the produce of
the farm ; they know that there
never has been a low tariff period
IN this country when we did not
have hard times (; they know that
the present low tariff is the cause
of the present hard times, but,
towards that they are, they don't
dare tell the truth abont it. because
if they did there would be no NOR
political pre'ernlent for them,