Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1896-10-29
A Comparison Between the Policy
Of the Republican and
Democratic Parties
LEGlSLATED FOR AGRICULTURE
John N. StahI Tells Why the Farmer
Should Stand by His
Friends.

John NJ. Stahl, a practical Illinois
farmer, and a land owner in Missouri,
Kansas and Nebraska, who is the editor
of the Farmers Call, Quincy. and also
secretary of the Farmers National Con-
gress, is a man who has made his way
from poverty. to affluence, by the use
of his own head and hands. His promi-
nence in the Grange, Farmers insti-
tutes and all movements calculated to
better the condition of American agri-
culture, gives weight to his judgment
and makes his Vi VS. on all public Ques-
tons of value.
In a recent interview he discusses the
relation of the American farmer to the
two great political parties and points
out the fact that in legislation the Re-
publican party has always kept the in
terests of agriculture in view. He says:
ut must be said to the credit of the
farmers of the United States that they
have never asked for more at the hands
of Congress or lesser legislative bodies
than they were ready to have granted
to others, or for legislation that they
did not believe would be of benefit to
all the people. No exception to this is
furnished by the tariff, which has been
the most persistent political question in
our history. No other question has been
an important issue in so many cam
paigns. The second act passed by the
Congress of the United States was a
tariff act. The bill was introduced and
discussed before Gen. Washington was
i~naugurated President and the bill was
| enacted into law two months before the
| passage of the law creating q treasury
department. Tariff for protection and
tariff for revenue, nd valorem duties
and specific duties, ETC., were thorough
" discussed while the first tariff bill
years since in which these questions
did not engage the lively attention of
the American people. 1t was inevitable,
| therefore, that the tariff should have
the frequent consideration of q repre-
sentative agricultural body meeting to
| discuss proposed legislation and to REC
ommend to the favorable consideration
Of legislative bodies such measures as
| are deemed worthy of that recommends
ton. Such a body is the Farmers Ma
| tional Congress and at its last annual
meeting it adopted the following reso-
luton:
whereas, It is an established principle
with hoth OF the great political parties that
! tarAh on imported goods adequate to meet
l SAS. ~
Resolved, that 70 demand the same meas
s ass Il /. p eiVsn t. other 6ss fi saS:t.,ss. industries
At the meeting referred to there were
delegates from states in which are more
| than fOur-ffths Of the farmers of the
country, from California to Florida and
from North Dakota to Texas. The reso-
luton was adopted without one dissent
! ing vote. As the honorable gentleman
1 VNhrAE has h0on mARfAR nf thu 4rA
Grange for eight years PAST and many
! other prominent officials of the Grange
were present as delegates, the resolu-
ton may justly be taken as expressing
the sentiments Of the Grange also. Ger
| tainly the Farmers' National congress.
being composed of farmers, should not
have demanded less; and, as It il nom
sistently say more. Similar resolutions
have been adopted at previous meetings.
Protection Under Mckinley Law.
The Mckinley law gave to agricultural
| industries the anne measure OF protec-
| ton that it gave to other industries.
Horses, hay, potatoes, onions, & bar
ley, fruits, wool and other products Of
our farms, the producers OF which de-
! rive q direct benefit from a protective
| duty on those articles, were. given lust
and satisfactory protection; and thus the
| Mckinley law met the proper wishes and
the just and reasonable demands Of the
| farmers. Az soon AZ they ha6, the power.
the Democfats hastened to remove, the
| duties on farm products or to remove
them altOgether. and the Wilson law does
Is agricultural Industries that e sIyes 6
| other industries, Wool II 4 stzikin9 e.
ample % this. The NcKinley ~ eave
Il propeTs protection. and while thA& NV
uas = e6ect only q very sApTt dnae 4