The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-07-23
rHE FARMER AND M,KINLEY.


One-half of the people Of this entire
country are farmers. When the farmer
is affected adversely everybody feels
it, and directly. The farm is the foun-
dalton Of all prosperity. There is no
question about this. The mine and
the factory, no less than the merchant
and every line and interest of COM
merce, is dependent upon the producer.
Yet, as a rule, there is less done for
| the farmer by the law-maker, less
thought given to his condition than to
any other industry. 1t should be a
matter of interest then, rather than one
Of sympathy, which should spur up
statesmen and economists in behalf of
the farmer. But it is fact that it is
the farmer who is made to suffer first
and generally the most in every ad-
verse economical emergency.
| The farmer is not only, therefore, in
terested in the money question, but in
every question involving a national
policy. The Republican party is right
| about one thing touching the condition
of the American farmer. Low tariffs
and no tariffs are running him. For
three years he has been ground to dust
and his condition is becoming deplor-
able, and in becoming so every other
interest and industry has proportion
ately suffered. Only the financial af-
fairs of the great cities have escaped,
and even these are catching it now.
| The operation of the present tariff law
| has proved disastrous to the farmer,
intensifying the woes of all other in
terests dependent upon the condition of
the producer and the price of his pro-
auctions Republican newspapers and
Republicans in congress warned the
no tariff and low tariff Democrats that
in opening American markets TO for
eign products would prove disastrous
with no compromising exports. Amer
lean exports fell off $75,000,000 last
year. while the imports increased near
ly S10O,0O0,000. These are astounding
figures, but they are official. The
country is being overrun with foreign
merchandise and productions upon the
one hand, while exports upon the other
are falling off. The farmer loses both
ways. He loses from the failure of
the home market that grows out of
protection and by the lost chance of
exporting. In this the agricultural
class is the chief sufferer. The Wilson
law and the administrative policy of
Grover Cleveland back of it, have been
ruinous to the farmer and to all those
interests dependent upon him. Canada's
imports of agricultural productions
have under this policy Of Democracy
increased from % to 80 per cent. The
chief agricultural imports under the
Wilson bill are live stock, bread stuffs,
eggs, fax, feathers, fruits, hay, hemp,
hides, hops, rice, cotton, wool and to
bacco, everyone of which we are our
selves producers. On the other hand
the expectations of these identical art
icles have fallen off to an almost equal
extent The first year under the new
law resulted in a decrease in our flour
expectations Of about S20,000,000. Our
seeds exports fell from IS, 03S,55 to ST.
972, 242. Our exports of hops declined
from So. 49,, 213 to 81, $4,000. So it has
been all along the line. The statistics
for last year, when completed will pre-
sent still more doleful picture.
These are things not touched by the
silver question, or at best only in an in
direct way. These constitute not a
question of money but of markets. In
voting for Bryan and free silver the
farmer also votes for Bryan and free
trade. In striving to save the goose
which lays the silver egg the one that
lays the golden egg is killed. The thing
to do is to stand for Mckinley, pro
lection and good times. With good
times secured the silver question would
not cut much of a figure.