The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-08-27
M'KINLEY TALKS TO FARMERS.
Seven Carloads of Tillers of the Soil
Listen to Maj. Mckinley.

Canton. Ohio, Aug. 24.-It was nearly
l p. IN. when a party of seven carloads
of Knox county farmers reached Can
ton over the Pennsylvania road. They
had the Centerburg cornet band with
them and no more enthusiastic delcga-
ton has reached Canton than they
They marched the mile from the station
to the Mckinley home in good form.
a local farmer headed the parade
with load of new mown hay. They
were sturdy looking set of men and
cheer after cheer went up as their
champion appeared on the stoop.
Mr.. Critchiield of Mt. Vernon, Il son
of Knox county farmer, made neat
presentation speech.
Maj. Mckinley responded as follows:
MIR. Ritchfcld and Fellow Citizens
1t gives me very great pleasure to meet
and greet the citizens of Knox county
i'll the city of Canton. | am glad to wei
come my old comrades of the Grand
Army of the Republic, my fellow citi-
zens of all occupations who are here
assembled this morning Your meeting
demonstrated that you have Il keen
interest in the public questions which
now are engaging the people of the
United States and you want this year,
as you have always wanted in the past.
w Nolt lOI tuOSc DOlltltS WHICH VIII
achieve the greatest good to the coun-
try. | am glad especially to meet the
farmers of Knox county, for the far
mers of the United States are the most
conservative force in our citizenship
and in our civilization. (Applausc)
"A force that has always stood for
good government, for liberty and for
honesty. Great applause) Whatever
the farmer. is suffering today is because
his competitor has increased in numbers
and because his best customers are out
of work. applause and cries of you
are right) | do not know that we can
decrease the number of your COMPETE
tors, but with the adoption of true
American protective policy we can set
your best customers to work. CTrcmcn-
dous checring.) We have suffered in
our foreign trade. and we have suffered
in our domestic trade. The manufac-
turcrs have suffered i'll their export
trade, and they have likewise suffered in
their home market. Under the republi-
can tariff law of 1890 we imported in
1893 over 111.0O0,000 pounds of wool
valued ut over S15,000,00O. In 1895,
under the democratic tariff law, we i'm
ported 24S,0OO,0OO pounds of wool.
valued at S33. 100000 Nearly 100000
600 more worth of wool was imported
under the democratic tariff law than
lllt lullH law VI ID'f
The imports of wooden goods in 1884
amounted to S16,S09,O00 and in 1895 to
S57. 494 900. From the reports of the
treasury department at Washington we
find there were 600 sheep in the
United States in 1892 valued at S125.-
900, 900. On the first of January. 1896.
there were 3S.29S,0O0 sheep in the
United States valued at $4,000, 900
decrease of 100000 in number of sheep
and of S6O,0OO,O00 in value. In wooden
goods the difference is more than 500
100000 in favor of the foreign manufac-
turer and against the domestic producer.
The real loss in those three items to the
wool grower and wage Garner in Ameri-
can wool factories is more than S62,-
100000. Is it any wonder that sheep
husbandry is no longer profitable? So
with other agricultural products.
During the last seventeen months Of
republican tariff law there was import !
ed in this country 100000 tons of
hey, and during the first seventeen
months of the democratic law there
was imported 14,373O00 tons. The |
Wilson law gave the foreign producers
market for $4,000 tons more than
they had enjoyed in the last seventeen
months under the republican tariff law.
tai wheat, rye, barley, oats and corn
crops for 1895 amounted to 3,556,9OO,- |
600 bushels. The total of this product
exported was 32,364 600 bushels, or a
little less than 4 per cent of the total
product annually and more than 96 per
cent was consumed at home. The great
bulk was consumed by your own fellow
citizens. your own natural consumers
and customers.
I'm 1892 we exported 81, 400, 100000 |
worth of agricultural products. In 1880
Qf yn nynorted 81 "a 600 600 worth We
exported. therefore. S319.0OOOO0 worth
less in the two years under democratic
tariff law than in the two years under
the republican tariff law. Depression in
agriculture has always followed the low
tariff legislation. 1t was so after the
tariff of 1916 and it has been so under
the tariff of 1894. On December >,
1851. President Fillmore in his message
to congress of that date affirming the
condition of the country and especially
the effect of the tariff legislation upon
the interests of the American farmer,
said: The value of our exports of bread
stuffS and provisions were supposed to
have been the incentive of low tariff
and large importation from abroad
would have greatly augmented our pro-
duct The aggregate value of rice eX-
ported during the last fiscal year as
compared with the previous year. also
exhibit decrease amounting to S46O.~ |
600. which. with decline in the values
of the exports of tobacco for the same |
period, make an aggregate decrease i'll |
these two articles of 81, 100000.
",The policy which dictated low rate !
of duty on foreign merchandise, it was |
thought by those who promoted and es- |
tablished it, it would tend to benefit the