The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1904-09-16

AntO Iuc treasury 4S,o1t. Vuf1uS tAt
Republican administration the com
missioner OF agriculture received
salary Of $4,000. Now his salary Is
$4,000. This is the only department
OF the state government organized and
maintained exclusively for the benefit
of the farmers Of Tennessee, and yet
my competitor wants to abolish It.
The inspection Of fertilizers is only
one of the many duties OF this depart
ment. 1t gathers data from 400 to 500
correspondents and issues free crop re-
ports for the information and guild.
ance Of farmers. It issues free fer
tilizer bulletins for the use and protec-
ton Of farmers
It held last year farmers institutes
in sixty-seven counties OF the State,
that we're attended by over 10000
farmers. 1t analyses free the soils Of
the farmers. 1t is bureau Of informa-
ton for farmers seeking homes in Ten
nessee. 1t maintains a live stock In
spection which has kept the national
quarantine line below many Of the
counties Of the state, and thus saved
the farmers and live stock raisers
more than ten times the cost OF main
tanning the whole agricultural depart
ment Why, my friends. every state
| in this Union except two maintain an
| agricultural department, and every
state where fertilizers are sold has II
inspected
The farmers OF Tennessee bought
from June /, 1903, to June /, 1904,
32,676 tons Of fertilizer at cost Of
more than half million dollars. n
there had been no inspection the farm.
ers would have had no protection and
this vast sum might have been more
than wasted in the purchase of spuri
Gus and worthless stuff The gentle
man says the inspections are made
through cracks, and then the inspect
ors hasten to make out their expense
account. These statements, like 30
many others made in mat speech. are
untrue and display pitiabIe ignor
ance of the facts or q treckless disreI
gard of truth. No appropriation Ia
made for the expenses Of the inspect
ors and they pay their own expenses,
and no expense account Is ever made
out or paid. A sample Of every brand
Of fertilizer is taken and analysed and
record made for the use and pro
lection of the farmers OF the state.
Twenty-Five samples were taken last
year of twenty-five different fertilizers
from Franklin county alone, the home
of my competitor, and every one Of
them analysed. Without these inspec
lions and analyses the farmers OF
Franklin county would have been alb
solutely at the mercy of the fertilizer
companies, who could have sold them
inferior and worthless stuff and they
would have had no redress.
But the gentleman says the farmers
pay the inspection fees imposed by law
upon the fertilizer companies II this
be true and the consumer pays the
tax, when the Republican party has
been for years practicing the most ST.
gantic fraud and deception upon the
farmers Of this country In telling
them and making some Of them be-
lieve that they do not pay the tariff
tax levied on the things they buy, but
that the foreigner pays the tax. An
honest confession is good for the Re
publican soul, even If It Is inadyert-
emily made. The Republican party
has always contended that the for
eigner paid the tariff tax, and hence II
made no difference to the farmer II
there was tariff of 20 to so per cent
on the pillow, the trace chain, the coat
or the hat he buys, but IL It be true
that he pays the tax, then 1t becomes
important The price of his wheat
and corn and cotton and the products
OF his farm, everybody knows, is fixed
in the open markets OF the world.
He has surplus and no amount CT
tariff could affect his price. while the
of life which he must buy
have the tariff tax added on, and this
he must pay. Not only that, but under
the protection Of the tariff laws upon
which the Republican party says II
stands pat and proposes to maintain,
even to the last schedule, these pro
tected trusts, not only make You pay
the tariff at home, but they are act
ually shipping their goods abroad and
selling them to the foreigner cheaper
than they are to you. II that be true.
and it is not now disputed by well ia.
formed men, then the trust which
sells certainly needs no protection,
and no party deserves the support Of
the people who will refuse to give
them relief from these unjust and IN
necessary tariff taxes under the shell.
tering arm of which trusts have sprung
np and are iourishing as they never
did before These are some Of the
things my competitor stands for IL
you farmers are tired Of paying tribute
tc the protected trusts; IL you do not
want your agricultural bureau abol.
shed aud do not want to be left un.
protected to the tender mercies Of the
fertilizer companies, then you do not
want the things for which my com
Detitor stands.
The finances of the State were never
h better condition nor more prudenLly
or carefully managed. During my
,erm Of Office, without raising tbs
taxes upon the people one penny, the
state has met its every obligation
when due; paid the interest on its
bonded debt: supported literally IT,