Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1906-12-19
THE FARMERS ADVANTAGE.
Sells In Best Market Because His
Products Are Consumed
at Home.

There Ia a double advantage to the
American farmer in the protective
policy. which 1t will not be difficult to
| see III the results of the application
of the protection principle in this
country are carefully noted Not only
has American labor been continuously
employed at remunerative wages,
since the Dingley tariff law went into
effect. thus making IL possible for him
to purchase the products of the farm.
but the protection afforded to infant
manufacturing industries has enabled
them to build and equip, with labor
saving machinery, the largest estab-
lishments of the kind on earth, thus
reducing the cost of manufacturing
those articles the farmer needs in
the filling of his soil until they can
be sold at less price than ever before.
This double advantage means that
the farmer receives the highest pos
sible prices for the product OF his
fields. by reason of the splendid home
market afforded him. and at the same
time is able to purchase his machin-
cry. wagons and buggies at lower
prices than he could during the days
before the application of the protective
policy had worked such wonders in
the industrial world.
In view of these conditions, the
existence of which none will deny, it
is passing strange that any intelligent
American farmer would think for a
moment of returning to the dark days
of a revenue tariff Mr.. Bryan talks
long and eloquently Of the evils of the
protective policy, but mere eloquence
can count for but little in the face
of demonstrated facts. The average
| farmer has a distinct memory of the
days when Mr. Bryan's party was in
| power in both branches of the govern
ment and made an onslaught on the
protective tariff principle. He remem-
| berS that what he had to sell went
at prices so low as to scarcely cover
the cost of production, leaving no
margin for profit. 1t is but natural
for him to compare those days with
the days of prosperity since then, and
1t would be very foolish in him, with
this comparison before his eyes, to be
led into so gigantic mistake as to
vote for free trade by the simple
eloquence or musical voice.
Mr.. Bryan, Of course. like a major
| ity of free trade orators who are un-
able to explain the marvellous prosper
ity OF the country under the operations
OF the Dingley law, engages in bitter
! invective against the trusts, declaring
that the tariff is the mother of these.
This sort of argument, however, will
not deceive the intelligent voter. In
England, where they have a revenue
tariff just such tariff as MIR. Bryan
processes to want. they have practi-
cally as many trusts as we have in
this country, the difference, if any
there be, being in the fact that we
have larger field for operations.
more varied industries, and, hence,
more opportunities for those trusts
| and combinations, against which there
has been the largest number of objec-
tions, are those dealing in commodi-
ties on which there is no tariff what
ever. Mr.. Bryan's argument is there
| fore knocked into smithereens in the
first round. and some other method of
throwing sand into the eyes of the
| adopted. The American farmer. of all
others, knows wilen he is well off and
proposes to hold on to the double adj
vantage he enjoys In a protective tar
ifs. Joseph (Mo) Gazette