The Bourbon news., 1907-01-18
The Unprotected Farmer.

The revised figures Of the Argicul-
tural Department of the total crop of
Winter and Spring wheat and its farm
value December l have just been
issued. These figures show that the
price Of Winter wheat was 67 cents a
bushel and the price of Spring wheat
was so cents. The average price of
farm Spring wheat is lower than the
farm price of Winter wheat because
the crop is raised further from ports Of
export that the Winter wheat is and
therefore the freight charges to the
ports Of export cost more. Farmers
whose chief reliance is on their wheat
crop should take notice that the bogus
tariff protection of Is cents bushel
that the Republicans have fooled them
with for the past ten years since the
passage of the Dingley bill in 1897, has
entirely failed to force up the price of
wheat, to the same average increased
price of other commodities. Nor have
the growers of corn or oats and other
cereals participated IN the advance in
prices, though the producers of all
these farm products are claimed by the
Republicans to be protected by the
tariff. 1t would be just as sensible to
pretend to protect the cotton grower,
two-thirds of whose products are ex-
ported, so cotton is on the free list.
Bradstreet's index figures for De-
cember l, 1906, shows that the average
increase in the price of all commodities
since 1896 is 55 per cent, but the farm
price of wheat is nine cents a bushel
lower now than it was in 1896, accord
ing to the figures reported by the Ag-
ricultural Department, published IN
the United States Statistical Abstract
for 1905 in page SIG. AS the price OF
farm land and the increase cost of liv-
ing and labor on the farm, as in the
cities, must make the cost of raising
wheat, corn, oats and other cereals ap-
proach 55 per cent. more than in 1896,
the farmer who raises those products
is evidently not protected by the tariff
as the producers of other products are
protected, for while wheat is now lower
in price, the average price of the pro-
ducts of the tariff protected trusts is
much higher.
This low price of wheat entirely de-
molishes the chief claim of the stand
patters that the trust protecting tariff
also protects the farmer by giving him
home market at increased prices for
his prodcuts. On those products of the
farm, such as milk, butter. eggs and
vegetables that are not exported, the
increased demand caused by the growth
of cities, chiefly caused by the enor-
nous immigration, has advanced prices
to a par with other commodities, but
what we produce surplus of must be
exported and the price is fixed in the
market of the world, according to the
supply and demand.
nS WuOdb 1oA AdfO PoSASAOAS
waited for relief from the plundering
of the tariff protected trusts, but have
not received any alleviation, and are
still confronted with the determination
of the Republican leaders to refuse to
revise the tariff. In some Congress
sioDal districts, notably in Iowa and
Minnesota, many Republican farmers
refused to support the standpat candi-
dates and as the eyes Of more are open
ed to the enormity of protecting COM
paratively few special interests the
trusts at the expense of the much
greater number of farmers and in fact
all consumers there will be more inde-
pendent voting at future elections.
Probing the Railroads.