The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-11-16
North Dakota.
Total loss
|, 1850. s21,170,s7o


Grand total loss 10 these two states
on these four crops alone for the year,
If We were on a free trade basis with
Canada, would be SAC, s62,s6O.
And IL this properly increases our
loss from free trade with one compel
ing country only, and on grain only,
we can form some idea of the vastness
Of the loss had we free trade with
every country in the world in every
food, product.
Few people appreciate the amount of
food stuffs we import into the country.
Even with a high protection against
most Of that which is imported, we
imported during the year ending June
80, 1911, food stuffs 3,205 418. We
exported in the same period. $685.
957,754.
With only this slight excess of ex-
ports over imports Of food products,
with protection, we may properly
pause to contemplate where the bal
ance of trade would be with no pro-
lection whatever.
Political Parties Should Agree.
There should be no difference be-
tween the adherents of the two great
political parties from agricultural
states, who believe in a fair deal for
the agriculturalist in respect to the
maintenance of a proper duty on agri-
cultural products. Because. while the
faithful democrat may not believe in
any protection to any industry, he
does believe in a tariff for revenue
and he knows that such a tariff will
be levied, and that such tariff is all
ways protection to some degree the
greater the duty the greater the pro-
lection. And as this duty will always
be levied on those things which the
agriculturalist must buy, it ought in
justice to be levied with the same
degree OF protection on what he must
sell.
I say without fear OF any contra
diction that the poorest paid labor in
the United states always has been
and still is the labor bestowed in
bringing into existence a food prod
uct; that the cheapest articles pur-
chased in the markets Of the country
today, when measured by the amount
of intelligent human energy necessary
to produce them, are the raw food
\ products as they 1eave the farmers
hands. 1t Is q palpable injustice
therefore to enact any legislation that
| will decrease the earnings OF this
4 poorest paid labor while maintaining
! the standard Of other labor go
| step farther and declare that so far
as legislation can produce it. It is our
| duty to enact and maintain laws that
will increase the farm earnings until
! the tiller Of the soil reaps as great a
reward for an equal number Of hours
! labor as the equally intelligent skill
i ed laborer or business man of the
| cities.
Causes Of Higher Cost of Living.
There are several causes for the
higher cost of living. They may be
| summarized ais follows:
l. The great increase In our cir
cHlating medium, due for the most
part, to the ever increasing gold OUT
! put. In 1895 our per capita circula-
ton was 1884; in 1911 it has grown
| to $34,20. The increase In the length
! of measuring stick must necessarily
increase the measured cost OF the
thing purchased. All products rise or
fall in value as the volume of our
circulating medium increases or d.
/ FINISHES.
2. AS 1t relates TO food products,
the great increase in the price OF
/ farm lands and the labor employed in
4 farming. RI the amount Of capital
| which must be invested in farm lands
and the labor costs Of operation have
doubled since 1895. we ought not only
to expect but to make no objection
to. an advance In the cost of the
! product to correspond with such in
creased Investment
3. The excessive cost of handling
after the product leaves the farmers
hands whereby from 100 to 5000 per
cent in price Is added to the product
after 1t leaves the farmers hands and
before II reaches the consumer.
A The excessive and abnormal cost
or city property made possible be-
cause OF the greater earnings of the
city population. Every abnormal con-
dition necessitates another abnormal
condition to meet II. These abnormal
earnings Of city occupations, as COM
pared with farming. concentrates an
abnormal proportion OF our wealth Tia