The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-14
'BACHELDER GIVES RECIPROCITY A RAP Agreement Is Unfair to the
 Farmers WRITES TO WILSON Welfare of All Classes Depends on Prosperity of Farmer and Argu-
 ments to Contrary Have
 Long Been Exploded
RITES TO WILSON

| Concord N. H., February 13.-The pro attacked in a letter sent today to Score tary of Agriculture James Wilson by for Iner Gov. Nahum J. Bachelder of thi: | city, national master of the Nationa Grange, patrons of husbandry and chair man of the legislative committee of tha organization. The letter is a reply to the communication favoring the agree ment sent by Secretary Wilson to MT Bachelder February 9. MT. Bachelder as 1 serts the agreement is unfair to the farmers of the United States, who "ash | for nothing but square deal-equal pro tection for all classes and interests" l We can only conclude" he says, "thai you have been deceived by the special in. terests which have cunningly plotted tc allay the country wide clamor for ar honest revision of the tariff by making the farmer the scapegoat for the sins of the high protection system"
 | The letter says in part:
 Tn reply to your statement that the pending bill was not one sided and unfair to the farmers, in that 1t makes no ma | terial reduction in duties on manufac- tured articles used by them, you at | tempted to defend the continuance of a high tariff for manufacturers along with | free trade for the farmers by claiming that it is protecting workers who furn- ish the farmers with their market We would respectfully submit that you gre simply repeating the pet argument of the domestic manufacturer and in as- serting that the prosperity of the farmer depends on the workers in protected in- dastries, you are claiming what is ex- actly the reverse of actual conditions. It is on the prosperity of the farmers that the welfare of all classes-manufac- turers. merchants, transportation inter- ests and factory workers-depend and we cannot understand how at this late day you should be found repeating the stale and exploded theory that the farm CTS exist by the grace of protected manu- lecturers or anyone else on earth.
 This, however, is not the occasion for discussion of the general question Of protection versus free trade. The sole question before the American people is whether we shall have free trade in all farm products and protection for Amer i"an manufactured articles. We under
 
 kind of a protectiorist is 1t that would compel the farmer to pay from 45 to 60 per cent duties on everything he buys and subject him to free trade competi- ton in farm products which can be pro- duced more cheaply in Canada than in thls country?-
 You know that the price of farm land is much lower in Canada than in the United States. You know that the wages of Canadian farm labor are much lower than we have to pay. You know that the Canadian farmer buys his manufactured articles cheaper, be- cause his tariff duties on foreign goods are lower. You know that the farm lands of Canada are mostly virgin soil, requiring no fertilizers, while our lands have been cropped so long that we must use immense quantities of fertilizers. And yet knowing all this you would strike down the very moderate tariff. avera ging about 25 per cent which they now receive without giving them the benefit of any real reduction of duties on manufactures
 The esteem and affection in which we hold you personally and as the head of the department of agriculture makes difficult a suitable rejoinder to your letter. We can only conclude that you have been deceived by the special in terests which have cunningly plotted to allay the country wide clamor for an honest revision of the tariff by making the farmer the scapegoat for the sins of the high protection system else you would never be found making such a statement as that free barbed wire fencing will be a boon to our farm ers'"
 Do you not know that the steel trust sold last year in Canada more than 100, 100000 pounds of wire, and that we bought no wire from Canada? :? Do you not know that this barbed wire provision Is an atem to fool the farmers by transparent trick? Do you not know that Canada produces practically no wire, and that with the duty on Canadian wire abolished we would not import one pound?
 You refer to the advantages to our great milling interests of the free ad- mission of Canadian wheat. How Will this help the farmers? How will 1t help in. consumers of our towns and cities. Wheat is on the free list, but flour IS to be taxed 30 cents per barrel. Cattle, hogs and sheep are to be free, but meat both fresh and cured, Is to be taxed IA cents per pound. Is this an honest oeai for the consumer? Is it your idea of fair and just reciprocity measure? Pro lection to the miller and meat packer' Free trade to the tiler of the soil!
 'You refer to the drift of population away from the country into the cities. DO you really believe that this reel proeity measure will tend to encourage the back to the farm movement?
 ''V-ill 1t help the farmer to remove the slight protection now given it and continue to give high protection 10 man. ufacturing industries? Surely you can not believe for moment that the way to encourage farming is to open our markets to the free admission of cheaper farm products.
 I've beg to assure you that the farm CTS are not so easily deceived as many persons imagine. They know that their income and the value of their property is threatened by this legislation and they are determined to defeat it. They ask for nothing but for a square deal, equal protection for all classes and interests and they will take nothing else. Yours very sincerely.
 IN. J. BACHELDER, Chairman Legislative Committee Na-
 tionai Grange"