Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1912-09-06
WASHINGTON NEWS.
By C. H. Tevenner, special Washing
ton Correspondent.

By c. H. Tevenner, special Washing
ton Correspondent.
Washington, September 2.-Govern-
or Wilson has indicated in the
-Sueeches he has made thus far in the
campaign that he attaches a great
deal of Importance to the question OF
the tariff as it affects farmers. The
Democratic candidate put this whole
question into a nut shell when he
said:
g. :''The farmer does not derive any
benefits from the tariff when he goes
to market to sell his products. but
ON everything the farmer buys there
Is an artificially high price due to
the tariff tax"
High prOtectionists in congress have
for many years deceived the farmers
into believing that because a tariff
Is kept on wheat and corn the farm
or is necessarily benefited thereby.
That this is false logic is apparent
to any student Of American import
and export statistics. This country
produces more wheat and corn than
the American people consume, which
obviously makes it impossible for
any country Of Europe to sell wheat
or corn here. Europe, which is the
great market for surplus American
grain. uses all the grain produced
there for home consumption, and in
addition, the European countries havs
to send over here for more.
Q If there were no tariff on grain,
therefore, the American farmer woul
not be menaced by the possibility Of
foreign competition, for the reason
that foreigners have no grain to sell.
But the. situation is vastly differ
ent with the farmer when he comes
to buy the tools, machinery, clothing,
and other necessities of life. He
finds every article that he uses in
producing his crops taxed higher and
higher, untils as Governor Wilson
says, 1T is getting to be next to i'm
possible for the American farmer to
make a legitimate profit" The farm
ems implements, HIS smaller tools,
wagons, household articles, clothing,
lumber and harvesting machinery has
steadily risen in price.
That this rise in prices has been
due to artificial causes is proven by
the fact that the Identical articles
used by the American farmer. are
sold abroad for from % to 40 per
cent less. B. D. Townsend, in his
report. to President Roosevelt on the
harvester trust, reported that the
same harvesting machines that were
made by the trust In Chicago, and
sold to the American farmer for $125,
are sod in Russia for $50 and 800.
Nothing but the tariff thus enables
the trust to robb the American farm
er, because, if it were not for the
tariff, the danger of competition from
Canada would force the American
trust to sell it's machines for, one
price to all.
Governor Wilson has shown deep
grasp Of the tariff question as it af-
tects farmers, and it is certain that
befOne the campaign is much older
he will have some Illuminating things
20 say to the farmer on this vital sub
iect. @
Sugar Plums
The ownership Of one-haf inter.
est In the Western Sugar Refining
Company netted the havemeyer in.
terests s12,95O.OOO in 81 years. In
one year. 1898, this concern paid the
o HaVemeyers six hundred thousand
dollars. When the company was or.
ganized the Hsyemeyers put in a
million odoHarso capital and the
. Spreckles people another million.
Two years hter. this money was re
. turned to the investors, so that all
the, profit they subsequently took out
Wa0 "VolXaof - rTh1,c tha tor;As - -..