The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1912-09-10
WASHINGTON LETTER.
BY {. H. Tavenner.

paign that he attaches a great
deal of Importance to the ques-
ton of the tariff as it affects
farmers. The Democratic can
didate put this whole question
into a nut shell when he said:
'The farmer does not derive
any benefits from the tariff when
he goes to market to sell his prod
ucts, but on everything the farm
er buys there is an artificially
high price due to the tariff tax. "
High protectionists in Con-
gress have for many years de-
ceived the farmers into believing
that because tariff is kept on
wheat and corn the farmer is
necessarily benefited thereby.
That this is false logic is appa-
rent to any student of American
import and export statistics.
This country produces more
wheat and corn than the Ameri-
can people consume, which obvi-
ously makes it impossible for any
coun y 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 have to
send over here for more.
If there were no tariff on
grain, therefore, the American
farmer would not be menaced by
the possibility of foreign competi-
ton, for the reason that foreign
ers have no grain to sell.
But the situation is vastly diff
ferent with the farmer when he
comes to buy the tools, machi-
merry, clothing, and other neces-
sites of life. He finds every
article that he uses in producing
his crops taxed higher and high
er, until. as Gov. Wilson says, it
is getting to be next to impossi-
BILE for the American farmer to
make a legitimate profit. The
farmers implements, his smaller
tools, wagon, 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 iden-
tical articles used by the Ameri-
can farmer are sold abroad for
from % to 40 per cent less.
IL. ID. Townsend, in his report to
President Roosevelt on the har-
vester trust, reported that the
same harvesting machines that
were made by the trust in Chica-
go, and sold to the American
farmer for $125, are sold in Rus
STA for $50 and 500. Nothing
but the tariff thus enables the
trust to rob the American farm
er, because, if it were not for
the tariff, the danger of compe-
tition from Canada would force
the American trust to sell it's
machines for one price to all.
Governor Wilson has shown a
deep grasp of the tariff question
as it affects farmers, and it is
certain that before the campaign
is much older he will have some
Illuminating things to say to the
farmer on this vital subject.
SUGAR PLUMS.
The ownership Of one half
interest in the Western Sugar
Refining company netted the
Havemeyer interests SIP, 1850, 0OC
in q years. In one year, 1893,
this concern paid the Havemey-
ers six hundred thousand dollars
capital, and the Spreckles people
another million. Two years later
this money was returned to the
investors, so that all the profits
they subsequently took out was
velvet" Thus the tariff or
sugar is shown to be a gooC
thing for the millionaire owner,
of the sugar trust.
POPULAR GOVERNMENT.
In his speech Of acceptanc,
President Taft said the great is.