The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1922-07-07
Where the Farmer Comes Out.

Where the Farmer comes Out.
In my opinion, if it were not for
the support given this bill by Seha-
tors who represent agricultural con-
stituencies it would be impossible to
pass it through the Senate. The argu-
ment is advanced that since taxes are
to be levied on manufactured products
taxes should be levied on agricul-
tural products, and that If the people
are to be penalized for the beneflt OF
the manufacturer they should like
wise be penalized for the benefit OF
the farmer. Where the fallacy of this
argument comes is that under the
guise of doing something to help the
farmer in some particular item, their
support is asked for a bill that as
whole means that for every dollar the
farmers may derive from the bill they
will nav 500 in taxes for the bene-
fit of somebody else. In other words,
for every l per cent. of protection they
are given they pay SO per cent. OF pro
lection for the benefit of other people
| do not think there is any question
about that.
Take the wool schedule, known as
Schedule X in the Payne-Aldrlch bill,
but having a number in the bill that
is now before the Senate. If the tax
proposed in the bill is levied the
farmer will have to pay the tax the
same as does the man who lives IN the
city, the man who works in the store,
the machine shop, the foundry or in
an office. If an analysis be worked out
it will be demonstrated that the tax
of 33 per cent. on secured wool viii
cost the public nearly 100000, 900, of
which those engaged in the growing
of wool will receive something like
$72, 900. 900, against which the farmers
as a whole will pay about $99,OOO,OOO,
the rest of the people will pay in pro-
portion. while the Government will re-
ceive as its share of this enormous
tax less than $20,000,0O Yet, it is con-
tended that this duty on wool will
help the American farmers. l admit
it will help the men whose business is
raising sheep, but the other farmers
of the country, those who do not grow
wool but raise wheat and corn and
cotton, will pay the bill-that is, a
most substantial part of it-and for
every wool grower there are a thou
sand farmers who do not raise sheep.
l do not have in mind the little farm
er who raises cotton or wheat and has
few sheep on the side, but the men
whose business is growing sheep and
who are only few in number when
compared with the great mass of
farmers who will pay so large a pro-
portion of the tax proposed in the
pending measure.
so we find some of the proponents
of the pending measure maintaining
that it's enactment will greatly relieve
the agricultural situation in this
country, because it raises the tax on
their products at the Custom House.
Personally | have never believed that
such tax would prove of any bene-
fit to the American farmer. We are
told how the bill is going to help the
farmer by an increased tax on wheat,
by increasing the tag on certain kinds
of cotton, neither of which will ever
be of any benefit to the farmer or put
one dollar in his pocket. This talk
may sound like music to the farmer,
but does the farmer realize that there
are also in this bill paragraphs tax
ing the necessities of life, necessities
that are vital to the farmer, the neces-
sites by which agriculture lives?
When the present law was written
not only were all kinds of fertilizer,
which are imported into the United
States and are valuable in the develop
ment of agriculture, placed on the
free list. but binding Irvine for the
man who raises wheat in the West and
ties and bagging for thu farmer whose
basic crop is cotton were likewise
placed on the free list. Under this bill
, they propose to put these things back
on the tax list, and there is no evil
dence that either of these industries
has suffered from outside competition
under existing law. Some of the fer
! tilizers coming into this market and
= many of the commodities from which
, fertilizers are made also will be tax.
ed, under the proposed law. am con
; ffdent that the farmer will not be long
: in finding out these things. The items
o | have cited are simply illustrative
= Others which concern the welfare o
agriculture can be found all through
= the BILL