The Alaska daily empire., 1922-11-20
Farmers and the Tariff BuncO.
New York PnStl

What do the farmers get of the protec-
tion that under the emergency tariff has been theirs
more than year? Gum Illinois agrculturists, sell
ing oats at 81 per cent. of prewar normal, wheat
at 80 per cent, and corn at 106 per cent, while
living costs are 1872 per cent, would say that its
effects have not been startlingy beneficial Wash
ngton has just announced that Europe's wheat crop
is 230, 900 600 bushels smaller last year state
ment that would ordinarily make the farmer rub
his hands. But the announcement finds Wallaces
Farmer doefully asserting that it is no use for
farmers to raise more wheat than consume at
home since the tariff renders it impossible for
Europe to buy. And at this juncture the Tariff Com
mission steps with exhibition of Just how
little the farmer gained from the emergency tariff.
few farm groups, it finds have benefited. But
how few compared with total of 6,448,366 farms
and what a price!
The corn grower is told by the commission that
In the nature of things a country which produces
well over three billions of the worlds normal pro-
ducton of four billion bushels expect mo change
traceabe to the duties" We export largely; our i'm
ports almost MIL consisting of little finty Ar
gentne corn that we do not grow Corn is the very
backbone of our agriculture. In Illinois and Iowa
alone almost 100000 devoted to it in
1920 and it is mainstay of the farmer from Texas
tc lower Minnesota
There is just little comfort for the general
stock grower in the Tariff Commissions statement
that 1.-THE effects of the duties on cattle beef and
veal are not certain'-it does think pork worth
mentioning. Since in 1921 exports fresh beef
veal pork, and lard Just short of 500 tons
while our imports $1,000 tons, needed
/ a Tariff Commission to give us this information
Oats are not mentioned-we an oats-exporting
nation The emergency cotton duty had no effect
on the bulk of the cotton crop this country for
we do not import cotton. 1t did benefit handful of
growers OF the Egyptian type of in irrigated
lands of the far Southwest, but only to the extent
| of ''steadying the market"
! What then the groups that benefited? There
remains wheat. Last year produced export
able surplus OF about 100 900 900 bushels During
the first half-year we exported three times as
much wheat as we imported and nearly ten times as
OF winter wheat tariff do the remotest good
We do need some hard spring wheat for blending
and its growers are helped. But they can be helped
in only limited degree for wheat prices are fixed in
he world market, not the market at home More
over, we raise only one-third much spring wheat
! as winter wheat; its cultivation is restricted to a
small northern area, and the whole American acre
age approximates the acreage of a half dozen
States.
The Tariff Commission finds that sugar growers
and wool growers are benefited by the tariff That
fact every one knew Tariff protection for them is
nothing novel, the only question being whether il
shall be reasonable or unreasonable. But the wool
and sugar growers far smaller groups compared
with the 100000 American farmers taken as a
body. than even the spring wheat growers
To benefit these three minor groups-the Tariff
Commission names others-the great mass al
American farmers have agreed to a general tarin
wall which robs their former customers of half OF
! their ability to buy American farm products The
| Joint Congressional Commission which reported De.
cenber IA last year upon The Agricultural Crisis
declared that the depression mainly due to the
| falling purchasing power of the world which regis
tered itself in decreased export demand We have
done our best to hasten and confirm that fall h,
forbddng Europe to sell anything in payment
for return purchases. But the tariff wall does mere
than impair the European market 1t affords screen
behind which American manufacturers from where
the farmer must buy constantly can and do increase
prices The boots he pulls on the shirt he wears
the plates from which he eats the wagon in which
he rides, the tools he uses for tillage, all go up
! The North Dakota Senator'S McCumber and
l-add, who did their share in foong the farmer
might well turn to standard treatise called "Rura
Sociology" by Prof John Morris Gillette of the Uni
versity of North Dakota. In that book they will
find the statement that high protective tariff
| is grave injury to the farmer for the prices Of
the goods he sells are fixed in the world marke,
and those of the goods he buys in the ed home
market. 1t is truth of which all American farmers
will be rapidly and bitterly convinced
AN EVENING PRAYER
~ h. mn AIIENA