Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 September 1890 — THE TARIFF BILL AND FARMERS. [ARTICLE]

THE TARIFF BILL AND FARMERS.

The cry goes up without ceasing that the tariff bill which the House has passed, and which, with a few amendments proposed by the finance committee, is now being considered in the Senate, imposes higher duties on manufactures and confers no corresponding advantage on farmers. It is well to examine that claim. The duties proposed upon woolens are higher because the duties on wools have been advanced in the interest of the farmers. The average duties on staple cotton goods are lower than in existing tariff. The duties on the grades of crockery most in use are about the same. At least, they do not affect the price except to make it lower. But let us examine the agricultural schedules. The first item in the proposed bill imposes a duty of S3O per head on horses and mules, and 30 per cent, ad valorm oh horses valued at $l5O and over. The present duty is 20 per cent, ad valorem. The values of horses and mules imported into the United States during the fiscal year there was $2,146,514. If the animals had been appraised at their market 'value, and what the dealers received forthem, the $2,000,-, 000 upon which the government collected duty would have been nearer $4,000,000. The large majority of horses shipped to this country from Canada and Mexico are valued at less than SSO each at the customshouses. The duty on such ahorse would beslo. Many are appraised at half that figure, so that the duty is but $5. The pending bill imposes a specific duty of S3O per animal when the value is less than $l5O, raising the duty on an ad valorem basis on the whole"import to 70 per cent Canadian horses are marketed in all the cities of the North by the thousand, crowding such markets as Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland etc., to which the farmers of Indiana, Illinois and other Western States have a better right This change in the duty will shut the Canadians out of the markets and restore them to the farmers living in the United States. The duties on cattle, hogs and sheep, which are now 20 per cent, ad valorem, are changed to specific duties and largely advanced. During the fiscal year 1889 the customhouse valuation of sheep imported was $1,189,192, and the duty was 20 per cent, ad valorem. The duty in the pending bill is $1.50 per head, which will give the American farmer more than double the advantage in the market that the present bill does. The present duty on,,.barley is 10 cents a bushel. Under it Canada poured 11,306,925 bushels into our markets, and received therefor $7,678,763. The finance committee of the Senate recommends that the duty be increased to 25 cents a bushel, in the expectation that such protection will lead the American farmer to supply the market. It is proposed to advance the duty on butter and cheese from 4 to 6 cents per pound. In 1880 8,194,813 pounds of cheese, valued at $1,132,143, were imported into the United States. If this cheese is a foreign luxury, chiefly famous for its disagreeable taste and much worse smell, the duty is not too high, and it will keep Canada out of our market with the dairy cheese litre ■that produced at home. A duty of 5 cents a dozen is imposed on eggs, which have been free heretofore, of which $2,419,000 worth were imported in 1889. The duty on hay has been advanced from $2 to $4 per ton. In 1889 Canadian hay to the value of SI,O»MSS was sold in the markets along the northern border in competition with the product of American farmers. Such are a few of the changes whiter the tariff bill under considera.tion makes in. favor of the farmer over the law now in force. They are sufficient to show the falsity of the charge that the farmer is not remembered in the tariff. The entire wool schedule has been changed to favor wool-grow-ing. ■

The Helena (Mont.) Journal presents an argument in a nutshell. It says without comment:

BAR SILVER, 93 CENTS • UNDER DEMOCRATIC RULE. 1,.,,,,~, , ~ , , ~ •• • k BAR SILVER, 1.19 • UNDER REPUBLICAN RULE.

The sneers and gibes of Democratic and liquor organs will not avail to make temperance people throughout the country forget that they owe to a Republican Congress and President the enactment of the * ‘original package” bill, whose affect will be to restore the force of temperance legislation In every State. Whenever any work is done for the cause of temperance in this country by political action Lt is the Republican party that does 1L Senator Windom has promptly provided a remedy for the financial embarrasment In the Eastern trade centers by offering to redeem $20,000,000 of 4} per cent bonds due in 1891, without any rebate of Interest. This should be sufficlent»to ease the marks and avert all danger of a panic. Will some one ‘kindly point to some paragraph 'in any Democrat paper which denounces the effort in Mississippi to disfranchise 150,000 American citizens.