Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 April 1891 — PROTECTION FOR THE FARMER. [ARTICLE]

PROTECTION FOR THE FARMER.

There seems to be no limit to the efforts of free trade attorneys to prejudice farmer voters against the policy of Protection for home industries. A commonly employed means to thiß is urging the farmer to believe that our tariff legislation is framed with the view to discriminate in favor of manufactured products and against the products

jof agriculture. As there is not a 'single clause in the lawsuficeptible of such a construction; mane but I the unwary will be misled by the j charge of discrimination against j the’farmer’s interests. . j Some id erf* of the extent to j which farm products are directly t protected can be gained by a glance at statistics within reach of all who care to inspect them. And the honest student of these figures is likely to be qhite forcibly impressed by the necessity for maintaining adequate barriers against, foreign competition so long as the home market of our farmers is menaced by products of foreign rivals. During the last fiscal year foreigners sold in the United States over $42,000,000 worth of farm products, without taking into the account more than $16,000,000 worth of wool imported. Here are the items: Animals (other than breeding) $ 3,255,05 Breadstuff's 5,729,000 1 lax and hemp seed... .it 2,883,764 „ fibers 10,189,474 Hay.. 1,142,887 Hops 1,050,696 Meats and dairy products 1,998,009 Leaf tobacco 12,579,813 Vegetables 3,794,462 Total $42,632,717

There is not a single item here that could not just as well have been grown by our citizens, and because of this fact our tariff required foreign competitors to pay for the privilege of selling here. They were accordingly charged the snug sum of fourteen ana a half million dollars, and to that extent they were forced to lighten the taxes thatotherwise would have been paid by the citizens of the United States. And it is this arrangement that free trade attorneys denounce as an outrage, and join with foreigners iu demanding to have repealed. The farmers gave their answer-in 1888. Let that decision be affirmed as often as the question is presented.