The Farmers And The Tariff

There is probably no class of mentir the country, noteven,,the manuia,cturers, who have suffe red moe diirlng' the past f our years on account of threatened and accomplished changes in the tariff than have the farmers. The threat of modifying the tariff, on f ree trade lines, commenced its mischevious work as soon as the result of the election in 1892 was known. From that time on the agitation of the subject was a constant menace and a disturbance to business of all kinds, until the passage of the Wilson-Gorman act completed the destructive work. The farmers have suffered in two ways. In the first place the paralysis of general business, and especially of manufacturing, has diminished the consuming power of the country so that the home market isnowhere near as good as it was in the prosperous times of 1892. In the next place the Wilson tarift gave unfair advantage to the farmers and wool growers of other countries. These are the main causes of the present low prices of farm products. A third cause, which applies particularly to wheat, is the opening ip of new territory in the Argentine Republic and in liussia, and the improved means of transportation by which their surplus can be taken to the European markets. The last named cause is beyond our reach. The other two can be remedied by the voters at the next election. What the farmer needs more than anything else is to have the tariff question settled on the protective policy and settled for a Ufe time, so thoroughly settled that he will have time to raise and market a erop bef ore the question is again agitated - time to grow a flock o: sheep and get some benefit from them before the tariff on wool is again taken off. There is one way and only one to accomplish all this and that is to elec MeKinley president with a good Re publican majority in congress. But multiplying words on the subject is superfluous. The whole case was sue cinctly stated in a single sentence bi Mr. MeKinley himself in a recen speech, in which he said, "What this country needs is to get back to that pol icy that will give us work and wages.'