THE AMERICAN FARMER UNDER FREETRADE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1955, 27 September 1888, Page 4

THE AMERICAN FARMER UNDER FREETRADE

What was the condition of the Weatern j . farmer under Froetrade (saya a wellkuown 1 American paper)? In a a great multitude of cases his farm produce wm simply no* saleable. Be often burned his corn for fuel because there was nobody to buy It. When he took his wheat to the store and tried to trade for goods he found he could get a few articles m exchange for It, such Ma rough jick-knife, for which he paid five times ri much wheat as he now would but other thiags he could not procare by barter. He vote homespun of necessity, not ohoice, because " store clothes " ooat monay. He drank a deooction of some local plant, because "store tea" coat cash. The epinnirg wheel and the loom ornamented the "stoop," and nla wife and daughters, after dolrjg their household work, had to " take a «poU " at them. Why hive tblnga changed? Becamo Protection has brought to America or createdjpn American a il 'he olasies who produce wh.»t the «eateru farmer buys and who rau't 0 msome what tho western farmer sells. Wnile Americans were served by European artisans they did not feed them^ They consumed of American wheat three or five pecks a year The American artisan and hia family average eight bushela a head, beslcev OorD| pork, beef, etc