148 THE GREEN RISING 



Probably the best summary reflecting this point 

 of view is contained in the discussion of the effects 

 of the tariff on agriculture by Honorable Cordell 

 Hull, a recognized tariff and revenue expert, who 

 writes as follows: 



"Agriculture has never gone to the heart of the 

 tariff question : but should it fail soon to do so it is 

 destined to a state of permanent decay in this coun- 

 try. There is no more sound economic law than 

 that tariffs are helpless to benefit an industry with 

 a substantial surplus, which must be annually sold 

 abroad in competition with important quantities of 

 like products from other countries. The American 

 farmer, therefore, who produces of the total agri- 

 cultural output some 80 to 85 per cent of the staple 

 agricultural products, such as corn, cotton, wheat, 

 oats, rye, hay, lard, meat products, and tobacco, 

 much of which must be exported, can not hope to 

 receive any appreciable tariff benefits. The existing 

 tariffs, on the contrary, hurt the American farmer 

 by (1) increasing his production costs, (2) his cost 

 of living, (3) his transportation rates on both land 

 and sea, (4) decreasing his foreign markets and his 

 exports, and (5) decreasing his property value by 

 surplus congestion. The tariff is a tremendous factor 

 in the production cost of the farmer as it is in his 

 living costs. There is scarcely an article which he 

 can purchase for any purpose at a price that is not 

 tariff inflated. His agricultural machinery was 

 placed on the free list while higher duties were im- 



