18 The Tariff and the Farmer. 



sheep. Nearly $7,500,000 worth of sheep was sent to 

 Great Britain in 1899, where we sent abroad but $29,427 

 to all the world. 



What has been said of Argentina will apply pretty 

 closely to Uruguay, which may be called a small edition 

 of the other. 



Now as to Mexico, which borders on the United States 

 on the southwest, and is thus near to us, with no equa- 

 torial regions to cross, the idea that she is likely to prove 

 a formidable rival in cattle and meat products is so wild 

 we are reminded of the lines of — 



"Ocean into tempest tossed 

 ' To waft a feather or to drown a fly." 



Mexico, like the United States, is surrounded by a high 

 tariff wall. A ''special exposition bulletin" of a few 

 years ago says, "Corn, cereals, meat and flour of all 

 kinds are now virtually excluded from all parts of Mexi- 

 co, save the narrow strip of country called the free zone, 

 on account of a prohibitory tariff." Again, ''the impor- 

 tation of food and food products in Mexico is greatly 

 restricted, owing to the high duties." It went on to state 

 that ham, bacon, sausage and lard pay about ten cents 

 per pound duty. If it is high protection that has made 

 the United States great, enriched the people and caused 

 the payment of large wages, let the protectionist explain 

 why it has had no such effect in Mexico. Why are her 

 great natural resources of mineral wealth hardly devel- 

 oped at all ? Why has not manufacturing activity taken 

 the place of the torpor that seems to rest upon her peo- 

 ple? Why do not immigrants throng her ports! With 

 the same industrial system credited with working such 



