24 The Tariff and the Farmer. 



admitted free of duty, and the remainder paid a duty. 

 Do the agriculturists want all .duties removed and their 

 products driven from this market?" A quotation from 

 a speech made by Mr. McKinley in the House, May 18, 

 1888, when the Mills tariff bill was under examination. 

 Here it is assumed that the protective system is such 

 an effectual defense to the farmer that its removal would 

 result in disaster to him. Mr. McKinley voiced what pro- 

 tectionists of to-dav would have our farmers believe: 

 that protection bars out immense quantities of agricul- 

 tural products that would break down our farmers ' home 

 market if admitted. A knowledge of the main facts con- 

 cerning foreign trade in agricultural products would do 

 away with this belief. 



In the fiscal year ending June 30, 1900, the value of 

 agricultural imports was more than double what Mr. Mc- 

 Kinley stated them to be for 1887. If the quantity then 

 indicated an alarming state of affairs, the danger in 

 these later years would appear to be most threatening. 

 The ^^Year Book of the Department of Agriculture, 

 1901, ' ' gives the value of agricultural products both as to 

 the amount imported and the amount exported for 1900. 

 In the following table the figures there given of such 

 imports are classified and condensed : 



Agricultural Imports. 

 Year ending June 30, 1900. 



Items. Class 1 . Class 2. Class 3. 



Classified and condensed. 



Class 1. Non-competing — 

 Raw silk, etc., $45,330,000 



Goat skins, 21,988,000 



Coffee, chocolate and 



cocoa, 58.678,000 



Jute, manila hemp, sisal 



grasses, etc., 24,277,000 



