54 The Tariff and the Farmer. 



tables and small fruits; everytliing that could be trans- 

 ported long distances was out of the question for him. 

 Pent in these narrow limits, the competition of eastern 

 farmers among themselves became so great that even in 

 the few lines left them there was little or no profit for 

 the average farmer. For many years these, by careful 

 economv, have little more than obtained a livelihood. 



This short explanation makes clear how our pernicious 

 foreign policy has involved all the agricultural class, not 

 simply the producers of exportable products. 



As the proof already offered may be deemed insuffi- 

 cient to establish the fact of a great fall in the price of 

 agricultural products after 1880, we proceed to examine 

 official figures and statements. The following table was 

 prepared from figures obtained from Statistical Abstracts 

 of the United States : , 



Average Annual Export Prices per Decade, with Per 



Cent, of Gain or Loss, of Corn ; Wheat ; Cotton ; 



Bacon and Hams ; Pork, Salted or Pickled ; 



Beef, Salted or Pickled; and Butter. 



