CHAPTER I. 



DOES PROTECTION PROTECT THE FARMER? 



The admitted decline of agriculture, especially in the 

 most protected countries, gives pretty conclusive evi- 

 dence that nothing has been done for it by forcing the 

 growth of other industries at its expense. Notwithstand- 

 ing this, it has been, and still continues to be, the pros- 

 pect of indirect benefit to farmers sooner or later, which 

 has tempted, and still continues to tempt, many commu- 

 nities to submit to laws which promise this result. 



While natural laws of competition govern the produc- 

 tion and exchange value of farm produce, the tendency 

 is to make the consumer of farm produce, in almost 

 any locality, independent of the local producer of such 

 products. The tendency of the present day — there has 

 always been a tendency — is in the direction of giving the 

 consumer the benefit of this advantage much faster than 

 the producer could gain by the growth of forced indus- 

 tries. The assumption is borne out by all facts bearing 

 on the history of the subject. The conclusion follows, 

 that protection, to be consistent, cannot be a temporary 

 national policy. It must either grant equal privileges all 

 round, which would be absurd, since it would be the 

 people granting privileges to themselves out of their own 

 pockets, or, after it has built up certain industries to the 

 ruin of agriculture, it must then turn round and build 



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