THE WESTERN FARMER 



engulfed in their losses, and was squandered in vain. It is 

 abundantly clear that, as we said at p. 19, "the profits of 

 the Eastern manufacturers are precarious, fluctuating, and 

 by no means above the average of other occupations." 



Just now (1880), the iron manufacturers are enjoying 

 another temporary spurt, owing to the wealth created by the 

 farmers and the consequent necessity for more railways ; 

 and this leads to another question of vast importance to the 

 farmers. At what cost are those new railways to be con- 

 structed ? Is the farmer's produce to be conveyed to the 

 sea-board on cheap rails at a fair rate, or on dear rails at an 

 exorbitant rate? Are the railway-makers to pay Pennsyl- 

 vanian prices or British prices for their rails ? If the former, 

 the cost of the required iron and steel will be nearly twice as 

 much as if the latter.* Now, as the rates of freight must be in 

 proportion, every one who may use the railways about to be 

 constructed will have to pay high fares and freights lor ever, 

 because the legislature interdicts cheap iron and artificially 

 makes it dear ! Surely this would be an enormous evil, and 

 all the less excusable as it could so easily be avoided ! 



At first glance it appears almost impossible that so 

 vast a sum as 8340,000,000 should be lost in the mere 

 diversity of value between what two different sets of men 

 in two different countries can produce by the application of 

 the same amount of capital and labour. And yet the 

 explanation, when sought for, is soon found. To take a 

 man away from what he can do well, and set him to do 

 what he can only do badly makes an immense difference in 

 the result of his labour. A baker would earn poor wages 

 indeed as a tailor ; and a clever carpenter would starve on 

 his performances as a watchmaker. A Western farmer 

 produces excellent and cheap crops, but if he were to set 

 up as a woollen manufacturer he would soon come to grief 

 (unless indeed his neighbours subscribed handsomely to 

 make good his losses and bolster him up). The difference 

 between what men produce who are expert and what men 



* The import duty on steel nt this time amounts to 120 per cqnt. 



