50 
ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN’S ASSOCIATION. 
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If the facts and figures of the exports of our agricultural products in 1860 were s< 
inspiring to our Commissioner of Agriculture, what must have been his feelings ii 
reviewing the figures of our exports of agricultural products in the year 1879 ? 
After we have considered the views of our official agricultural representative as h< 
glanced over the figures of our agricultural exports, we are prepared to consider th< 
effect which those exports produced on the minds of European statesmen. Fortun 
ately, we are not left indoubt on this subject, for our Consul at Basle—Mr. Mason- 
under date of July 24,1882, reports, “ that the question of 1 American trade competi 
tion has occupied the attention, not only of political economists, but of the govern 
mg classes of Europe, to an extent that can hardly be conceived.” 
_ ^ U Political economists and official staticians,” (says Consul Mason), u have lecturer 
before Chambers of Commerce upon the growing danger of American competition 
and pamphlets bristling with statistics have been published by order of imperial gov 
ernments and laid before parliamentary assemblies to warn them of the extent of tht 
peril, and to inspire them to adopt protective remedies. Hasty and ill-devised meas¬ 
ures, like the English laws regulating the import of cattle and the French and Aus¬ 
trian decrees against American pork, and the German tariff decisions classifying 
hams as cotton goods, and canned meats as hardware, have been adopted, to break the 
overwhelming force of trans-Atlantic competition. How best to protect the farming 
interests in Europe from the cheap breadstuffs, the meats, and the abounding fruits 
ot the United States, and still give their working classes cheap and wholesome food 
are the great economic problems of European statesmanship.” 
And here it is proper to enquire what has been the effect of the combined efforts 
of imperial governments and political economists ” and the aristocratic capitalists 
upon the values of American products that have been exported to Europe? A review 
of the average export price of American products that were exported during the 
twenty-five years previous to the short crop of 1881, may throw some light on the 
Ifi the year 1855 the average price of cheese was 15 6-10 cents per pound ; in 
1860 the price averaged 10 1-10 cents per pound ; in 1865, 22 cents per pound; in 1870 
lo! cen„s per pound ; m 1875,13! cents per pound ; in 1879, (the year that we exported 
fully one-half of our entire cheese product), the average export price was 8 9-10 cents 
per pound. And here we should not overlook the fact that this was the price of 
cheese delivered at the seaports of this country, after having been subjected to the cost 
and charges of manufacturing, boxing, freighting and ail storage and commissions up 
to the date of sale. Nor does the price of butter make a much better exhibit, though 
the amount exported m 18/9 was less than five per cent, of the amount of butter pro¬ 
duced. In the year 1855 the average price of the butter exported was 18 1-10 cents per 
pound ; m 1860 15 cents per pound ; in 1865, 33 8-10 cents per pound ; in 1870, 29 3-10 
cents per pound; m 1875,23 7-10 cents per pound; in 1879,14 2-10 cents per pound. 
Nor is the showing in the price of other agricultural products much better. The 
P nce > °f wheat exported in 1855 was $1.66 per bushel, while that exported in 
1873 averaged $1.06 per bushel. The corn exported in 1855 averaged 89 cents per 
bushel; that exported in 1879 averaged 47 cents per bushel. The bacon and hams 
exported in 1855 brought 8! cents per pound, while in 1879 it realized only 7 cents per 
pound, baited beef exported in 1855 averaged 8 7-10 cents per pound; in 1879, 6 3-10 
ic?a S P° un( T ^'he pork exported in 1855 was worth 7 3-10 cents per pound: in 
ioZf 5 *"10. Per pound. Lard exported in 1855 was worth 10 3-10 cents per pound; in 
A cen J s per poua( T The price of refined petroleum that was exported in 1862 was 
26 4-10 cents per gallon, while that exported in 1879 averaged but 10 9-10 cents per 
gallon. As refined petroleum is almost exclusively an American product, it is inter¬ 
esting to notice the fluctuations in the export price of that article during the seven¬ 
teen years ending m 1879. The average export price of that article in 1864 was 52 3-10 
f^tsper gallon; m 1865, 74 3-10 cents per gallon ; in 1870, 30! cents per gallon ; in 
187o, 14 1-10 cents per gallon; m 1879,10 9-10 cents per gallon. With the combination 
of tremendous American monopolists, and the still more arbitrary, imperial and aris- 
tociatic monopolists of Europe against them, it would seem as though the only way 
tor our oil producers to escape impending ruin is for them to plug up their wells. 
With this showing every one may judge for himself whether the Auctions in the 
export price of American products have been caused by the legitimate workings of 
the lav of supply and deniand; or that of a combination of aristocratic ca pitalists, 
and impellal governments for the purpose of compelling American farmers to keep 
their pioducts at home, or, failing in this, of reducing the price of their products until 
American faimeis should receive no more for their labors than the pauper labors of 
pa T 1(l / 0 F A! e i r ^ know that we are constantly reminded of the cheap 
lands of the U nited bfates, but of what avail to the American farmer are cheap lands, 
£*!!??•! he can market the products of the soil at prices that will fully compensate him 
ofi A 1 • 1 ‘ And here I would state that American farmers are willing to meet any 
qq competition, m all markets of the world ; nor are they so unsophisticated 
fully aware that “ there are tricks in the trade,” but the classification of 
nams that were wrapped m canvas as “ cotton goods,” and meats that have been put 
