Iowa territorial gazette and advertiser. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa Territory [Iowa]) 1840-1846, 1842-10-15
Agricultural Department.


And fill with vegetables good y
Agricultural Department.
TIE AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS
This country contains about fifteen
millions Of white popu|a ion. Perhaps a
majority Of our readers. consisting OF the
mercantile and manufacturing classes,
suppose that large portion OF these are
merchants and mcciancs. lf so. they
may be surprised in learning lha, these
two classes do not constitute an eighth
part Of the whole. According 10 the cen
sus, the whole nu,nbe:: of persons en-
ployed in manufactures aud the ,.echan-
ic arts, is less than 100000. The mum.
Der employed IN commerce must be far
less. The census exhibits 1863 houses
engaged in foreign commerce, 1851 com.
mission houses, no snal portion OF which
arc confined to American manufactures,
57,5G5 retail stores, :s5,9G3 men employ
ed in the lumber trade, 1854 men cln-
ployed in the internal transportation
trade, 1893 men employed as butchers
and packers, Sc 50l men employed in the
each commercial house. and two TO each
retail store. we here find an aggregate Of
lG8.41O. II we suppose ono bali Of
these to have families oil three persons,
which is above the average, The " hole
number vii! be CTS. 600 persons. 1--we
assign the same average To the manufac-
turcrs and mechanics, We Shall find an
aggregate Of 100000 men. women ard
children. Thus the aggregate oia. per-
sons connected with these two branches
OF business i. only l.553.oGo, little
more than million ana a half, or about
one eleventh part Of siy'cca millions.
This leaves fourteen millions aud half
employed in Agriculture. Dn, we vii!
make liberal allowance, AID allow to al
occupations excepting agriculture, two
millions, or one eight Of tho whole.
With these statistics before US, what,
VIC ask. is the fundamental, interest Of this
country? What is The great source Of
its prosperity, its existence? We answ er
agriculture. Every dollar of property in
the country. every thing that ministers to
corporcal comiot or safety, comes at Of
the land through tho labor OF is cutiva.
tors. Here Is Il reat proposition in po-
li,lcal economy which cnnno, be conlro-
verted. We solicit the attention Of the
agricultural interest 10 this subject; aud
when they see il in q ~ na gn,udc. we
will ask them. first tt to govern
this great country lond'v, who
does govern it? i'm 10 lls lirs,
will probably be that they ought to gov
ern it themselves; and here we should
agree with them. The legislation of a
country of whom seven eiaI,lhs are di-
rec:ly connected with agriculture, ough,
TO be directed TO the prosperity ofagri-
culture as a fundamental ,n,er, ST, and to
all others us lis ansiialirs. No other
should be restrained without necessity,
or sacrificed for the purpose o! forcing the
prosperity. Of agriculture. Bat il the
safely Of this great interest dcn,a ID, any
restraint, i, should be imposed; for the
majority must govern; and the safety oG
the majority is Il consideration paramount
To- all others.
But while the farmers ouei, 10 govern
III country, who does govern ii? We
answer, foreign manufacturers AMI for
eign stock jobbcrs. Their instruments
for governing it nre the importers, Amcri-
can and foreign, the bankers and banks.
and the Southern portion oil The ugricul
tura. interest. 4 war i waged against
foreign manui cturcrs by American man.
uiacturers; bat rs the latter seek only
their own interest. wilhou, the least re-
gard to the agricultural interest, and op.
crate through banks and through foreign
agriculture, their war against foreign
manufacturers is Of no great utility u the
agricultural interest. Among them all,
the agricultural population, comprehend
ing seven Fights Of the Whole country.
are made heMcrs Of wood and drawers Of
water. We ask the farmers OF lie whole
Union, Of The free States and slave States.
but more esi ecialy ofthc former, 10 think
ofthis.
How is this accomplished? The man.
ulacture,s Of England very naturally wish
to monopolise the market of.his country.
For this purpose they require, among
other things, a paper currency to aug
ment prices. This they have long had
through a legion Of banks, and this thew
lately tried TO revive in 1910, when host
OF stock j"bbing agents visited the coun-
ny oh Df!i'SR account, 10 interfere with
our elections and,our Federal legislation.
In aid Of this purpose, they require ample
means to operate upon public opinion;
and accordingly no email portion Of the
press, whether conducted by English,
Scottish ,or native editors, maintains their
doctrine The. paper system which they
have SO long imposed upon US, creates
host OF ban1ersand ock-jobbcrs In Eng
lard, into whose hands the management
Of this system very easily falls; for as
the piper system, by enhancing prices,
renders the country tributary to England,
flie management 81 mis- system is naiur-
aiIy and necessarily assumed BY those to
when the irigute is paid. A paper ex.