New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1845-04-15
THE TRIBUNE.
THE FARMING INTEREST, AND ITS NEEDS
Report on Agriculture.
IN AssENyfY. March 10

Sp-aAinS OF agriculture llt 1ONcIHcf HdIa'
The Interest Involved not merely the most important
committed TO Cur charge, bat mare important than all
others"
Iais Is more than Just appreciation OF that
portion of the public interests committed by the
House TO the charge oil your committee. Happy
shall we be- Il any thing we can say or do shall serve
10 eeern the hard work now expended IN producing
pound Of wool, trkln OF butter, or a bushel OF
wheat.
Agriculture ia a subject that public men far
more incltned 10 praise than 20 aid by any legsla
tive euacirnens However others may regard the
interest OF rural industry, your committee believe,
that whiic leglslalns tor bali million OF farmers,
we owe them something more than empty com
menda,i = something bette. than a hesrtless mp
service.
Its k ,yvn 10 all that no class in the community
give 50 much muscular Toll tor SlOO az DO the
common lrld iaborers IN the State OF New OK
The hard work OF skul farmers Is bought and sold
Of nine or ten dollars month, and twelve hours
toll Is cheeruy performed each day. But The
mechanic, the banker, The merchant the broker,
OK the professional gentleman, thinks his service
very poorly rewarded ii ne do not receive three OF
four incs that sum.
II man whose whole life is devoted to the cul-
tivdtlon of the earth, does no: and cannot earn 80
much the merchant, the physician or the lawyer,
IN the course OF year, pray tell us what Is the
cause OF tins inability, thai wise legislation may
remove IL. And If the asriculturlst does earn az
much as any Don-producer IN The State, then please
inform MS how II happens that an experienced lar
msr must sell his labor al SI2O year, when he
cannot hire one experienced in the mysteries OF
law or medicine for less than $1,000 year.
Surely the toilng husbaHdman needs, 1t he does
not deserve. as many good meals, as much good
clothing and rs line house as one that merely
studies acquire, To produce, the good thlngr
OF this world. Nevertheless, the fact is notorious
that the great BODY Of our rural population some
how conIrlve 10 work II llttle harder and farc
l,t'e poorer than any other class In the community
We learn from reliable statistics that paupers m
crease among us much faster than population. The
number lhat live from hand TO mouth, only one
strp from The poor-house, IS increasing with fearful
rapidly. There are already more than 900
people in This State wholly dependent on their
daily labor for their daily bread.
No government can exceed us IN bestowng Idle
praise on honest productive industry. But what
has this Legislature ever done 10 secure from the
Rresp of avarce. TO each hungry mouth and naked
back fair equivalent for all the food and ralmen
called into existence by the mind ana hahus WHICH
God mas given TO each person!
la our fierce scramble TO exchange with the COM
mon farmer ten hours work Tor ten days work,
are WE sure that we do no, trampe under our tee'
every principle OF Justice, and every right OF hu-
VIA, great public good is there in system, of
lepjslsiinn which operates practically in way that
gives 10 one family len times more than II really
needs and compes twenty families TO live on nan
allowance How long shall we foster IN me
breasts Of favored few, that morbid love OF
money which is the root OF all evil -
Never till this unnatural appetite tor needless
wellth shall be ahatcd as pub llc NUISANCE, ny re
inoyipa from the masses the ignorance that fteds
il will agricultural labor he as well rewarded as
the miscmyoycd intellect, which nowreaps "nere
i, has never sown. The increasing pa9perlsHl,
suffering and crime, SO common IN the ianu' spf.oS
MOI so much from Il lack ot the comforts oi cI'i-
lzed HE, as from iheir rhequai anu "n!"s uis''-
bation. a.,
producing classes how 10 keep and ENJOY the enllre
proceeds of their honest ol as II does 10 teach au
NON. producers how 10 exchange their SHADOWS Tor
Inc worklngman's substance, nlne-tenths 81 our
growing taxes for the support OF the poor, ana the
punishment of crime, will cease forever On Inc
contrary SO long as three-tourths OF any commu-
ni,v give the products OF three four, or SIX hands,
for the little earnings of one hand, Just so long VIII
hungry mouths, naked backs, and houseless heads,
claim assistance bv tax on the properly OF NOSE
that are better off According TO the o'tclai re-
porf the direct tax in this State for the year lel4
was 81 2I:s 100 This will soon be Ss,OoO,OV, un-
less we cease 10 manufacture pauPers, criminals,
and needless litigation.
In the common business transactions OF society,
men submit TO be plundered an hundred iinies,
from seeming necessity. ms necessary VIII at
WAYS occur so long az we refuse ~ De con'eht
with sum equal 10 the products OF one pan Vi
hands We violate law OF our beng, when we
sirivr 10 obtain sum equal 10 ths eaihHSs VI ~
ie,ellec,s. and of tour hands. II IS ooyons tna'
should one.halt the community succeed IN acqair-
i Ing n SUN eona 10 the products oil three na'ius 10
one human being. the other molety must OF neceS
sty limit all their tooG clothing, houses, farms ahG
other property, TO an average Produc' OF one hano
10 each person Such is the present lameniaole
resp, %, our past unwse legislation. II the alarm
Ing evils of This system be not corrected, is thers
not reason TO fear that II will at no remote PERIOD
call down the terrible but just punishment Vi
Heaven
Betor. we prescrihe a remedy, let Us view the
malady in another aspect: ,,.,. 800 >.
"ro know ourselves diseased, Is nan oui cure,
Our intense anxiety 10 acquire proPstiY III
Producing it, is eating cancer on tne pous Poli
tic; aud he Is no patriot who Is unwiiiihs 20 hd'e
the sore proted 10 the bottom.
There arc in this State, al least ten thousand per
sonS, that enjoy incomes. on an average, OF S@,WS
each derived from interest on money rents ana
for personal services. This secures TO them an os
grosa:r annual income Of S20,000.OOO Estimate
The average value OF rural labor at $500 per heae,
and it wit be- seen that these 10 COO rich men, draw
from human muscle and thought, sum etuai 10
the eut:rr products of JOS, 600 farmers
Oftlls large sum. they may consume as hluch Ss
$1,000 isbnrng men produce, and then lay up an
! nually so, 100000 Let Us suppose ,his money is
re.ioanrd al an annual interest which VII oouoie
the principal in twelve years. 10 that epgh OF tune
Ihe income of one year will become $4,000 .WOo,
and in four earsi'will become $40 e00,OCo
In connection with the above figures, 1t simpor
the principal four-iold IN quarter OF century,
The increase of laboring people 10 work and pay
this inlcyest is only Hooper cent, IN the same length
of time. Now, is it not clearly demonstrated that,
BY increasing our tax on pruuS,t..s '"H"S''S pui
times faster than the human family increase 10 work
and pay such tax that paupersm must also increase
much faster than The population!
Hadet Inc productive p9%eIh o' mn a a;d Of labor
saving r &C propelled by steam and water
wi,h6 tue iasf twenty-five years, The NUMBER h Q,
paupers in this State and of those JUS, above paphc
Charity, would be double what II now IS -.
Onesof the greatest mistortunes that fsil 10 lie
10, Of the farming community is their extreme
proneness 10 incuriiabi,es, and undertake the pay
men, of interest These people do not safhcien.iy
.ndy The relation that capital bearst to humanity.
They forget thai human being, who must nave
in 365 dnys, cannot safely offse. his productive
labor agains, The service Of dead matter. -.
He should freely give for The use OF capital all u
can earn without the aid of human muscle and