The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-09-10

duce Of every kind and Of the finest quality is
in the nnarket-vegetables beef, pork mutton,
never better-never more abundant; butter
milk and hay equally so-and We turn down a
leaf here and stop and rest, and inquire into
the reason why, in getting clear of the famine,
we cannot ged rid of its prices. There is very
little use of such abundance unless it is held
at corresponding rates. 1t is marvellous that,
having SO much, we are selling so high. Here
we are the greatest agricultural people in the
world-our crops are lavishly excessive-they
look like special Provdence--a reward to
the American people for keeping cut of war,
and attending to their own peaceful avoca-
tons. And yet we are compelled every morn
ing, in fact, to think of famine, and to feel
| that want is near w by the little We get and
the much we pay for it. The truth is Ameri-
| can producers have become SPECTATORS. They
| have got rich and are able to mold their pro-
duce They have beneyole fancy for sup
plying only those who are in great need.
But in candor, we had better look this smil
ing form OF Abundance fully in the face and
give her credit for just what she intends to do.
and what she will do. She came amongst us
10 give US the blessings OF all the good things
of the earth, and she intended we should have
them al very moderate rates; and so we must
and 40 we will have them. We have a right to
them under the provisions OF the laws Of sun
NV and demand. and although there nov 10
dclay in the enforcement os tboso lows ,bov
will nevertheless b" enforced.
NV, let Us look into this matter of the crops
and the prices. Everywhere, in this country
and in England, France. in Germany--all over
the world so far as information has come to
there are promises Of an abundant yield.
The allegation that il cannot be 50, as many
hundred thousand men have been withdrawn
from the fields Of production to the armies Of
the great Power-thns performing the double
service Of cutting of supply, and providing
consumers and increasing demand-all this is
very plausible: SO plausible as to have capti-
waited good many minds in this country and
in Europe but is entitled to no weight. It is
one Of the props relied upon to sustain the pre-
sent enormous rates for produce; but in truth
it has no earthly vitality-the slightest amount
of test pressure will crush it.
Population in England and every part Of
Europe has been for many years crowling on
production There have been more people
than were required to cultivate the earth
and even more than (under existing laws
unequal Of course in their influence upon dis
tribution between capital and labor,) could be
supported. The removal Of such excess of
population has had no influence on production,
while it has taken away, we may suppose in all,
some two million consuming stomachs.
The immediate effect Of this would seem TO
be to relieve Europe and to cut oil even the
demand which we have had for our produce
in that direction. But it is answered to this
that the vast armies maintained by Russia,
| France, England and Turkey, in actual war,
| and by Austria and Prussia and nearly all The
| other States in preparations for war, must now
| be fed out Of American granaries: as Europe
at best can no more than meet her own de
mands at home. If this were all true the
conclusion is still forced that we are to pro-
vide The supplies. 1t happens that the world
is Witnessing the most gigantic trials OF
brute strength Which have ever disgraccd the
annals Of history. II is not too much to claim
that there arc now four millions Of people in
Europe engaged or reserved, or in some way
set apart, for the field Of battle We grant
that this il withdrawing from the agricultural
classes large numbers, but ii happens that they
had them to spare without affecting produc-
ton Well, Notwithstanding the war, the
commerce Of the world is going on As regular
ly a. ever. Not ripple is seen upon the sur
face Of its broad waters. War is upon lie land.
and not upon the sea. The armies arrayed
against each other are in Eastern Europc on
the very confines Of Asia--in the very centre
of that fabulous region OF production which
has been the wonder Of mankind since the
days Of the Patriarchs. The fact is obvious
that while the Western Powers are defending
Turkey they are providing market for her
productions in Europe, in Asia, and even in
Africa. The great armies Of the West have
been sent TO the East to consume the loar,
wheat and corn Of the Ottoman people and
of those neutral States in the north and south
of Europe which shave enough and to spare"
Let us sum up this matter in a few words:
The year 1850 has produced more subsistence
for man, in all parts of the world, than any Of
its predecessors. Granting that four millions
of men have been Withdrawn from their places
and from agricultural labor, they hayc not, it
| is manifest, caused diminution of productions
| in Western Europe, while they have been
transferred to the very granares of the East.
and become the consumers OF its long boarded
stores.
How, then, are American farmers to find a
market FOR their vast surplus al anything like
present rates in this country? We arc pre-
cscly in the condition that we were in 1855
ours i the highest market in the world for
those articles Of which we have greater snp-
| ply than any other people. We know it i dit
icuit to pass from a year OF scarcity and high
| rates to one OF abundance and lower pricrs