Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1870-09-14
LcoHyuYIcATED.l
PITY THE POOR FARMER.
What Shall be Done with the wheat Crop


past six months been counting on the mag
nificent wheat crop of the season. Not ON
ly the farmer, but the merchant, mechan-
ic, manufacturer laborer, and, III TACT, all
classes, have been expecting to realize,
directly or indirectly, some benefit from
this fine crop. But, now the grain Is har-
vested and ready for market, what is the
result? The price offered IS so miserauIy
low that no one can afford to sell.
There may be q current market price for
articles of merchandise, and at the same
time wide difference in the price realized
by the seller-depending on the fact
whether he is the party that must sell
or whether the buyer must buy. This diff
ference is realized by those who make the
purchase of set of furniture to commence
housekeeping, and who in turn, from some
necessity, are compelled to send the same
to the auction room and make sale OF it.
The property, to all appearance, Is just as
good, but the difference in the selling price
is remarkable. In one ease the party had
to buy and in the other had TO sell.
This is the trouble in realizing an ade-
quate price for the wheat crop of East Ten
nessee. The farmers must sell, and must
take such prices as the buyers choose to
pay. We pity the farmer who makes his
money by raising wheat in East Tennessee
and being compelled to make sale of that
wheat through n commission house in some
Eastern market. Counting the seed and
the seeding, the harvesting and threshing,
the saclxing and hauling, the freightage
and shrinkage, the brokerage and the steal
age, when he makes up his returns 1t Will
be found that for the net profit realized by
an average of ten to twelve bushels per
acre, he has worked harder, and for less
pay, than almost any other class of laborers
in the State.
Now the remedy for all this is to build
up manufactures at home, and by so doing
create such a demand for the farmers pro-
duce as will compel the buyer to buy, and
to 30 to the farmers door and ask for it.
When the Greene County Iron Company
started business. about twelve miles from
Greeneville Tenn, the farmers were anX-
ious to sell their hay for less than s. per
ton, but when fairly in operation they have
to forage" over the country and pay $50
per ton for hay. When Clark, Qualfe X
Co. started their furnaces in Carter county,
fifteen miles from the railroad, last spring,
the price in that locality of corn was 20
cents per bushel, and bacon - cents per
pound. While the price of such produce
has not advanced in other parts of the
country in this immediate locality, corn
has risen to Sl.25 per bushel, and bacon 20
cents per pound, and all other articles in
proportion. The same demand is found in
the neighborhoOd of the Emery and ROane
Iron Works. The building up of the latter
has been to the farmers equal to placing
them in the immediate vicinity Of Knox
VILE so far "a the benefit OF market
is concerned. But there ought to be
more than a hundred such furnaces
in blast up and down the vallies
of Eastern Tennessee, turning to some
use the immense deposits Of iron ore
found in almost every county. Rolling
mills, foundries and factories would follow,
working up the metal into every useful
material which the advancing wealth and
civilization of this Southern country are
to demand.
Such manufactures will bring anxious
buyers to the very doors of every farm,
not only for wheat, but for corn, oats, po-
tatOes, turnips, cabbages, fruit, berries,
milk, butter, eggs, and in fact everything
farmer could produce. All such articles,
many of which are too heavy and perisha-
bic to pay transportation out of the State
would be in demand at paying prices. The
farmer could then sell his wheat right n
home for more than is now paid him IN
the Eastern market. He would he in
position to name his own price. and MOI
have it fixed by the fastidious buyer il
some foreign market, who, because The
quality does not come up FULLY to his stan
dard, knocks from ten ID twenty-five pei
cent. off. The farmers Of East Tennessee,
will always remain poor and " hard up
while they are dependent on "a foreign
market, and subject 10 high heights, il
making sale of their produce.
But you may say, This is al very good
but how are we to get the manufacture
started?' Weanswer, by sustaining thos
who would have the necessary legislation
to start them, and by putting down thos
editors and politicians who claim to speal
in behalf Of the farmers, while doing al
in their power TO strike down home manu-
features.
We see thousands of tons of railroad irol
passing through our state which come
from foreign countries. We want such leg
islatiOn as will discourage such business
and induce capitalists TO come into on
State and manufacture the rails on orr owl
soil But, say the free trade editors, thi
is so unjust to the farmer; it makes tn
iron 50 high, and compels the railroad con
panies 10 charge such a high tariff o
wheat, &c As though the farmers weI
Yerdant enough to believe that railrOa
will not charge the last cent they can ge
no matter what the rails cost All tn
benefit farmer gets by reason of fIvOrin
railroads in buying rails in foreign couI
tries is exceedingly mythical. But whe
it comes to building furnace and rolling
mill in his immediate neighborhood, tn,
is Il benefit that can be felt and apprec
ated. He will find his property mined
ately double in value. II does so becaus
the net revenue arising from the sale of h
products is more than double
Some of the farmers in Pennsylvania, j
the vicinity of large manufacturing town