Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1873-07-10
FARM IMPLEMENTs--TME1 MANU-
FACTURE.4

which are bringing before the public
many abstract theories and problems
advocated by some of our statesmen
of the past, which the times and our
interest demand that we as q people,
must sooner or later solve.
Instead of reduced rates oftranspor-
tation, we are threatened with heav-
ily increased tariff by the different
railways who have been fostered and
warmed into vitality Qikc Esop's fable
of tho serpent), by our generous and
interested people, only to strike with
the same ungratcful similarity their
benefactors, to whom they are indebt-
ed for all the prosperity they enjoy.
The question comes home to US now
rather startling to many of the timid
and weak, ho,o are aee going to avoid
such cool villainy of those heartless
capitalists, who now successfully mo-
nopolize and control the great high
ways Of national commerce, that
should belong to this nation and peo-
pie. Our answer is, 1t can only be
done by The producing classes IN part.
The balance we must trustt to the mer-
cy of the hand of legislation, and we
have already seen by the corrupting
influences practiced by railroad lob
byists, how uncertain that Is.
7 We can slaughter, pack, and cure
our pork at home for home consump-
ton, as much as possible, thus saving
high freights upon shrinkage and Of
falls to an Eastern market, with those
freights upon bacon back to us again, as
we have been so accustomed to have
imposed upon us in the past. We can
also, to limited extent, build aud en-
courage the manufacture of many Of
our implements at home; such as
plows, shovels, rakes, &c. But those
implements are of such nature that
we cannot make such saving item as
we could were our threshers, reapers,
mowers, stalk cutters, corn planters,
grain drills, &C., manufactured here,
instead of having to be shipped Fl ON
the Eastern states. As it is, their bulk,
weight and trouble in handling, with
high freights and commissions, that
makes each one dear purchase to the
producer, who is destined to use
them.
We have every mechanical advant-
age in our cities and towns, for the
manufacture of those articles, (which
any city or town east Of us can boast.
Our rich agricultural country sur
rounding us, furnish the necessaries Of
life at such cheaper rates that the skilled
workman can labor for far less wages
(and are doing it to-day, and support
his family better than they do in the
Eastern states. Our men Of enterprise
are generally. content with less
profits than Eastern capitalists, whose
ambition is TO become millionaires at
the expense of the toiling masses, with
as little trouble to themselves as poss-
ible.
Let the skeptic who is inclined to
doubt those facts, but look around
him, and he will find indubitable evil
dence upon every side. He will see
wagon factories, wooden factories,
pillow factories, in fact almost every
kind of larger factories furnishing us
articles free of transportation by rail
or water, except many of greatest de-
mand, which are often marked by a
score of extended patents upon which
we dare not infringe upon by manu-
featuring at home.
How much economy it would be to
the farmers of Wapello county, could
we have our threshing machines, reap.
ers, and mowers &C., manufactured at
Ottumwa, is certainly apparent to all.
Then why is it we have no such man
ufactories established? Is it because
they will not pay investment ? How il
1t with the manufactures we have
Are they not reaping their just re.
ward. and are they not doing good
work. The Keister, Warden, & Port
or pillow factory began business wher
plows were being shipped to us and
sold at extrayagant prices. Now, after
home competition is commenced here
against eastern manufactures, and SC
greatly reduced the prices of such i'm,
plements, they furnish the farmer,
plows, which for service, elegance anG
durability, have no superior, and a
enormously low prices, compared witt
the imported plow of two years ago
The Louden manufacturing works a
Fairfield, are entitled to the same equa
compliment.
BY building up and patronizing suol
institutions, we not only save higl
freights and commissions, but our cap
ital does not go to fill rich mems Golfer
in the East. 1t is distributed anon,
our industrial classes at home, to b.
again used as circulating medium o
exchange between mechanics, MGR
chants and agriculturists. The great
err the variety of home manufactures
the greater the prosperity Of all class
ca. AS they increase, SO must on
cities aud towns increase in size
wealth and Importance, and as nat
ural consequence, so must the sur
rounding rural districts increase il
prosperity and wealth also, by flndin,
the home demand for the products Q
the soil of q more extensive nature an,
increasing proportions, which wonl
save to us much shipping, and conse
quently much high railway freights.
I Have not the inventors and manu-
facturers IN the East reaped enoug
profit, at our expense, from their pal