The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-03-28
Are There Too Many Farmerss

Just now there seems to be too much
of every thing that is produced by hu-
man labor. There is too much coal
mined the furnaces turn out too much
iron Ito much cotton and TOGO much WOOL
en- cloth are woven too much leather is
made, and curiously enough, many people
are complaining that there has been too
much money made: indeed, some 60 SO
far as to declare that the excess in the
manufacture of paper dollars is the very
reason why there seems to be too much
or too many of everything produced by
labor. The farmer is no exception. He
has too much wheat and corn, or at least
there is so much of it sold that he cannot
get a satisfactory price fer his produce
1t is the same with fruit, vegetables,
cheese, butter, and beef; pork only seems
to be single exception. Are there then
too many farmers, as some people seem to
think? If so, it would seem that there
are too many MINERS spinners weavers,
clerks and lawyers, MS well; for all these
PEOPLE are complaining that their bust
ness is as bad or worse than the farmers
declare their to be. 1t can hardly be
the case that there are too many people
in the world. If there were too many
of all other class than farmers, one might
well suppose that, as farmers are needed
to supply others with food and materials
for clothing, there would be more Gus
toners to purchase their produce, and
that their number might be safely in
creased. The supposition that there
are too many farmers may be aban-
doned as uniounded. Every farmer that
should leave his farm and 90 into bus
mess, would find worse state of things
than he is endeavoring to leave. If one
should sell his farm, and try to invest !
his money at interest, he would tird that
there were too many in that business also |
aud that safe and profitable investments |
are as difficult to find as high prices for
corn or wheat. Under the present tenn
porary condition OF things, the farmers
are the only class of people that are not |
too numerous. When their, business hap:
pens TO be poorer than usual, they do |
not find themselves suddenly discharged |
without wages, to starve or to subslst up. !
on their store boarded for such a "rainy |
day On the contrary, the farmer has, |
or he may always have, a sutficiency of |
the necessaries of life, and most of its |
comforts, and although lac may not have
much money passing through his hands |
or be able to spend much in luxuries,
vet his position Is so vastly better than
that of any other class of workers, that |
these naturally seek to become farmers,
when their own business fails or times are |
hard We have now before Us numerous
letters from persons who have hitherto !
worked in factories, or at various trades,
asking us to advise them how they may :
invest their savings in farm or Il gar !
den tract, and become Independent OF II
manner Of life that is full of cups and |
downs" and serious reverses, which they |
believe farmers life to be free from.
The fact Is, few Of us ''see ourselves rs |
others see us, and we are too aptto look |
too much upou the dark side of our own
affairs, and the bright side of those of |
other people, instead of doing the reverse
1t would make II great difference In our. !
ideas OF things, if farmers were to do this |
and there would be fewer of them in
clined to think or believe that there were
too many of them in the country. As a
curious coincidence, we notice the Eng |
Iish farmers are inclined to think there
are too many in their business there, and
are disincIined to pay so high rents for
their farms us they have hitherto been !
doing, and yet the English people are
buying over 100 million bushels of wheat
from foreign farmers everyyear Perhaps !
they think there are too many farmers |
here for their profit. 1t might serve
their purpose doubtless for II time, if we
did not raise bushe of wheat Sor ex-
port but it could hardly better our cir
cumstances. Out OF our population
there are SIX persons engaged in other in
duStries to every one engaged in farming
and this ratio is increasing every year.
Every year farmers are decreasing in
proportion to the whole population, and
il figures speak the truth, we cannot be.
lieve that there are too many farmers
now. when they are relatively fewer
than they have ever been before.