The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-10-22
The Farmers Getting in Good shape.

NIShtsAsb A1 S0Su ohapOsf
In the nature Of things it was not pos:
dble to have three good crops in the coun.
tyand market for them abroad at fair
prices without materially affecting the
agricultural interests Of the country for
thebetter. Three years ago the universal
eyin the West was that the farmers were
deeply in debt, and that their farms were
heavily mortgaged for the payment Of Dor.
UEed money. 1t was even said that this
money had been unnecessarily and reck-
Iessy borrowed; thatit had been borrow.
edOn account of the spirit Of extraya-
gancc, speculation and unwilltnguess TO
work that was begotten by the initiation OF
prices consequent on the war and our i'm.
nense issues Of paper money. Farmers,
like every body else, quit hard work, and
forgot their old time habits Of thrift and
economy, and permitted their fami.
lies to spend money and indulge
IN luxnries to an extent hither.
TO unknown in their experience.
The consequence was that they ran be-
hind, and in order to keep going borrowed
money and executed mortgages on their
farms. No longer ago than last winter,
Mr. Gist, Of Brooke county, said in, a
speech in our Legislature that the finest
portions Of his county were under mort
gage, and II this was true Of nm old time
conservative county like Brooke we can
imagine what must have been the case
among the Western farmers, who arc pro-
verbally progressive" SO to speak, in
their ideas. TheWestgotinto debt ahead
Oiour farmers in this part Of the country,
aud got in a good deal deeper we
suspect. But they are now pretty well
out again, and there is a great sigh Of
relief, like balmy zephyr, heard over:
Spreading the Western prairies. The crop
correspondent Of the New York Buliaia,
who isalways well informed, writes to that
paper from Chicago as follows:
You would hardly believe 1t, but II is a
lact to-day in Illinois that the very coun-
aes that have been the largest borrowers Of
money from Eastern capitalists have not
Only paid of their loans, but have money
yIng idle in the banks. The readers Of
"Our Crop Bulletin" will remember that
We stated in August that our farmers were
paying of their mortgages very
tapldIy' This fact Is now confirmed
9y The accumulation OF capital at home.
banker In the interior OF the State
toId me that he had informed his East.
etn tttenda that they "need not send, any
more money West as he had no place 10
putt" a banker In another county said
70 me; I'VE have over 500, 600 lying idle.
HMl belongs to our iarmers.n "What
WI they DO with it2" ,tPdt It into four
pet cent" want to give tho abulls
THa SHS Oears" point on wheat right here:
Mnen the farming community arc in
sueh condition that they have money TO
invest IN governments, they are not going
- % IN any hurry TO rush their wheat OF
Soth on the market. The farmers al be-
..eye that they will get 81 % for wheat
sua ~ cents for corn before another har-
vest nssL Another fact, showing the return oI
prosperity, are the crowds OF people who
nave locked TO Chicago iorlweeks, fillinS
sae streets and hotels and SPENDING Their
money freely. The lumber trade Is sim
question OF cars in which 10 ship
F@mens have been mailing up. old fence