The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1880-01-29
A NEW ERA In AGRICULTURE.
Boratio Seymour on the Conflict Between
American and European Agriculture.


THE Conflict Between American and
European Agriculture. The follow
ing are the more interesting parts of his
address:
The immediate causes of our prosper
ity have been the abundance of our
crops and n failure in those of Europe.
We cannot count upon these in our plans
for the future. The next summer may
reverse the fact and Europe may pro.
duce an abundance, and we may lose
from unfavorable influences upon our
fields. Will they pass away with the
year just closed, or has there been de-
veloped underlying conditions which
have been gradually forming, and which
are now to show themselves with great
power and in grand proportionsP This
is, Tor us, the overshadowing question
of the day, and it will lead us into m any
Inquiries and Investigations before it is
solved. | believe that our country has
entered upon new era in its relation
ship with Europe. While it is not prob
able that our exports of food the next
year will equal those of the past, still
the channels of commerce which have
been opened will not be closed, but will
gradually grow wider and deeper. These
will make permanent changes in our
dealings with that continent.
This fact that North America, with
its vast extent of fertile vacant lands,
now almost touches Europe with its
over crowded population, is one which
eXcites the most varied speculations
with regard to the results which must
follow, bearing upon all phases of civil
lization, politics and power. History
tells of no event more striking or sigliti-
cant. There is now what properly may
be called a conflict between our agricul-
ture and theirs. During the past year
we have fairly bombarded Europe
with casks and barrels of animal and
vegetable food" While these relieve
famine, they also excite alarm in many
quarters by their effects, not only upon
their agriculture, but upon social and
political organizations. IL has become
II contest between American farmers
and English landowners. Let us COM
pare the power and resources of the
combatants. AS the Canadas are oecu-
pied by a people speaking the same Ian
guage and living under laws similar to
our own, include them in my terms
when | speak of our side in this compe-
tition. When | speak of our continent
| do not include Mexico. The variety
of our farm products is protection
against disasters from unfavorable sea-
sons, as some grains are helped by causes
which harm others. If IN entire wheat
crop should be cut off. it would be
great loss, but it would make no hun
ger here, for it amounts TO only quar-
ter of the products of Indian corn. We
have not only q greater variety of the
fruits OF the earth, but our climate gives
them to us in SUGGESTIONS which add
greatly to their value and the comfort
and enjoyment of our people. But it is
not only in extent of territory, abund-
ance and variety of products that nature
favors us. While in Europe short
rivers and narrow valleys tell of fire.
quent ranges of high lands which hinder
commerce, with us lakes and rivers
bind our States together with silver
links in WAYS that give us a ready and
cheap exchange of all that we raise or
make.
In ten years our numbers will be
about twice those of the united king
dom. We have now $4,000, 900, and
less than the usual ratio of increase will
give us 62,000,0e0 in 1890. Many who
now live will see 100, 900, 900 of busy in
habitants within our borders. The
mingled European races have Il yigor
superior to any single lineage. We are
forming what is not yet fully developed
the American character. Those who
study the influence of this intercourse
upon the common grounds of our coun-
try, will be impressed with its mutual
improvement of all minds and charac-
ters. Emigrants do not merely give us
numbers, but also wealth in way I'M
known elsewhere. The money they
bring with them amounts in the aggre-
gate to large sum. But this is unim
| al, l.
tact. We have millions of acres of rich
lands, which the government holds at a
nominal price, or which it will give to
actual settlers by our homestead laws.
While they are vacant they are of no
value. When in the course of few
years million of hardy emigrants,
usually in the prime of life, land on our
coast they may be without wealth
But the moment this multitude of poor
men and women plant themselves upon
the millions of acres of land, of no pre-
viOus value, the union of two kinds of
poverty evolves, as if by a chemical ac-
| ton, enormous wealth. Mere occupa-
tions before a crop is raised give prices
to the soil which make vast amount
of real wealth. This does not fall away
as time goes on, but it grows each year
In our new States, the wealth of our
farmer does not merely come from the
sum he gets for his products; but be-
| yond this, the land he took up for n
| homestead, or which he bought for n
trifle, gains value which makes an es-
tate ranging from few to many thou
sand dollars in value. Wealth cannot
grow in this way in Europe. 1t is this
fact which gives our country its swift
| increase of wealth.
Beyond extent of territory, variety of
productions, facilities for intercourse
ard growth of numbers, there is another
advantage we enjoy. We cannot cor
rectly scan the future unless we regard
the political conditions of the two cen
tinents. Let the lines between New
York and Pennsylvania represent the
hostile borders of France and Germany.
How long could we endure this division
OF territory thus represented; the bar
riers to intercourse aggravated by diff
ferences OF language and laws, and the
burdens of great armies, the evils OF
national hates and the curse of bloody
wars ? The boundaries to each of these
divisions would limit the spread OF
| knowledge, and the progress of civiliZa-
tion, and the growth of sympathies
among mankind. Every industry would
be disturbed and taxed by the cost OF
great armies. Their rulers would stand
as they now do in Europe, armed against
each other, as if they deemed their fell
low monarchs robbers who watch their
chance for piunder.
In smaller countries farmers labor to
meet the wants of those about them.