Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1882-07-07
Farming at the "Front..

Never before have there been so many
people of all classes taxing a strong,
direct, personal interest in the agricult.
ural situation and prospects. Business
men, bankers, capitalists, stock brokers',
merchants, mechanics, manufacturers,
operatives, and day laborers even, are
of the weather, with especial reference
to how it is affecting the growing wheat,
corn and oats, and the further planting
of corn. Never before have they seen
so clearly that farming is the real basis
of all other BUSINESS, and that upon it
rests the prosperity of the country.
They now comprehend the fact that it
was the good crops of 1879, 1880 and
1881, from the export of which we re-
ceived so many hundreds of millions of
dollars from other lands, which changed
the financial depression of 1873, and
the years following. into prosperous
activity extending through all branches
of trade and manufacture. Every extra
bushel of wheat or corn, or pound of
meat, cheese and butter that went to
market helped turn the scale. The hun
dreds of millions of bushels of grain
that came from the interior to the sea-
board, gave profitable employment to
the railroads. These bought and used
more cars, more iron, more steel. and
the makers of these, from head director
to the lowest laborer, received more
wages and more constant employment,
and they purchased more freely those
articles that go to supply the necessities
and comforts of every day life. This
stimulated and increased the mercantile
trade, and made heavier demands upon
all kinds of manufactured commodities.
The farmers who received the proceeds
were able to reduce debts upon their
farms; to buy more and better imple-
ments; to pay up their store debts, and
to buy more freely from the merchants.
The merchants and shop-keepers were
in turn able to pay up their debts to
wholesale houses, brokers in manufact-
ures, and importers, and to buy large
ere dts. The carrying of these goods
increased the transportation business,
and stimulated the building of five to
ten thousand miles of new railroads per
year.
This brief glance at some leading
points shows the great and far-reaching
influence of prosperity to farmers. On
the other hand, the unfavorable winter
and spring and the summer droughts of
1881 cut down the surplus wheat and
corn and meat and dairy products and
cotton, many score millions in value.
This of course diminished exports, and
has started gold abroad; it has decreased
the ability of farmers, and all classes of
workers, to buy goods and manufac-
lures. The decline in the demand for
Iron and steel, and the fall in prices,
prevent the payment of the wages asked
for and there is now prevailing one of
the greatest strikes" ever known in
this country, of laborers who demand
higher pay to meet the increased cost
Of living, due in part to the advance in
breadstuffs, consequent upon the
lessened crops of last year. Is it any
wonder that this state of things has
opened the eyes and enlightened the
understanding OF that half of the people
who are not engaged in agriculture, and
who have hitherto been inclined to look
upon farming as of inferior importance,
and suited for clod-hoppersP Farming
has come to the front, and it is going Ia
stay here.-American ...Yricuttttrist.