The Russellville Democrat., 1882-07-27
Farming ar the "Front. !.

Farming at the Front"
 Never before have there been so many people of all classes taking a strong, direct, personal interest in the agricultural situation and pros poets. Business men, bankers, cap italists, stock brokers, merchants, mechanics, manufacturers, opera tives, and day laborers even, are watching the daily bulletins and re- ports 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 received so many hundreds of mil lions of dollars from other lands, which changed the financial depress- ion of 1873, and the year 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 mar ket helped turn tue scale. The hun dreds of millions of bushels of grain that came from the interior to the seaboard, gave profitable employ ment 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 con stant employment, and they pur- chased more freely those articles that go to supply the necessities and comforts of every day life. Thls stimulated and increased the mer- cantile trade, and made heavier de- mands upon all kinds of manufac- tured commodities. The farmers who received the proceeds were able to reduce debts upon their farms :; to buy more aud better implements; to pay up their store debts, and buy more freely from the merchants. The merchants and shop keepers were in turn able to pay up their debts to wholesale houses, brokers Tn manu- factures, and importers, and te buy larger stocks of goods for cash or on short credits. The carrying of these goods increased the transportation business, and stimulated the build ing of five or ten thousand miles of new railroad every year.
 This brief glance at some leading points show the great and far-reach- ing influence ofprosperity to farmers. On the other hand, the unfavorable winter and spring and the summer drouth of 1881 cut down the surplus wheat and corn and meat and dairy products and cotton, many score mil lions n value. This of course di. unfinished 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 prl. ces, prevent the payment of wages asked for, and there is now prevail ing 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, conse- quent upon the lessened crops of last year. Is it any wonder that this stage of things has opened the eyes and en- frightened the understanding of that half of the people who are engaged in agriculture and who have hlther- to been inclined to look upon farm ing as of inferior importance, and suited for clod-hoppers? Farming has come to the front, and it is going to stay there.-American Agricul- tural.