New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-07-24
TIVE 1VERTCAN TROUBLE

Another bountiful crop blesses the country
and rewards the toll of the husbandman. 1t is
not now question of statistics; for estimates
it is little too late, and for returns OF actual
yield a little too early. But we know the es-
sential fact that the country will have an
abundant supply of every important product OF
agriculture. If wheat falls little behind last
year, great surplus of more than bushel to
every inhabitant remains on hand The yield
of hay and of oats is enormous; the crop Oh
vegetables, and especially of potatoes, has been
remarkably large, and all indications now favor
n large yield of corn and of cotton. With abun-
dant corn and hay, the feeding of animals will
be cheap, and we may look for an ample meat
supply not only this season, but for the next
year.
Our difficulty in this favored land seems to be
one of which hardly any other country can com
plain-we have too much of almost everything.
The condition. as General Butler once jocosely
observed, is less one of over-producton than
one of under-consumptiOn. Presumably he dId
not seriously mean that country could have
too great an abundance of all things that sat
isfy human needs. But the number OF bushels
of wheat that the average American will eat
yearly docs not change very much, whether
the supply is great or small. If we have more
than about enough to make barrel OF Hour
for every inhabtant, old and young, and to SOW
the seed for next year, we must either export
the rest OF carry it over as a surplus. Cheap
and abundant corn can be turned into hogs,
il is true. but the number of hogs that we can
eat or profitaby keep is also limited. Cotton
will keep, even if we have more than the
world wants at present, but the grower VIII
consider that $50 in bank, drawing interest
for year, is better than a bale OF cotton lying
in a shed. So somebody must lie cut of his
money for q year or more, if we have to
carry over q surplus which, ut present, nobody
wants.
1t used 10 be difficulty that we had more
than enough of products of the farm, but less
than enough of the products of the mill, the
loom, the furnace OF the mine. But now
manufactures as well rs agriculture complain
of oyerstocked markets. The mills have
turned out so many wooen and cotton goods
that prices are inconvcniently depressed. Iron
establishments of high repute go into the
hands of receivers because they have too much
unsold iron on hand. Coal miners stop work
part of the time this year because the supply,
being larger than ever, is larger than the
present demand. In the tanks and stOrehouses
there is moro oil than the whole world can
consume in eighteen months. The whiskcy
dealers are loaded down with more whiskey
than the country has ever consumed in fifteen
months. And so it il in other branches not
few we appear to have n superabundance OF
things.
But it does not seem necessary to be very
much distressed about our lot. In other
countries, people have not enough; here
they have more than enough; is not that
better In other lands the people are
oyercrowded here the things to eat to wear
and to use are overcrowded, and that is
certainly the pleasanter embarrassment OF the
two. Would it help us any if, instead of feed
ing workmen here, who make our own iron.
and woollen AID cotton goods, we should go
England for these products, and send thither
smaller quantity of grain and meat to feed the
half-starved workers True, we cannot sell
rs much of our products abroad as we would,
because the higher level of living and of
prices here increases the cost OF production
but is it desirable on that account to push
down our labor and prices to the level of
other countries The evil of reproduction
in certain branches will cure itself soon. But
nations stagnate for generations, and even for
centuries without finding a cure for degrade
ton of labor.