The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-06-05
OUR SURPLUS oF FARM PRODUCTS

OUR SURPLUS OF FARM PRODUCTS.
In round numbers the last federal census
gave 1000, 900 farmers in the United States,
to but 3, 800, 900 persons engaged in manufac-
lures and mechanical industries and 800, 900
in trade and transportation. The remainder of
the Ii, 900, 900 people engaged in all classes of
occupations is made up of those performing
professional and personal services We have,
then, 9, 000 900 more people engaged in crop
growing than in commerce, manufacturing
and mining combined. Even the uninformed
would naturally conclude that there are pro-
portionally too many farmers, and that newt
ably there must be large surplus of farm
products. The logical result has followed, as
might have been expected, and millions of
bushels of grain have been produced in excess
consequence, the United States has been
obliged to find foreign markets for this excess.
Up to the near past or for the sake of argu-
ment, let it be said up to the present, this has
been a sure source of revenue, and has added
millions to our material wealth. The dis
crepancy between American consumers and
American producers has thus far had
no appreciable i'll effect; the Euro
pean demand has been good and
there has been no great difficulty in disposing
of all wheat in excess of home consumption.
But circumstances change with nations as
well as with individuals. The conditions
that existed in 1861 in 1870, or in 1880,
may be wholly altered now and exactly re-
versed The United States has supplied the
European markets only because there was no
other available source of supply. The aspect
of the commercial and industrial world has
altered greatly during the past ten years. By
means Of ship-canal two continents have
been brought three thousand miles nearer the
been succeed with ships by the thousand,
and ocean freights have gone down TO next to
nothing. The wheat fields of India are prae
tically as near London as are those Of Mime
sofa, and the same may be said of Australia.
The island of Australia now acknowledged to
be the most productive wheat country of the
world, is continent as large in area as the
whole United States and the wheat grown
there weighs from ten to fifteen pounds more
per bushel and grows more bushels per acre.
The export of Indian wheat has marvelously
increased since the opening of the Suez canal,
and the United States has now two formidable
competitors.
gests that something must be done We
now have several million bushels more of
unsold wheat than was in stock at this season
year ago. The price has declined twenty
cents, and still it does not go. These are
facts too well known to need more than their
simple statement; but what to do about it is a
question that vexes the wisest. Free-traders
argue that our ports should be opened to the
world, and that by buying of European ma
tons we will induce them to take the surplus
wheat off our hands This is probably the
most ingenious display of commercial idiocy
that has been made in a century. The laws
Of trade know nothing of courtesy and graft
tude. Unless we undersell all other wheat
growers our European "friends" will go some
where else to buy, and nobody Of sense will
expect anything else.
Were the people of the United States to
buy thousand millions worth of merchan-
disc annually from England, it would not
follow that England would buy peck of
American wheat, and not even so much would
be bought here if it were offered at lower
figure in some other market. To expect
otherwise is simply to confess stupidity.
The question then arises Can American
farmers afford to undersell the world in order
to keep foothold in the markets of f1urvpef
May there not be some other solution of our
problemi AS it is, we have either too many