Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1886-10-20


of the land has not increased.
No more produce is sold after
the town is built than was sold
before. The truth is that the farmers
have to pay the living expenses of
the producers who have squatted
on their industry. This is one of the
burdens that a purely agricultural
people have to bear, and il is heavy
one.
What is the amount of the burden
that a farming community has to
carry? That question cannot be
answered accurately. There are not
statistics relative to some of the vital
points of the case, but sufficient is
known to sharply indicate why the
producing class is poor, and growing
poorer and poorer as the harvest years
roll past. AS it is in county, so it is
in States, and in groups of States.
Again, suppose county in Il purely
agricultural region; if it contains
5000 farms, about 1000 of them will
be mortgagod for a total sum of about
100000. The interest paid for the
use of this money is nominally from Z
to 10 per cent but it is really from Z
to 13 per cent, as large commissions
are exacted by the loan agents from
the needy borrowers for negotiating
the loan. The average rate of interest
paid is about 10 per cent. In other
words, 100000 per annum is drawn
from the county to pay the interest
on the farm mortgages. In small
grain farming the plant necessary to
operate a farm of 100 acres is head
er or self-binder, three plows, six
horses, two harrows, two drills, two
wagons, and n few small hand tools.
The cost of the plant is about 81, 200.
The average life of the tools and
horses are about six yeras. The wear
and tear amounts to 5000 annually.
In corn culture the tools arc different
and cheaper, but moro horses are
needed, and the cost of the plant is
the same, and the life the same. The
expenses, unavoidable and collectablc,
of all farmers whose land is mortgaged
for 81 900 arc, for interest 500, for
wear and tear 5000, total Of $500.
Add to this sum the taxes he must
pay and the dozen of little enpenses
connected with the farm and the
household, and for which cash must
be paid, and the total amount will be
swe]led to 5000 and to this amount
the sum paid for wages must be added
The $500 is more than most farmers.
who till 100 acres Of land San pay
There is not that amount of profit in
100 acres of grain at the present
prices. Annually the farmer runs
deeper and deeper into debt. He
hopefully figures that he is slowly
growing rich. He owns hogs and
cattle. But all intelligent men who
are familiar with farming and stock
growing know that the average farmer
has not made money during the past
two years, and that he will not make
any for years to come unless his bur-
den is lightencd. If there is any
increase in apparent wealth it lies in
the increase in the value Of his land
the direct result of the exhaustion
of the arabic land of the public
domain. And it is on the increase that
the mortgage encountered farmer lives.
1t enables him to renew his mortgages
when they fall due. 1t is his capital.
He is of necessity devouring it.
And the unmortgaged farmers lines
have not fallen in pleasant places.
The smile he was wont to wear has
faded from his face.
So heavy is the burden laid on
Western farmers by our unwse tariff
laws, and the excessive cost Of trans
portating their produce to market
over dishonesty built knavishly
operated railroads, and the COMPETE
ton forced upon them by the poverty
stricken agriculturists of India, that
hundreds Of thousands of them have
ceased to till the soil. They have
adopted the un-American plan Of
renting their land to tenants, who pay
a higher cash rent per acre, or give
from one-third to one-half of the crop,
free of all expense, for the use of the !
land. If the landowner shrank from
cultivating his soil because the bur-
dens laid on the only wealth creating
industry in our country prevented his
a profit, it can easily be seen
that the tenant farmer cannot live in,
clover. Glover, indeed. Sandbars
are his portion. He lives in howell.
His team:is mortgaged. His tools arc
mortgaged. His share of the crop is
mortgaged before it is grown. He is
wretchedly poor. His case is harder
than that of any car driver who ever
stood on car platform in New York.
He is most wretchedly poor.
The farmers of this country must
have their load lightened. IF they
are forced to sell in cheap market
they must be allowed to buy there.
IF the relief is not speedily given,
the manufacturing and the transporta-
lion companies will devour the land
Of the entire nation.
EPANK WIIIEsON