The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1889-09-21
FARMERS, READ.
Cause of Agricultural Depression
From the Baltimore sun

From the Baltimore sun.
A gentleman who recently went from New
York to Western Pennsylvania to buy farm
for a present to a nephew writes to the
New York Evening Post to detail his obser-
vations upon the condition of the farmer IN
that region. What he saw he sums up in the
declaration that ''the manufacturer is eating
up the farmer His advertisements IN the
Pittsburg papers stated that he wanted good
farm in the southern part of Allegheny county,
not far from Pittsburg. Pittsburg being
great manufacturing centre, 1t was expected
that the farmers in the adjacent country,
having the 'home market protectionists say
so much about, would be extremely prosper
Gus, and would ask stiff prices for their lands.
The fact did not answer to this expectation.
The advertiser was overwhelmed with maps,
descriptions, &C., from farmers anxious to
sell. As many as l2S offers to sell were re-
ceived. and they are still coming in. Every
body says the Posts correspondent, seem
ed to be clamorous to sell, but | could not
hear of single sale in many months When
farms that seemed to be eligible came to be ex-
amined, as respects the county records, 1t was
found that a large ropOrtion-perhaps ma
ioritv--were embarrassed with mortgages or
judgments. Old men wanted to sell because
their sons had gone to town to live and they
were unable to do the work. Young men
wanted to sell because they could do better
in town. In short, everybody wanted to get
clear of his farm, and the decentralization
among the agriculturists seemed to be wide.
spread As respects prices, II was found that
the tendency had been downward for years
past. and the movement was still in the same
direction. A valuable, beautifully located
farm, appraised at 500 per acre, was offered
to the New Yorker at $50 Another appraised
at SIS could have been had for $50 These
were typical cases, and the conclusion reached
was that in that rich aud hitherto prosperous
region farms have shruuk in value in the past
ten years from 20 to 81 per cent. The pres
ence of multitude of manufacturing indus
tries in and about the towns has not prevented
the decadence and deseriion of farms in New
England and the beginning of a like move
ment in region of highly protected manu-
features like Western Pennsylvania is very
suggestive. There has been no failure of
crops or transient disaster, according to the
Posts correspondent, 10 account for the fully
developed depression and decadence of the
farming interest of Allegheny county. On
the contrary, the county has been steadily
productive. and the crops of the present year
have been uncommonly abundant. The cause
cf the decline, he thinks, is two-fold-the
competition Of the products of cheaper West
err lands. and the tariff tax $50 ingenouSly
collected from the Pennsylvania farmer on
everything he buys that he does not know be
pays il. What is the farmer to do? la the
nature of things there can be no relief from
Western competition. The Eastern farmer
cannot possibly get more for his product
than the market price fixed By the Western
cultivAtar of cheap and unexhausted soils.
The low price for all he sells is inevitable,
aud short Of farmers trust the outlook
promises no relief The high price, however,
a, which the farmer buys Is, 10 some extent.
under bis own control, and relief is possible
II the farmer will look 10 his interests rather
than his prcJudiees and sentiments when he
votes. Why not cheaper iron, steel, copper,
sugar, clothing, &c, by reforming the tanH
tax on these articles How else can the
farmer bear up under the burden Of cheap
gram II IS the farmer himself, the POST
correspondent thinks, that forhids the removal
OF a. least half his burden There Is some
thing intensely asinine,' he says, ''iu farmers
struggling uader the grinding weight OF mort
cages oa their homesteads aud still voting aud
shouting foF whatever measure will promote
the financial prosperity Of the iron king, An
drew Carnegie. They do not lack IN selfish.
ness, bui they are so completely eetcgged
with the woyd protection that they never
raise a murmur IN continuing 60 pay war taxes
on al, they buy. When the sheriff is waiting
10 sell the roof from over the farmers head
he eth suppoSes that the doctrine that has
btugEbf him 10 poverty and has made Andrew
Carnegie = millionaire IS the true doctrine tf
government In a word. be Is ovcrawed
by the ''home market tallaey, despite the
experience Of the New England farmers,
heing impenctrablc 10 The fact thar the man
cfactnrer IN bis neiehboFhooi buys his -four
er Mt-s,.aar,r.iss ..H hss meat ia tfuag1ru