New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-08-18
TtPMERS md LUEIR DEBTS.

The condition of agriculture has for years
been a favorite topic Of politicians and dcma-
rocucs on all sides The farmers are many.
They like 70 believe that they are wronGcd.
If they have made any errors of judgment or
conduct. they naturally incline to believe the
domagocucs who tell them that their troubles
are not of their own causing but have been
produced BY railroads, or elevators or banks
or money lenders, or somebody OF something
else As To- greater questions OF National poi
tiles the effects upon the farming population
are constantly and angrily discussed Inc OPP
moments Of Protection affirm that the iYmerS
suffer inevitably from favoritiSm 70 other III
forests. and the advocates Of Protection argue
that they suffer because farming is not pro-
tected enough Ont Of all this it has come to
pass that the farmer is extremely apt TO be
persuaded that he il victim OF continual ana
tremendous injustice.
II has come to be highly important to get a
connect idea Of the facts about this matter.
Mr.. Atkinson an economist always inclined to
attribute evil results 30 Protection. has pub
liclv maintained Of late that the farmer Is not
in real distress. and that his own frequent want
Of intelligence and progressive enterprise &C
counts for most Of the ills he has to bear The
widest statements have been made regarding
the amount Of farm mortgages outstanding, and
tbc desire 10 have some definite information on
that point. which il is hoped to obtain through
the new census, grows largely ont Of the blum
dcring notion that farm mortgages are ordI-
narily evidence that farm-Ownors have been
losing money and thus getting into debt, where
aS by far the greater number OF them only
prove that farms are constantly changing
hands, and are usually bought by people who
are not able TO pay for them in full. little
examination will cast some light on that part
Of the subject.
Between 1870 and 1880, according 10 census
records, the number Of farms increased 1850
900. or over % per cent. Many of the new
farmers bought lands from railroad companies,
having deferred payments 10 make, or III the
same way from individuals, or from the Gov
eminent II is not in accordance with Ameri-
can habits to purchase only what one can pay
for when more can be secured by means of de-
ferrcd payments, and the purchasers who do
restrict their farm acreage to that for which
they can pay cash in full are unqucstonably
only small proportion OF the whole. But be-
sides the increase Of more than one-half in the
number Of farms. there were also those who
took the places of farmers deceased, and of
farmers who retired with success or in failure
OF the adult males more than a quarter die
in every decade so that about Goo, 900 OF the
raru,-owners in 1880 must have taken the
places of others who had died since 1870
70 these two classes alone were due changes
amounting to half the entire number. Only
a guess can be made as to the number of those
who fail as farm-ownerS and are forced to
seek a living as hired hands or in other ways.
Nor is there definite information as TO the NUM-
Der of those who retire with a competence But
since over half were either additional farmers
or SUCCESSORS Of those who had deceased, il is
probable that less than a third of the actual
farm-owners had been owners more than ten
years.
In the light of these changes the rapid in
crease in the number of farms cannot be recon-
cilcd with the theory that farming is found an
improbable occupation Neither can il he
reconciled with what is known as farming in
dcbtedncss An official statement of recent
date makes the mortgages on farm property
only sixth Of their value in Ohio. The State
Labor Bureau makes the amount in Michigan
about one-eghth, and the Illinois State Blu
reau makes the amount in that State about
one-cighth. Where Sc per cent of the farmers
have become owners within ten years, and yet
all outstanding mortgages cover but II to 16