The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1890-05-16
Agricultural Report for March
Reviewed.


tives cannot be questioned. 1t ha
been seen that the middle MAJ
controls not only the price of farm
products, but all real and persona
property, stocks, lands, and secur
tiles as well.
The statistician might have gon'
further and said that they contro
our national and state Legislatures
also. The evil has been outlined.
what is the remedy? Organiza-
ton and cooperation of the farm.
ers is Ibelieye the most effectual
if we expect to gain the victory
We must fight the middlemar
with his own weapons, but to the
professional man and the mer.
chant doing legitimate business
and, who are useful and necessary
members of the body polite, with
them we have no quarrels, our in.
terests are theirs. and it is their
duty to assist the farmers all they
can in the struggle between organ
lied capital on one side and organ
lied labor on the other.
We have marshaled our forces
for the contest, and viii not lay
down.our arms until the victory is
won.
There may be minor causes of
depression. which have not been
considered, but they are impoteht
and unimportant in comparison
with those outlined. The main
difficulty is, there is overproduc-
ton of few staples and quite too
limited list of rural products.
There is much hog and hominy,
and a narrow range of delicaces
that are so eagerly sought after
by the buyer and SO profitable to
the producer. There is too much
rural labor unemployed, and too
much mechanical and manufactur-
ing labor idle in both cases for
lack of sufficient variety, and be-
cause s50O,0O0,OO0 or S60O,0OO,0OO
are spent in foreign countries for
products that could better be made
here. 1t Is useless, it Is foolish to
say that we cannot sell our sur
plus unless we buy our food and
clothing abroad. We did sell last
year to a single country to the
amount of sol, 100000 more than
we bought of that country, and
similar disproportion exists every
year.
As we become more independent
more salf-sustaining, producing
all substantials of life, wealth Will
more abound, and be more equal
ly distributed under the industrial
than under the commercial idea,
and while imports will still be
heavy, they Will be mainly for
Injuries and superhuities of the
rich, and will not reduce the re-
sources or limit the comforts of
the people.
In primitive country the first
business of farmers is to produce
food, to cater to the wants of the
stomach, if they go no further, as
population advances and its wants
increase with the progress of cul-
ture and civilization, and so neg
Iect to supply the raw material
for the use of the industrials arts,
their country viii forever remain
primitive and poor. This country
cannot claim exemption from the
memorable rule. Cotton, by the
invention of the gin, and the exist
ence of a suitable soil in the
south, became the salvation of its
agriculture, and then threatened
its existence by its refusal to toler-
ate other raw material for other
arts. The cotton crop is valuable,
and viii represent a larger value,
yet it would not suffice to board
the people of the south at first
class hotels for a week.
A score ofother products should
further enrich her agriculture to
relieve existing depression. All
the worsted woods and all the car
pet woods that can be woven in
the country can readily be produc-
ed in the south. Only the inven-
ton of an effective decorticator is
required to make ramie a great in
dustry, supplementing rather than
riyaling cotton; aud jute and many
native foreign fibers should swell
the list Of raw material.
And there should be no more
need of going to Italy or Japan
for raw silk than there IS to India
for raw cotton. Further, there
should be just as little need of
going to Cuba for sugar. Nine
tenths Cat least) of all the raw
materials required for textile, me-
tallic, mechanical, chemical, olea-
ginous OF other manufacture can
be produced, primarily by our