Fergus County argus., 1890-10-09
Silly STUFF for Farmers.
Helena IIcrald.l

farmers of Fergus county, as an ad-
vertisement to convince them that
they should elect him as state senator
SO that he might help elect n Demo-
cratic United States senator to sup
port the doctrine OF free trade in wool,
one of the chief indust ries OF Fergus
county.
1t would he an insult to the intelli-
gence OF the farmers OF Montana to
think for n moment that they do not
know more about their own interests
than Mr.. Meadow has shown in his
address. Falsehood and sophistry
are the main ingredients OF Mr.. Nc
Adow's article.
Mr.. Meadow inquiries in mock seri-
BUSINESS: "Why have farm lands de-
preciated in value One-half in recent
years." He implies that such is the
fact, but every schoolboy knows bet
tar. The fact is the contrary. The
farm lands OF this country are worth
more to-day than any day before since
We were a nation, and so it has been
for every day since our national exist
ence began. There are portions Of the
country where lands have deprecated,
but the general rise has been steady
and rapid, taking the whole country
through. The wOrn-out lands of the
eastern states have deprecated for
very obvious reasons, because { he rail
roads have brought into competition
with them the more productive lands
of the west. That the tariff has had
nothing to do with this depreciation
in our eastern states is shown in the
fact that depreciation OF agricultural
lands has been greater in free trade
England than in this country. In this
country what is lost in one section is
more than ten times made good in
some other portion Of the country,
but in England there is no compensa
tion of that kind. The railroad mo-
nopolies against which Mr.. Meadow
and his class declaim so Justify have
added to the value Of agricultural
lands i'm the United States twice as
much as their entire capital, including
watered stocks, and, though we do
not appear as n champion for all the
railroad methods, we are still less dis
posed to join in the common outcry
against what has done more to create
the wealth OF tins country than all
b.. .anhina1 R.ilrnnl Is n
organized to make money, just as men
take up and cultivate farms and open
and work mines. They are not or
ganized charities, as some seem un-
reasonably to suppose. We should
like to ask the farmers in Fergus county
or any other county in Montana what
their lands would he worth without
railroads? When we first came to
Mont ana, and that was within recent
years of which Mr.. Meadow speaks,
all the farm lands in our large bound
aries could not have been sold for
100000. At a very low appraisal
to-day they are worth 800, 100000.
That does not show very rapid de-
cline in recent years. Again, this So
phisticated reasoner from false prem
ises inquiries: "Why has the number
of tenant farmers in this country in
creased faster than anywhere else in
the world? So far as there is even a
semblance OF truth IN the implication,
il is because our population has IN
creased faster or because in most oil
the old countries farming has gener-
ally been done by tenants for centuries
and there was no chance TOR an in
crease. Relatively, tenant farming is
not on the increase in this country.
1t doesn't pay. Any one who would
be n good tenant can do better for
himself and those who hold lands to
rent can as a general thing make twice
as much out OF their money in other
classes of investment.
Again, to say that half the farms OF
the country are covered with mort
cages is "a bold, baseless falsehood that
nothing in the shape OF statistics, but
lying assertions, sustains. Men en-
gagged in any and all kinds OF business
go beyond their capital and make use
of their credit. Where is there u rail
road that is not mOrtgaged to hall or
more of it's value? Where is there a
merchant that rs not doing business
largely beyond his actual cash capitalg
II is all pure, downright nonsense and
utter falsehood to assert or pretend
that the farmers are worse off in any
respect than other classes. They can
not prosper except other industries
prosper, and Just in proportion as all
other interests prosper so VIII the
farmer.
products OF our farms are consumed
- L. al, foo ,sl
to tell the farmer that he should cul-
tivate the market that consumes less
than one-twentieth OF his products
and sacrifice that which takes the
ninet een-t wentieth. II the tariif Will
effect the result of having all these
goods manufactured in this country
that We now import certainly all the
employees engaged in these industries
will feed upon the products OF Ameri-
can farms, and our home market will
he thus extended. II the tariff induces
foreign capital to this country to en-
gage in manufacture or any depart
ment OF industrial enterprise it adds
to our wealth. it pays taxes to sup
port our Government, and it employs
American labor that Is fed entirely on
the products of American farms. The
results are just what any sensible,
pru ent man would aim to produce.
But to bring this matter down to
the farmers OF Montana is the pur-
pose of this campaign. Our farmers
cannot expect to pay higher wages, as
they have to do to compete with
mining wages, and higher rates OF
transportation, as they have to do
for being further away from the
worlds great markets, and be able to
make u profit on general farming
beyond what is needed for our own
home market. They have, therefore
to engage chiefly in stock raising, tax
ing advant age OF the unoccupied public
domain. Sheep raising is one OF the
most prominent and available OF tn,
industries i'm which our farmers car
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