The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-28
Schemes to Help Farmers.

I lon have introduced into the Senate i1di-
( cate that the farmers are not very prosper
/ ous-at least in some sections of the country.
! The farmers OF large portion of the south
are doing pretty well at present, their last cot
ton crop having been an exceptionally good
one. and the prices they are receiving for it
being above the average. In the west, how
ever. the farmers are not in a cheerful frame
of mind. Their farms are heavily mort
/ gagged, and they have been unable 10 sell
their crops at profitable prices. Neither of
the schemes for the benefit Of farmers pro-
posed in the bills introduced by Senators
Vance and Culloaa, however, is likely to
| commend itself to the common sense of the
country.
The propositioaG id the bill introduced by
! Senator Cullom is that the government
shall lend money to farmers at 2 per cent.
per annum, and the proposition in the bill
introduced by Senator Vance is that the
government shall establish warehouses in
each county producing annually crops
worth over $500, 900, to which the farmers
may bring their farm products and receive
an advance on them of so per cent. of their
market value in treasury notes bearing
per cent. interest. Ii either scheme
were adopted it " ould greatly increase the
number of the offics-holders. If the office
holders were all drawn from the farming
population the reduction in the number of
the producers might so lessen production as
to bring about an increase in the prices of
farm products. Perhaps that is the inten-
tion of the originators of the scheme. If it
ia hay al i'll -bo&
OF originality they may claim.
Il the government should go into the
business of lending money, thriftless and
unsuccessful people would be its first
customers. There isn't enough money in
the treasury to meet the demands they
would make. Additional taxes would have
to be levied, and those who are thrifty and
successful would have to pay them. The
government would have to hire q small
army of auctioneers to sell mortgagsd
property, and in all probability it would
not only lose its interest, but the greater
part OF its principal.
If the scheme to loan money on farm
product should be adopted it would take
about all the surplus to build the necessary
warehouses, and to make other preparations
for handling the product. 1t would have
to advance money on milk, butter, eggs,
and such things as we'll as on cotton, corn,
and wheat, and very interesting time it
would have in keeping the eggs from get
ting too ripe, the milk from getting sour,
and the butter from getting strong. Doubt
less, when Senator Vance has chance to
explain the provisions of his bill he will be
able to show how these things can be done
with advantage to the government and
profit to the farmers.
There is no doubt, however, that the
farmers are entitled to assistance of some
kind, but that proposed in either the Vance
or the Cullom bill would not improve their
material condition, even if it were prac-
ticable. There is way to help them that
is practicable, and if it were adopted they
would soon show evidences of prosperity.
That way is the reduction of the tariff. The
farmers are now struggling under heavy
burden Of indirect taxation. Everything
they need in their houses, or for the cult
walton Of their farms, or for covering their
bodies has to be purchased at prices much
higher than they would be if it were not
for the high protective tariff. The same
high protective tariff makes the
cost Of getting their products
to market SO great that they
are as poor whsn their crops are sold as they
were before they raised them. The ma
terials used in building railroads AMI ships
are protected, and hence freight rates are
high.
The farmers have the power to remove
the burdens which keep them poor. Let
them vote with the democracy and for
tariff reform, and there will be no occasion
for proposing schemes in their behalf like
those contained in the bills introduced by
Senators Vance and Cullom.