The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1890-09-26
Causes Of Agricultural Depression.


/ SYRACUSE, N. Y. Aug. 80. Ex-senator
Warner Miller was the orator to-day ut the
Three River Point Fair. This is fair held
at the junction of the Oneida. Seneca and
Oswego Rivers, and II Is annually attended
10y the farmers at Oswego and Onondaga
counties To-day there were about 5000
persons present ut the fair. Mr.. Miler's
subject was: The Present Agricultural
| Depression. lie said
have not come here to instruct you In
agriculture. Although born and bred upon
q farm, never learned the business. have
a farm, but doubt If il has paid in the past
two or three years of depression i'm agricul-
| ture. L have not balanced my books not
wishing to see a loss. But have had q
great pleasure IN farming nevertheless, and
take great interest in IT,
1t has occurred, Ia me that this afternoon
would give yOn my opinion OF the present
| agricultural depression. If that depression
| Is TO continue the future of our country Is
very dark. No great industry can be de-
| pressed long without other industries suffer
Ing also. 1t is said agriculture is depressed.
l Will not dispute that assertion; and yet /
could draw your attention to facts showing
that thirty and forty years ago the farmers
were not as well-to-dO as those of to-day.
The style of living to-day is far in advance
|
the assertion that agriculture is depressed,
in comparison with other professions. While
that is true of this country, it is also true of
England and other countries. Still, it Is
| true that agriculture Is not receiving its fair
| share OF the present profits Of trade.
| What Is the cause of the depression?
| There is no trner axiom than that one which
| says supply and demand control prices. We
have In this country 50, 000,0 900 people. We
are producing agricultural products suf-
iicient for 72,000,000 people. In other
| words, we are producing surplus; and
| Therefore prices rule low. How does it hap
| pen we have such a surplus? II is because
OF the vast increase OF railroads. To-day
| you can send wheat cheaper from the Rocky
mountains to England than you could for
mcrly from this place to Albany. One man
| in tile west can do with readiness the work
| formerly done by five men in the east. The
| development of the west opened to the
| farmer lands worth only ssl.25 an acre. The
| farmer bought these lands and he has filled
| the graneres OF the world to repletiOn. The
| result is that wheat and corn are low in price.
| The opening up of Dakota alone has glutted
| the wheat markets of the world. The two
| Dakotas send 100000 900 bushels of wheat
| to market yearly.
Undoubtedly the cause of the present de-
preston is that too many of us have gone
/ to farming, and have produced too much.
Some one will tell you that free trade will
cure it. Not one or all of these influences
will cure it. Not until supply and demand
are once more nearly equal for farm pro-
ducts will the present depression cease. But
some will say by various laws we can cure
it. My friends, that is deluslOn. 1t has
| been tried again and again, and failed.
| But the condition of the farmer can be
improved by legislation. For years we have
not had a sufficient circulation of money
| The recent silver legislation provides for an
| increase of currency of $50, 000,0 year.
| 1t has had the result OF raising the price of
wheat in this country and in India. But
we cannot increase wisely our currency be-
| yOnd certain amount. A prodigiOus in
tlation only lead to wildcat banking.
| In my opinion our affairs are going to be
| bettered. Our railroad system will not be
| further extended. There are no more
| DakOtas to open. There are no countries to
come into the produce market and disturb
| prices. We are of course producing more
| wheat and corn than we consume. The
| average OF our wheat production, however,
is lessening. The population of our country
| is increasing faster than our agricultural
| products. If the present rate of increase OF
population continues and if our production
| of wheat remains as 1t Is, we shall raise only
enough wheat for the needs of our own
| people. An increase of the price of wheat
to $1.25 would open up new lands. But in
my opinion we have we have reached the
minimum price of wheat Undoubtedly the
power of the west to produce wheat is les
ening. The amount of wheat they raise
per acre is lessening. Iowa completes with
New York now in diarying she has largely
gone out of wheat raising. Corn raising, it
Is true, has increased in amount, but it is
equally true that our people have already
seized upon all the profitable corn producing
land of the country. In the last three years
the increase of corn production has only
been one per cent. Our population has in
creased two or three per cent. | predict
that before the century ends the farmers of
OnOndaga county will raise wheat at a
profit. The raising of cattle in the west
also has reached its maximum. If, there
fore, you take the increase i'm population
and compare it with with our production of
farm products. you will find that we will
soon have home market for all our own
farm products. The railroads have I'M
doubtedly caused large depreciation in the
the value of your farms. But believe that
you have reached the minimum point i'm the
depreciation In the value of your lands, and
that your lands are going to increase i'm
value hencefOrth. In five years that in
crease In value, l believe, will come to you.
few years ago / advised my farmer
friends to be frugal, economical and indus
triOus. In was in politics then. and my
political opponents Immediately made a
point against me for that remark. Not be-
ing In politics now, and not seeking any
Office at your hands. l can say that i still
stand by that remark. believe that the
farmer would proftby 1t If he were frugal
and economical.
There Is n good deal said about the farm
er In politics just now, and politics in the
farmer. can see 10 harm i'm these oranges,
farmers leagues and alliances. There is to
be remembered, however, that our fOrefath-
ers were opposed to class legislation. There
Is no reason for railroad party, for labor
party or for farmers party. No political
party with one idea only could exist year
IN this country. Our people are opposed to
class parties. My advice To you Is TO act
through your own political party. ZAP
plause.) No one class of the population
should seek to bend all legislation and gov
| eminent to Its own benefit. Undoubtedly
the farmer has q right to work 10 have his
/ class represented To n larger extent in the