The Indianapolis journal., 1890-08-21

Nebraska. advance in settlement in building,
implements stock and value of lands has been
rapid and stridng In proportion TO length OF uhe
and facilities for development.
The social and educational facilities required
by our farmers, the expense of house furnishing
and adornment the equipment in horses ana
carriages and other comforts of life were never
dreamed of by their parents, and are such as are
respective incomes are told by thousands OF dol
lars per annum. In the newer settlements. III
distant States, there are multitudes of lumber
aspirations and more limited means of gratiica-
tiOn, but everywhere, except in the most ul-
progressive regions, the style of living has ad.
yanced lmmeasuraby beyond the status OF
thirty years ago. Ii Is a matter of frequent ana
universal comment. coming within the Observa-
ton of every person of middle age.
Within few months past there has been an
expression OF dissatisfaction with the profits OF
farming, made mostly by political farmers, and
| relating mainly To the prices OF cereals Cotton
brings fully the average price of the last decade,
| and the last crop was the largest ever grown:
| the whole South. State and national statistics
OF the last ten years show that agricultural In
| debtedness has decreased in that region; that
| the home market is increasing, and that pros
| perity is more general than ever before: still
| farmers appear to be unhappy. IL is mainly
| case of aroused ambition and determination to
be felt in business, and especially in politics
| and il is in these respects hopeful indication
| There is more show of depression in the far
| chase of arid railroad lands at too high price
| to- dry seasons and to an unwse persistence in
Overproduction OF cereals and neglect of other
forms OF production for which there is a better
market. The farmers OF this section grow
! million acres OF flax for seed and throw away
| the straw. from which fibre can be made worth
800 per ton; and then cry for free ssal fibre for
| binding twine. when they could grow hemp and
have better quality manufactured at home and
! save the millions that are sent TO foreign coun
! tries. The beet-sugar enterprise of Kansas and
Nebraska, 1t Is hoped. will soon open the eyes or
| the frontier farmer to the folly of refusing to
| diversity their production and relieve any de-
preston caused 10y failure to produce the prod
| ucts for which We pay hundreds of millions in
gold and silver to foreigners.
| There has been much said about farm mort
| gages-quite too much The most reckless exag-
gerations have been made and, unfortunately
| have been repeated in legislative halls and in
| newspaper interviews and editorials. If the
| census can obtain the facts, it will show that
they nave recently been magnihed en0rmously.
available data testtes To the truth of this aver
| meDt. Much the largest proportion of the farm
| mortgages of the country are for land and I'M
provements, increase of investment, settlement
of estates, and release TO sons by wealthy retir-
ing farmers and are evidences Of enterprise, and
the Missouri there have been crop failures which
have proved disastrous. Thousands without
| risked everything upon the uncertainties of o
| season. in the hope of building home which
shall be a future competenoe or lead to a gainful
sale This is not farming; IL is land speculation,
The future of the farmer of America depends
upon himself. His position is high above that OF
| the cultivatOr OF Europe, and his prospects
brighter II he studies his interest, looking be-
yond the present to the practical possibilities of
| the future, and IN politics follows statesmen
rather than demagOgues. he will continue to
| prosper
| SHALL THE STANDARD BE MAINTAINEDf
This is a grave question Upon its main
tenance depends the future education, enter
prise, independence and prosperity of the peo-
| pie. 1t is pertinent also to frame the inquiry,
will it be maintainedl for there are influences,
from without and perhaps from within. that pos
sibly tend to inevitable lowering of the present
standard. The influx of foreign population, If
continued at its present rate, threatens to
mand upon supplies for subsistence
that tend 10 depression of the aver
| age plane of living It is a possibility that looks
too much like "A strong coming probability for
satisfactory contemplation. But we have moth
tained!' involves the will and determination to
uphold it by all the means that legislation, or
far
can command. Our population has doubled in
| less than thirty years. There Is every reason TO
believe that it will exceed the present population
| of Europe before the end of the next century.
| With five times the present number of people
to feed and clOthe can they be led and clothed
| as well! 1t may be. IL they continue industrious.
| if the proportion of non producers does not in
crease, ii labor shall be distributed harmonious
ly in production, and if the laborer can secure q
just recompense. If the present disregard of the
| requirements of national economy in production
shall continue, if We remain idle at home and go
| abroad TO supplement- the deficiencies created by
our own inertia. lower level will be inevitable.
! III our farmers fail'tO produce the material re-
| quired for food and clothing. If our manufact-
| urers neglect the fabrication necessary for orr
| wants, the sum total OF production will be rela
| lively low. Divide the value of production by
| the numbers OF the people, and the quOtient will
represent the sum available per capita for con-
| sumption. If, by reason of lack of industry or
skill that sum is reduced 2Oper cent the scale
OF indi ividual living must be reduced 20 per cent.
| IL the farmers OF India produce only per capita
value One-eghth as large as that of the farmers
petual semi-starvatiOn OF the Indian people The
anomaly is presented OF so large q proportion of
farmers that existence H, is ever ON the border,
Britain, Austria and Spain represent three de-
grees of average production and similar grada-
and standard Of living. Something cannot come
IRON nothing. No nation can consume more
than it produces.
Ii Is useless to ask what natural productions
| can prOfitably grow. What W e not grow
| is more appropriate question All the cereals.
the esculeDt tubers, nearly all the tbres of com.
far anS re Of
and remuneratlyc cultivation. II has often been
y And do nd ave eGnid in
now the domestic product is taking possession Of
our markets and commanding the highest prices.
madness to dream of the cultivation OF pineap-
pies and bananas: now they are produced with
Florida. The raisns of California are suppressed
| ing those OF Spain, and prunes are taking the
place of those of France. And all of these semi
tropical fruits have reduced the market prices
just in proportion to the extension of domestic
| production.
When our population shall reach $50 600 900
people, II the average consumption shall be re-
duced, IL VIII be from neglect and failure of do
mestic production rather than Limitation OF the
power to produce Not One-sixth of the area of
the South Is producing, and of that portion
scarcely half the measure of its possibilities. The
vast ROcky-inOuntain section. with its great re-
sources of fertility aided by irrigation is scarce
ly touched by the cultivator Other portions of
the country possess large capabilities for ell
largelnent of production. Our agriculture is as
yet unScient1hc in method, limited in range of
cropping, and crude III practice. with only ex.
ceptiOns enough to prove the general accuracy
of the averment. There will be 10 necessary
difficulty in supplying all the requirements of
food and of clothing, with the increase of popu-
laten indicated, without any reduction OF the
present standard of living.
EXPLOITATION OF SURPLUS PRODUCTION.
As the scale of expenditure must be limited by
income. by wages. the rate OF wages must be
maintained or the standard Of living Will inevit
ably be lowered Without reduction OF wages
and decrease of cost of manufacture. Ia enlarged
expectation of surplus products possiblel Ifnot
it will be better 10 live well at home, without q
surplus, than to live meanly in order TO hell
foreigners to better living
BY comparing our increase of population tC
be fed here, with the increase of foreign depend
ents on our surplus, We find at least twenty new
domestic mouths TO fill for every one i'm for
eign lands. In the last decade there has been
decrease, in the previous one there was consider