Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-02-12
If hope OF myne
Meet wish of thyme,
Why Farming Don't Pay.

The readers of "The SUM- have pH.ed
the results of oar recent iuquiry, "D0es
farming pay ?' in the shape of numerous
replies from those who know. A like inqui-
ry has been prosecuted by an Indianapolis
journal with substantially similar results.
The farmers of Indiana are not, it is found,
in as good position financially, as they
were year ago. Wheat sells for seventy
Eve cents, against 81 year ago. Corn
aud oats have fallen six cents a bcshel.
There ia depression of two cents a pound
in the live hog market, while barrel pork
has fallen S. barrel. Other hog products
are down in the same proportion. The
crops have been satisfactory, but they briog
less than formerly, and the decline contin-
ues from year to year. With this decline oE
the value of the farmers product, there
has been corresponding decline IN the
value of laid investment. Lands situated
near the manufacturing towns like Soutit
Bend have deprecated like the rest
farm for which $65 an acre was offered il
vain few years ago was recently sold a.
$36. One farmer, who has for many year.
kept a record of his operations, states that
formerly he msde 15 per CO profit yearly
on his investment in a farm of l40 acres
while during the past ten years he doe
not average over 81 per cent. 0n 32O acre.
did on 40 At the same time that the
farmers profit aud cspital have been grow
ing less the cost of living has been inc aas
ing. The sugar trust has put u3 tbs ~
Of sugar, and the other trnsts, thane8
the protection thsg get from hIsh a. y
have followed its example. Tne hotal
market" afforded by tho establishment of
manufactures near at hand has proven a
delusion, as it pays for tho farmers prod
ucts only the prices fixed in the foreign
market. In New Hampshire, the steam
whistle of the factories reverberate over the
fields of S51 abandoped farms. In Vermont
the case is still worse though tn '.rrnar7
there use the bells and whistles o. -
boring factories in lieu of dinner horn
cash market for produce at ones door
no avail if the cash received does not pa
profit on the value of ole's Labor ar i-
vestment. The railroads, with tier aesp
transportation rates. have destroy &c t. ~
periority of the home market over any sf
ma reket. What the consumer Cf asrcu
tural produce does nowadays is r sela -
Chicago for his beef, to Minneapc ils ni
-four and to Nebraska for his coru, c-
farmer friend in the neighborho0o &
paving price for bis produce. The 1ce
prevailing at centres like Chicago and 1ilo.
neapolis are determined at Live poo aoo
London where the farmers surplt.5 IS sold
It amounts to this, then, that the farmer
buys his sugar and other necess lies ia
home market m ade dear by the pro@cAta
tariff aud sells his products in a O. : fnf<
eigu market in competition with all the
world. How has he gotten into this absu ID
position? Everybody is prospering just now
but him. Evidently somebody has been too
smart for him. An Indiana farmer tells
how it is. "The laws of the country" he
says, ssare made 10 the interest Of
anybody but the farmers, and until he
wakes up to that fact and demands this
rights he can never have his share in The
country's prosperity" There is strong
effort being made by pretended friends OF
of the farmer-subsidized, no doubt, in
many cases-to divert his attention from
the high tariff, the chief cause of his trouble,
to questions of currency, nfation. 90.
There is vast deal of printers ink wasted
to prove to him that the free coinage OF sill
YER would relieve him of all his woes
Nothing could be more ridiculous. The
silver kings of Nevada would like very
we'll to dupe him into a. false position, as
the tariff lords have too often done,b but 1t is
to be hoped that his hard fortunes IN the
last year or two will open his eyes to bis
real nteresls.-Baltimore Sun.