The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1890-02-08

r AND FACTORIES.

1t is a fact of history that no country
is either powerful, rich or prosperous
which has but n industry, no matter
how great are its natural and
the advantages for its pursuit. 1t is equal
ly part of history that those peoples and
communities are the most prosperous
which contain the greatest number of
industries, and have their markets in
their midst or of easy access. 1t stands
to reason that a people who produce but
one commodity or line of similar com
modities can have no home market for
their own products. They must rely ex-
clusively for a market for their surplus
on other communities, and consequently
must come into competition with other
producers under conditions which en-
able them to make production unprofita-
BILE. With q bad season there comes
scarcity, which causes much distress, be-
cause there are no other industries to
which the people a turn to earn their
bread. In the vicinity of manufactures
of any kind all this is avoided. Farm
ers, for instance, are not, in such locali-
ties, forced to depend upon one or two
crops, but find a ready market at hand
for all the articles of food which the
consumer needs.
No one thing so clearly establishes the
Importance of diversified industries to a
State or community as the comparative
values of farms and farm products.
The facts presented by the CEN
sus prove this proposition. Indiana
is regarded as an agricultural State;
nevertheless, the census of 1880 shows
that only SO per cent. of all the people
who are engaged in its gainful occupa-
tons are employed in agricultural pur-
suits in the broadcast sense of the term.
The Others are engaged in manufact-
ures, mining, building trades, mechan-
ical pursuits, transportation and trade.
Outside of a few leading products, the
As per cent. of people in other pursuits
and the thousands in the professions,
ETC., consume the bulk of the products
kof the farms. In fact, if accurate sta
tistics could be obtained, it would be
shown that the larger volume of the
products of Indiana farms are consumed
by our own people. Ohio is another
State that is called an agricultural
State, yet only 40 per cent. of
its people in gainful occupa-
tons are employed in agriculture,
while in Kentucky 60 per cent. of
the industrial people are farmers. Ken
lucky is as favorably located as Indiana
and Ohio, yet the average value of its
farm lands was only S13.92 per acre in
1880, while the value thereof i'm Indiana
was S31.1t per acre, and in Ohio S45.9 %.
North Carolina is a State with abundant
natural resources, but, with 80 per cent.
of its producers farmers, it's land was
worth S6.07 per acre in 1880. Georgia's
farmers were - per cent. of its workers,
and its farm land was worth but $3.50
an acre in 1880, while in Michigan, with
a severe climate and fewer natural re-
sources, farm land was worth S36.15 per
acre. because SO per cent. of its workers
are in other pursuits than agriculture.
Ii the values of stock, crops, ETC., were
considered, the same established fact
would appear, more clearly if possible.
These facts are important at the pres
ent time. because some of IL own
people seem inclined to- cry down the
Importance of the home market for
farmers, and to accept the advice of Mr..
Gladstone, which is to abandon varied
! production and turn exclusively to agri-