The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1890-09-19
OHIO FARM LANDS.

The Home Market Theory ExpIoded.
Mr.. j. @ Smith, of Ohio, has done
more to make Senator Sherman unhap
by than any other man in the United
States, unless it be Mr. NJ ID. Harter,
who is now a candidate for Congress
from the State which is the proud moth
er of Mckinley and Foraker. And now
Mr.. Smith is ''at it again" In the
Evening Post, of New York City, of Au-
gust 9th, he proves by testimony from
Mr.. Sherman's own mouth that there
has been quite noticeable decline in
the value of Ohio farms In the debate
in the Senate on August 18th the Ohio
Senator said: my experience is, that
taking the whole State through, there
will be somewhat of a diminution in
the value of farm lands in Ohio, as
there is in New York, as there is almost
everywhere East, because decomposition
from the Western country. / have no
doubt it will be to some extent in Indi-
ana; whether it will extend to Missouri
or not 1 do not know
AS if to clinch the matter Senator
Teller then remarked: THE farms of
Illinois are worth to-day 40 per cent
less than they were worth fifteen years
ago." Mr.. Teller did not think that this
was due to amy competition with the
extreme West" or to ANY overproduc-
ton either of cattle or corn or wheat"
1t was caused by the demonetizat on of
silver. But the fact exists And yet,
as Mr.. Smith says, protection has al
ways deem defended as being specially
In the interest of the farmers If" he
says, ANY protectionist in all the land
has ever, before last Monday, surren-
dered that position it has not fallen
under my observation. But in the de-
bate on Monday last this claim was
surrendered. and the man who hauled
down the flag was Senator John Sher-
man, of Ohio. 1t thus appears
that all the farm lands, unless in ex-
ceptional instances, between the Mis-
sissippi river and the Atlantic ocean,
have very greatly fallen in value in
spite of every advantage they have had
from the home market afforded by high
protection on manufactured goods The
surrender was complete and absolute"
Mr.. Smith shows that the "Western
competition" explanation does not ex-
plain. 1t means, if it means any thing,
that the Ohio formers are to give up
farming. But what shall they turn
their hands to? What shall they do
with their farms? If they raise garden
truck where shall they sell it?
Moreover, the farmers of Ohio have
for years been subject to Western COM
petition. The great increase in the
Western production of corn is no new
thing The acreage of improved lands
| increased by $4,000, 900 acres between
1850 and 1860. Competition with these
new lands was sharp. but yet during
that decade the assessed valuation of
OHIO farms almost doubled. Wherein
did that competition differ from this
competition of to-day? The production
of the great crops in Ohio has not fallen
of, but has steadily increased, as Mr..
Smith shows Every thing is favorable
to the culture of cereals. The truth is,
of course, that the farmers have been
oppressed by burdensome and UNI
| just system of taxation-a system
which, to speak plainly, is legalized
robbery. And Mr. Smith rightly argties
| that it will be much cheaper to ''stop
| this robbery" than to follow the SEN
ator's advice and abandon the farms
that their fathers cleared up out of the
wilderness and move to the towns and
go to manufacturing into some bust
ness in which they will be protected in
tries to even things up by showing that
| the city people are thriving and that
real estate in Cincinnati and Cleveland
has advanced rapidly. Then he brings
forward the well worn home market
theory, and suggests that the farm lands
in the neighborhood of manufacturing
centers have not deprecated.
Here it is that Mr. Smith gets in his
A ,,-it III r,H at In al NNao.
ncr County, a r.ch ayr cultural county,
! close to Canton and Mansfield, near to
| Cleveland and convenient to Pittsburgh,
| traversed by one of the greatest rail-
roads in the country, and yet right in
this county the recent valuation of
farm lands show falling off of nearly
81 OOO 900. Mr.. Sherman crawls out
| of an exceedingly small hole,
when he tries to explain this
beautiful situation, by saying that there
is no large town actually within the
county! This is a new Limitation upon
the home market theory. 1t is no long
CIR enough to be near a big town; you
must be in the same county, after
awhile the same township. with it
New York City has no influence on
Brooklyn. and Jersey City might as
well be in the Soudan.
But Mr.. Smith tries it again. Butler
| County is almost within speaking dis
lance of Cincinnati and Dayton; within
its own borders it has the stirring man
ufacturing towns of Hamilton and Mid
! dletown, in both of which towns real
estate has largely increased in value
/ during the last ten years. The county is
amply supplied with railroads, it is in
hn Mfapoi foh &c
brated for its beauty and fertility, and
| yet the farming lands have fallen in
value, as shown by the official valuations
81, O63 367 between 1850 and 1890. In the
very township in which Middletown is
| situated lands have deprecated TO the
extent of S2O5, 200; and in the township
in which Hamilton is situated they
have deprecated to the extent of $500,
| $50
So it is with every township in the
county.
The city of Columbus. with a popula-
ton close on to 100, 600, is the county
seat of Franklin County. This county
is one of the greatest corn-producing
counties of the State. Columbus is an
important manufacturing and railroad
center, and it is prosperous. substan-
tial, rapidly growing and wealthy city
But here, too, farm lands are worth less
by 81, 13s, 3s6 than they were ten years
ago. 1t does seem that Mr.. Smith has
made out his case; and it is likely that no
| is speaking with great moderation when
he says:
When the full reports are published of the
| valuation of farm lands, the probability is
| that Ii will be found that, by the judgment
OF nearly 1900 sworn officers, there has been
\ a depreciation in value of farm lands OF
more than 500 COZ DOL