Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-09-18
OHIO FARM LANDS.

Mr.. j. A. Smith Shows How They Have
Fallen in Value-Testimony of Senators
Sherman and Teller Interesting Figures
The Home Market Theory Exploded.
Mr.. j. Q. Smith, of Ohio. has done
more to make Senator Sherman unhap-
py than any other man in the United
States, unless it be Mr.. NJ d. 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 sat 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 a noticeable decline in
the value of Ohio farms In the debate
in the Senate on August i1th 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 of competit on
from the Western country. I have no
doubt it will be to some extent in Indi-
ana; whether it will extend to Missouri
or not do not know"
As if to clinch the matter, Senator
Teller then remarked: The farms of
Illinois are worth to-day 40 per cent
v
ago" Mr.. Teller did not think that this
was due to ANY 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. It 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
compe tition" explanation does not ex-
plain 1t means, If it means any thing,
that the Ohio farmers 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 5O.OOo. 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 a burdensome and un-
Just system of taxation-a system
which, to speak plainly. is legalized
| robbery. And Mr.. Smith rightly argues
| 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 manufactuEing-go into some bust
| ness in which they will be protected in
| stead of being robbed" Mr.. Sherman
| 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
eenters have not depresiatea
i Here IL is that Mr.. Smith gets In his
work with great effect He takes Was-
par County. rich agricultural o0sAth