The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1890-06-25
GEORGIA FARMERS
ARE GROWING RICHER.
Two Thousand Gain 5000, 900 in
Five Years.

TWO Thousand cam TJOO,OOO in
Five Years.
The Atlanta Constitution pub,
iished table made up from the
tax returns of twenty-five average
farmers in each county.
The farmers were taken at random
by the Constitution correspondents
without reg 'rd to property. They
are men who make their living b,
farming, and not 10y merchandise
or professional business. In this
table Terrell county shows net
increase by twenty five farmers oil
$40, $4,000 in five years. In COM
mentng upon the table the Com
stitution says:
The Constitution presents here
facts which prove that the Georgia
fumers are growing richer. The
array Of evidence is so far reaching
and comprehensive that the con
clusion cannot be doubted. Indeed
there is evidence in several in>
stances that the fact behind the
tax returns are much STRONGER
than they n pear on the books.
The official records shows that
two thirds of the farmers of Geor-
gia gained greund handsomely
in five years, while one third lost
little. The gamers gained 80
per cent. while The losers only lost
16 per cent, The total gain OF
two thirds of the farmers heard
fiom was, 81 ,200.313 and The tor
tai loss by the losing third was So
"a, sol, leaving net gaia of $905.
7l2 in the whole list of 1891 lar,
merS. ::
The list is thoroughly repre-
sentative one-Bot the rich or the
poor, but average farmers taken at
random and looked up on the tax
books afterwards.
The story is simply this, that
1,344 farmers started cut in 1884
with an average property of So, 1876
and in five years gained an aver
age OF $500. At the same time
CAT larger farmers started out on
an average property of - ,725 and
lost S595 each.
If this ratio runs through the
1000, 600 white farmers o! Georgia.
two>thirds of them have gained
S64, 600 goo and the other third
has lost SO, 833, 000-a net gain
by the farmers Of $4I000,000 in
five years.
This means that ont of an aver
age list Of farmeIs stating five
years ago, two thirds supported
their families aud added 80 per
cent. to their capital aud that
capital only So 1856.
Where is there an equal mum
Der OF average business men who
will show as good + suits On so
small capital? Aud yet the
average business man works more
hours tbaA the farmer, and puts
mp with less room and less sunshine.
The lot Of the Georgia farmer is
not 50 bad after all.
While in every ether business
combinations OF capital ar. crush
ing out the snail men, in agricul>
ture alone it remains true that the
man Of small means has as good a
chance to rise as his neighbor OF
larger property. In tact, these re-
turns show that the losing farmer
had nearly IA fourth mere property
in 1884 than his more thrifty
neighbOr. As these tax retarns
represent hltle else but land,
there is direct inference that the
man who tills little land we'll
will soon have more to till.
Considering the number of far,
mers who were in debt five years
ago, it is astonishing that two.
thirds OF an average list should
show a clear gain of 30 per cent.
Right here comes in a question
which must be met and answered. |
Since 1884 an immense amount
OF foreign capital has gone into the
Georgia farms in the shape OF loans
secured by mortgages. fhe question
naturally arises are not these loans
represented in the increased return
ot property, and when they are
paid, will it not appear that the
gain which appears on the face of
the tax.books is fictitious.
Let us look at the matter seria>
tim. First, what is the amount OF
these foreign loans now in force in