The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-01-28

now QumO6r TO- 10 say AO1u4hS VI
many personal solicitations. Every
BODY seemed to be clamorous to sell,
but I could not hear of a single sale
that had been made in many months.
"Such farms as seemed to be eligible
were then subjected to an examination
of how they stood on the records OF
the county, in order to determine
whether they really were on the mar
ket. Some of them we're in the hands
of the executors for the purpose of
dividing and closing estates of de-
ceased persons, and some of them were
in the hands of assignees to pay cred
itors their just claims. Indeed, a
large portion of them-perhaps a ma.
iority-seemed to be embarrassed
either with mortgages or judgments,
as shown by the county records.
MANY of the old men wanted to sell
because the boys had gone to town
to live, and they were not able to do
the work alone, and many of the
young men wanted to sell because
they thought they could do better by
| going to town. In short, everybody
wanted to get clear of their farms, and
the general Generalization among the
agriculturalists seemed to be wide
spread, if not complete.
GAS a test Of prices [ will take a
few instances of desirable farms in
the hands of assignees. One farm
was appraised by order of court at
| S62 per acre, and when offered at
public sale there was not a single bid
upon it. Another very valuable farm,
beautifully located, was appraised at
500. The assignee offered it to me
at 800, and l was afterward informed
that l could buy it for $50 Still an
other was appraised at $75, and the
assignee begged of me to buy it at
$50; probably $50 would have bought
it. Without going further into de-
tails l think it is safe to say that in
that rich and hitherto prosperous
region farms have shrunk in value
from 20 to 33 per cent. in the past ten
years, and whether this is the begin
ming of the decadence and desertion
of the old homesteads like the New
England experiences, no mortal man
can tell. This cannot be accounted
for on the grounds of any temporary
or transient disaster or failure of crops,
for that region has been steadily pro-
ductive, and crops of the present year
have been uncommonly abundant. We
must, therefore, look in some other
direction for the cause or causes that
have led to this fully developed de-
preston and decadence.
when Jacob called his sons to-
gether to pronounce his prophetic
blessing and to tell them what should
befall them in the last days, he so fully
and completely described the condition
at present of the farmers of Western
Pennsylvania that we cannot refrain
from quoting what he said of one of
his sons.
"Issachar is a strong ass COUGHING
down between two burdens; and he
say that rest was good and the land
that it was pleasant; and he bowed his
shoulder to bear, and became a SER
want under tribute.
However just it might be to speak
of the farmers of Western Pennsyl-
vania as " strong asses" it would not
be kind to do so, and besides that it
would be a reflection on my own an
c~estors, who fourished there. Still
there is something intensely asinine in
a farmer struggling under a grinding
weight of a mortgage on his home
stead, and still voting and shouting
for whatever measure will promote
the financial prosperity of the Iron
King, Andrew Carnegie. These sons
of Issachsr, whether we call them
asses or not, do not lack in selfshness,
but they are so completely befogged
with the word "protection that they
never raise a murmur in continuing to
pay wal taxes on all they buy. When
the sheriff is waiting to sell the roof
from over the farmers head he still
supposes that the doctrine that has
brought him to poverty and has made
Andrew Carnegie a millionaire many
times over is the true doctrine of gov.
eminent. AS Jacob said of Issachar:
" He has bowed his shoulder to bear.
and has become a servant to tribute
"The two burdens between which
these descendants of Issachar are
COUGHING down are the products of
cheaper Western lands, with which
they are brought into competition, and
the taxes on everything they buy, so
ingeniously collected from them that
they don't know they are paying them.
In the nature of things the former
burden cannot be removed. The
competition must be met by better
husbandry and lower prices of land.
Remove the other burden-the taxes
collected from the farmer for the ben.
enft and support of other industries
and the farmer will be able to take