, 1890-12-04

/ can never pe entirety uitcfcu ot
removed 80 long as they look to the
foreign demand for all that they
produce. So long IA tho agricult-
urlst confines himself to the pro-
duction OF wheat to sell In the
English markets his labor must
enter into disastrous competition
with the cheap, ignorant labor ol
the Indian and Russian wheat
growers, and he must content him
self with low prices. This danger
is aggravated in the present In
stance by high freight rates to the
seaboard, costly foreign carriage to
the worlds markets, aud lack oi
competition In tho local markets.
Since the causes combining TO de-
press the wheat market are many,
various remedies must he applied.
No single solution will meet the
difficulty. These remedies are as
follows. They are offered after care
full study of the situation, and they
can not bc ignorcd:
Frst-The agitation for imme-
diate relief at the hands of the trans
portatlon companies must be con-
tinued until sufficient rolling stock
Is brought into the country to trans.
port the crop now on hand.
Second-The Legislature must heed
the mandates of the constitution
and enact laws regulating freights
and fares, and must create u com
mission tor the just and vigorous
enforcement of the Inv.
Third-The audacious attempt oi
the transportation companies tC
wrest from the state the perpetual
control of the water fronts of all the
great harburs of the state, In ordel
TO acquire au absolute monopoly %
the carrying and shipping of tho
states commerce, must be resistec
with all the intelligence and energy
at the command of the people. Herr
lies the farmers greatest peril
Apathy means perpetual bondage.
Fourth-The farmer must turr
his attention more and more tc
diversified farming We must grow
less wheat aud import less produce
from the East. We shall then have
less occasion to rely upon the rail-
road companies.
Flfth-With proper encourage
ment of the diversified resources OF
the state the time will come when
the farmer can rely upon a home
market for the bulk of his surplus.
Nature has wisely divided the state
to the end that the farmer, the
miner, the lumberman, the manu-
facturer, the wool.grower and the
stockman may produce their neces-
saries of life for each other. Wheat
growing has run ahead Of the other
industries, and the surplus has
brought about the existing blockade.
The hope of the farmer lies in the
Mckinley tariff bill. He may not
see this now, while his vision is
dlmmed with the injustice of the ex-
isting burdensome conditions, but
ultimately his strong common sense
will clear that vision and he will
learn the full measure of promise
contained in the new tariff law,
which is pre-eminently farmers
bill, and which takes excellent care
of his raw products and ut the same
time offers to him growing home
market for all that he has for sale.
Let him study the map of this state
and see how wisely nature has re-
strlcted the wheat lands and divided
the commonwealth into areas Of di-
versified resources. Wheat growing
has gotten ahead of the other re-
sources just as cotton and cane got
ahead of the mineral and manu-
featuring industries of the South,
but time and q wise regard for the
protection of home industries and
the exclusion of foreign products
and manufactures will bring relief
and growing prosperity.