Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-19
vOrARIEs OF SCIENCE.
Confined from SiYh Pace.

| Prospects" At the outset Prof james said
that the condition of the farming class is at
present exciting keen attention in nearly every
| civilized country. The politics and economics
OF the United States. England. France, Ger
many Austria and even Russia are busted today
| with the farmer as they never were before. In
one or another Of these countries similar ques-
| tons have at other times been discussed per-
| haps even more eagerly than now; but never
before have they arisen in such acute shape In
| all these countries at once. The farmer Ques-
| ton, therefore, it would seem, is no longer q
| local question, no longer confined to the
United States. but is worldwide in its import
| ance and must be considered, to some extent,
in its International aspects.
There is no question now before the Ameri-
can people more interesting in its economic
and political aspects than this one OF the
farmer and his relation to other classes in the
community. The remarkable phenomena oc-
curing in connection with the Farmers ALI
ance movement show at once how deeply the
iron has entered into the soul of the American
farmer and how thoroughly he has become
keeping pace in his material, intellectual and
social progress with other classes in the COM
munity.
How II LOOKS TO THE FARMER.
1t is not surprising that in this awakening he
should not at first perceive the true source Of
his ills, and that he should attribute many Of
the disadvantages under which he labors to the
Vaccinations of other social classes. 1t is
natural that he should see in the railroads, in
the gold bugs Of Wall street, in the tariff on
imports, in the banks and bankers and in the
monetary policy of the government. the bitter
enemies Of his prosperity.
1t must also be acknowledged that there is a
certain justification in his view OF matters.
Nothing will be gained for US either from an
economic or political point of view by be-
Hitting or deriding the views OF western iarm-
ers on the money question, on the tariff, on
the railroad policy, on taxation and other SINH
lar topics. The American farmer has a griev-
ance-a real and true grievance-one that will
not become less by poopoohing it, but one
which must be carefully studied by students of
economics and statistics to ascertain, if posi-
BILE, how far it is justified and whether it can
be remedied. and if SO, by what means.
As a matter OF fact, the wealth OF the United
States Is flowing away from its farms into Its
factories and railroads; from the country into
the city; from the rural into the urban districts.
The policy OF our railroad companies has borne
hard upon the individual farmer and upon the
farmer as q class. 1t has altered all the condi-
tions of agriculture in many sections Of the
country and in nearly all of them in such o way
as needlessly to burden and embarrass the
farmer. The granger legislation of the west
ern states was a perfectly justifable attempt to
check the wanton aggression Of many railroad
managers upon the fundamental rights Of the
rural classes, and though 1t was at many points
unsuccessful it was the first distinct step in
policy of controlling railroad management in
the interests of the public.
Our system of taxation as a whole rests most
heavily upon the farmer. There is little doubt
that under the method Of general property
tax now prevailing in this country the rural
district is, relatively speaking far more heavily
taxed than the city; the farmer pays more than
the merchant or the railroad owner. That he
should not be willing to rest quietly under this
burden Is not unnatural.
a fhRr Intlhf ftof< hn fv,av, oiolv mol
icy of the country, using that term III tine
broadest sense, as including the whole system
OF monetary transactions built up by the COM
blnatlon OF governmental action and private
initiative, discrminates very directly and keenly
against the farmer and the farming class, or at
least that it discriminates in favor OF other
Glasses, which amounts to the same thing.
THE TARIFF.
Nor can it be said that the tariff policy of the
country has been managed at least directly with
an eye as much TO the farmers interest as to
that of other classes. am aware that this is a
much mooted question, but l do not believe
that any one who has taken pains to study other
tariffs will claim that the farmers. as a class,
have had such immediate influence ir fixing
given rates Of duty as the manufacturers, for
example.
1t is no wonder, then, that the American
farmer is in a bad way and likely to be in a
worse one. Along what line does Improvement
lie! In the first place. of course, in the direc-
ton OF altering the influences above referred
to. Railway policy must be altered at many
points-at some OF them fundamentally. The
system of taxation must be readjusted and the
farmer relieved of unjust burdens. The tariff
must be improved; the banking and general
monetary policy Of the country changed in
many respects.
THE REMEDIES
But all these are after all mere palliations.
L. l. Il
forces which are crowding the American
farmer to the wall are world wide and not
merely national forces. He is going to the wall
because he is trying to compete with farmers
OF a low grade OF intelligence and civilization
In the production of crops where intelligence
and civilization count for comparatively little.
The Russian peasant, the Indian ryot, the
South African boor can raise wheat at such
rates as will surely crush the American farmer
who relies on competing i'll the London market
livery year sees new stretches Of territory
opened up and brought nearer to London,
which are quite as good as Dakota or Montana
The whole southern hemisphere will shortly be
made accessible and every territory that can is
rushing into the same field Of wheat and corn
raising.
The American farmer must seek new crops
where intelligence and skill count for more
than mere fertility Of soil or juxtaposition to
market, and where having once established
himself he may bid defiance to the ignorance
and inethciency OF foreign peasant. ryot or
boor. This calls for a broad and liberal policy
toward agriculture in all its relations. 1t in
wolves governmental and private cooperation
in the encouragement of forestry and farming.
two branches which. though long divorced in
this country. must go hand in hand if both are
to flourish. 1t demands active aid for agri-
cultural schools, agricultural experiment sta
tions, agricultural fairs and expositions-in a
word for all those various means by which agri-
cultural science and art may be extended and
made more efficient. Ii our farmers alliances,
grangers' associations horny-hnnded sons OF
toll conventions, DC, &c, would. with all their
getting, get understanding, would, after secur-
ing, or better while securing, needed reforms
In the railway, tax. tariff and monetary policy
Of the country, go to the very root of the mat
ter, viz, remedy the Incidence. ignorance, con-
servatism OF the farming classes themselves in
all that pertains to agriculture, no American
could have cause to regret even the widest
lubrications OF the fat-money anti-corporation
demagogue.
ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGIsTs.
The Society Closed Its Annual Session Yes