The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1891-01-01
ADDRESS
BY GOVERNOR BOIES.
BEFORE THE REFORM CLUB,
MADISON SQUARE, N. T., IN
RESPONSE TO THE FOL-
LOWING TOAST:
''Our New Allies in the Northwest.
What our Farmers Ought to
Demand.


Demand.
Mr.. PRESIDENT: The sentiment o.
the toast TO which l am invited to re
spond is one OF surprising interest
from both an economic and political
standpoint.
Its Importance when considered
with reference to the nation at large
is intensified when applied to the
prairie states of the northwest which
are to marked degree the food pro
ducing districts of this continent.
4 brief statement Of the situation
in my own state will as well present
the condition in the district referred
to as can be done in the time ut III.
command.
According to the most reliable sta
tistics attainable at this time, nearl,
80 per cent of the male population
over 10 years of age in Iowa are en-
gagged in agricultural pursuits, while
less than three per cent are employed
in manufacturing enterprises of al
kinds, protected and unprotected.
Years ago that state had attained
the first rank in this Union as corn
producing state. and this has carried
her to the head of the column OF
states as a producer of the best quail
ity of beef, pork and dairy products
in other respects she is not behind
the most favored of her sisters in
nearly everything that pretains to
agricultural pursuits in that latitude.
Statistics show that the average
wages of able bodied men upon the
farms of Iowa are $3.50 per month,
or about 20 cents per day and board,
the lowest price paid any class of like
laborers in the state: and yet out of
900 farmers reporting to our commits
sioner Of labor statistics during the
present year more than 800 claim that
this help at these wages has been EN-
ployed at loss instead of ut profit
during each OF the five years last past
Out of the same number an equal
portion assert that the actual cost of
producing this cereal, the most prof
liable of all that are raised within
that state, had during the same peri
Cd. exceeded the entire value of the
crop when harvested, saying nothing
whatever of income from the capital
invested in the land required to pro-
duce it.
1t iss estimated by those making
these reports that the cost of produc-
ing an acre of corn ready for market
is $500: that the average crop for five
years has been 33s bushels, and sta
tistics show that the average price of
this corn in our local markets, soon
after harvest during such period has
been % cents per bushel, making the
entire value of the crop when market
ed, $7.33. or IL cents less than the
actual cost of production at market
rates of labor.
What is true of the production of
corn in Iowa is equally true Of all the
great staples raised on her farms.
When We consider the immense CAPT.
tai invested III the farms of a single
state and are told that for five whole
years it has not paid enough to com
pensate the labor employed, it is ap-
parant that no other business in this
country could have withstood such
condition af adversely during SO pro-
longed II period; and it is equally GER
tain that had it been practicable for
the farmers of the country to with
draw their capital from this line of
industry their numbers would have
been greatly reduced, even in the
best of the agricultural states.
But this was impracticablea and from
the very necessity of their situation
they have continued a business bur-
dened with loss instead of yielding
profit, Gf the market value of their
labor is considered), out of which this
nation has gathered three.fourths of
all it's exports, and by reason of which
it has been able to preserve bal
ance of trade in its favor that has
added to the aggregate of
our wealth.
1t is, however, if we stop to reflect,
easy to DISCERN that if the chief bust
ness of q country is doing business at
, loss, and yet that the country as a
whole is becoming rich, there must
be some fragrant error in the indus
trial system that produces such a re.
suit.
With the facts demonstrated by
statistics as they are, that the nations
wealth is being constantly increased;
hat 1t is largely derived from its agri-
cultural resources and that those en-
gagged in that industry are transact
ng business at a loss instead of profit,
1t difficult 70 understand that those
Who produce the greater part of the
lation's wealth do not enjoy it?
We can easily see that if a dozen
nen We're engaged in as many differ
mt pursuits, and eleven of whom
we're compelled to give up to the
welfth the entire profits they earned,
he aggregate wealth OF the twelve
night be greatly increased, but in
hat case there would be one very
ich man and eleven very poor ones.
II We extend the example it is equal
apparent that if the great body of .
len engaged in indust rial pursuits in (
ny nation are compelled by law or !
therWise to surrender to q few the I
rofits of their labor, the nation as c
lch may grow rich, but its wealth !
ill be concentrated jim the hands of
S favored few, while the many. rob. I.
Ed of their share of the wealth d
hich the labor of all has produced. r
ust of necessity remain poor. I
/ do not hesitate to say there is no a
)ssible justification for system of y