Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1891-03-12
POLITICAL READING.
DEFENDING IOWA.

| 10 defend Iowa against the ilbels heap-
ed upon it by its own governor, is
Hon. Albert Head. ex.speaker OF the
Iowa house Of representatives and now
president OF the Iowa State Agricul-
| lural society. Mr.. Head is we'll quail
| fed to meet and refute the charges OF
the governor, eliminating on the as
| sertions that Iowa farmers are in dire
distress, and that they actually have
| been growing corn at loss. Mr..
| Head has been q resident OF Iowa for
| thlrty-six years; he came to it when
there was not railroad in it, when
| most OF its surface was virgin soil.
| and when the life OF the farmers was
just what might be expected in com.
munity without capital other than the
soil without farm machinery, stock,
implements or markets. The farmers
then simply raised crops for their own
consumption, for little or nothing
could be sold, and held on hoping that
the country would grow upon them;
that capital and railroads would come
and markets be opened for the pro-
ducts of their soil and the fertility OF
their land. This condition OF things
Mr.. Head describes in letter to the
Inter Ocean and u pitiful picture he
enrolls of The poverty, hardships and
troubles OF tnis pioneer life. And then
asking the question: What is the
condition of the great agricultural
state of Iowa now?n and meeting the
lugubrious heads OF the calamity
shriekers Of the free trade press.
shout the 'decadence of agriculture
in Iowa and other western sta es, Mr..
Head proceeds TO tell what he seas
with his own eyes and what the eyes
of other men must see-un, ess silent
on purpose. This is the picture Of
Iowa in 1891, which Mr.. Head draw:
from life.
Almost every acre OF land in the state TO
day under n hi IN state of cultivation or pro
ducinC abundant pasture. Neat anj comfort.
able school houses have been buiided on every
fourth section, aud magnificent school build
ings and colleges ia our towns and cities. Elk
pensiye churches OF beautiful architc ctural de.
sign adorn every village, town and city.
Our state is checkerci by railroads, with
way. Handsome homes, with cOmmodiou.
barns, convenient outbuillings, and well filled
granaries adOrn the well titled farms, where
twenty-five years ago the virgin soil was un'
touched 10y tine hand of ciyilizel man. Cream.
cries, cheese AM Jther factories have been
established all over the state. Importe
horses cattle and hogs of the best breeds have
zen brought into the state, and are rapidly
replacing common stocks OF the farms Mill.
Ions have been expended in these industries,
and invested in the improvement Of Our stock,
while millions on millions have been eXpand.
ed in making highways, thing, building
school houses, churches, hospitals. court
houses, aud other public buildings, while the
cost of the Improvement on the farms cannot
be computed.
Nearly all this vast amount of money, IL,
vested and expended, has been produced by
the farmers of Iowa during the last quarter OF
acentury.
Since Governor Boies saw fit to ira.
duce his state at the Reform club din.
ner at New York, Iowa, as state has
been specially singled out by the free
traders as furnishing an example Of
poverty-stricken agricultural popula-
ton. Yet Nj. Head shows that she
produces enormously OF corn and
other grains, live stock and dairy pro-
at good prices. The corn crop OF the
state alone would pay all the mortgage
Indebtedness of the stale in two years,
ana leave handsome surplus. The
total amount of the mortgage iudebt-
edness Of Iowa would not pay the in.
terest for one year at ten per cent or
the actual value OF property in the
state. The lauds-5, 800, 900 tillable
acres, the price OF which has steadily
improved in the last ten years-with
the improvements and personal prop.
erty OF the state are worth at their
true valuation not less than one thous.
and seven hundred million dollars,
nearly all OF which has been created
on and from Iowa soil, during thirty
years of the policy that the free traders
so much decry. From 1870 to 1880,
he increase in value of Iowa property
was at the rate OF SO 600, 900 "a year;
and the rate of increase, still very
large, has been less from 1880 to 1890
only because the state is now all set.
tied and the opportunities for growth
are not so great. To point to Iowa
then as an impoverished and debt
burdened example of the destructive
effects of protection on agriculture is
simply the effect of the malicious de-
sire to detruct from the merits of the
state and its people. Burlington
Hawkeye.