Los Angeles herald., 1891-10-22

Intelligence, and clothed in the most
| abJect misery and poverty.
vi all the industries, manufacturing,
commercial and all others, agriculture,
the noblest of all, is dropping, anguish
ing and dying while the others are
thriving. Was there ever time before
when the railroads were in such a
fourishing condition? Towns sprang
up and farms increased and so monopo-
lies were ever ready to invest in rail-
roads.
In his mind the farmers of California
were in better condition today than any
others in this country. There has to be
a balance Of power. When one factor in
life dominates the other, intellect, cul-
ture, the election from choice, the
legislature or any thing else can not
always restore the balance. Agriculture
the great rock upon which all the other
industries rest, is now the most down
trodden of ALL.
In 1850 the farmers owned seventy
per cent of the wealth of the country [;
today they hold less than twenty-five
per cent.
The speaker went on to show how the
farmer had gradually lost prestige until
now he was behind almost any other in
dustry.
He showed by the statistics of 1889 the
many millions of dollars of public debt
borne by farmers states, such as
Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Kansas and
others, the debt of Kansas being $165
for every man, woman and child in it,
and in Iowa the average was $404 per
head for the mortgages on the farms
alone.
Mr. Polk aptly illustrated the surprise
OF the foreigner when he learned of the
enormous burden of taxation and gen.
eral bad condition of the people of this
country, and showed that out of $17,-
SOC, 100000 of taxation $4,000, 900, 900
were born by the farmers alone. The
farmer could not cheat the assessor if
he wanted to; the big monopolists rolled
their wealth up in little sack and put
it into vault, but to the eternal glory
OF the farmer, he, the speaker said,
would scorn to do so. The
farmers were not going around the
country begging, but were only asking
for simple justice.
The chief curse of the farmers condi-
ton today lay in the fact that the power
is vested in the monopolies and combi-
nations.
The speaker gave two different ex
plantations of the condition of the farm
ers. One was from a young man who
graces the store boxes on street corners,
and the other was from United States
senator, the first being that the farmer
was ''too lazy and indolent," and the
other specified s'overproduction."
He pictured the misery existing today
caused by the improper distribution of
the products of the country. Senator
Hiscock's statement that the best dollar
was the one that bought the most goods
and got the most labor, he tried to
prove a fallacy.
He went on to say that if the Demo
Gratis and Republicans out here thought
the fight between their leaders was
genuine they were fooled.
He also said that the farms in the east
which short time ago had been the
abode of wealth, luxury and refinement,
no longer existed, but had given away
to the homesteader who every night
gave thanks to his Maker that he had
the bare necessaries OF life.
The farmers intention to stay with
the alliance until they had gotten their
rights was emphasized, and their firm
belief that they were right.
The speaker paid grateful tribute to
California and its people. During the
address the was interrupted frequently
by uproarious applause, which together
with an occasional word of assent, testi-
fed how he had the sympathy of the
audience.