The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1891-03-05
WHAT FARMERS WANT.
THEY WANT, AND WILL HAVE
JUSTICE.

the Condition OF Agriculture in II Speech
Nearly Four Years Ag"-FulI Text of His
Speech.
Before We determine what the farmers
of Illinois and of the great northwest
want of the government. We should first
look at their condition and see what they
need, if anything. If they are prosper
onS and happy. then they may not want
anything of the government. Like a
good physician, We should examine their
condition, feel of their pnlSc, So TO speak.
before we prescribe what is needed. |
speak from the standpoint OF Il farmer
1t IS universally agreed, So far as |
learn, that Illinois is the grandcSt agri-
cultural state in the union. The mar
veIouS richness of the soil. the broad cX
panse of her prairie. purpoSely prepared
by the hand of the Creator of all. and i'll
the best possible manner for the iioW,
the cuitivator and the harvester. llli-
nois has produced more corn, wheat,
oats. grass and livestock than any
other state in the union. Her mines and
manufacturers abound AT all convenient
points Illinois then. holds over every
other sta" in all elements Of material
wealth: and other things being equal her
farmers should be piling up wealth be
yond that of any other people. How
happy they should be. Do they want
anything from the governments Let Us
see. You know that farmers are called
chronic grumhler>, and fear if | should
give you the facts that | propose TO pre-
sent in my own language. you woild say
that |, too, am a grumbler. To avoid
this charge will let those who compile
statistics state the farmers condition.
First. then, here is Il book entitled
The Future of Chicago aud Illinois.
complied for the Daily Nctrs- On page
fourteen there is a map Of the state by
counties. giving the increase or decrease
of population in the several counties be-
tween 1850 and 1856. Il period of five
years. Upon this map find eight coun-
ties that show, as the author dcnonin-
ates it, Il nominal gain" and seven
other counties, namely. Cook. Grnndy,
Jackson. Jasper. Kane. Will aud Winnie
bagO, show real gain in five years: ali
others a loss. Those which show gains
have either a city or suburban towns
situated within them. Every agricut-
ural county shows loss in popula ton.
And on another page the loss by coun-
ties is given. Why is this? The answer.
and the only correct answer. is, because
farming has ceased to pay. Those laws
of emigration are we'll nigh as fixed as
the laws of nature. People move to
better their condition--the better TO sup
port their families--is the governing
thought of emigrants. If Illinois is not
an agricultural state She is nothing: and
yet it is true that her farming population
are leaving her rich prairieS by the
thousands annually.
Some one may answer To these facts,
saying the farmers are doing well
enough. making plenty of money: look
at the tall and waving fields Of corn: it
is only the foolish ones. the dissatisfied
and grUmbler, who are leaving farms.
look at the waving corn and ask my
self, is it so? If | should reply in my
own language it might not be satisfac-
tory: the objectOr might say ! saw
through the colored glass. So | must
take up statistics agan-dry, stubborn
statistics-though they may not be de-
sirable in popular audience. What
we want to know is. does farming the
rich prairie of Illinois pay? ! hold it
does not Charles f. Mills, secretary
and statistician for the state board Of
agriculture. is Il worker of ability. and
in volume -, page 21l, Agricultural
Reports, l find table Of figures headed
Corn leading crop in Illinois
containing more bushels and repre-
senting more value than all other till
age crops combined. This table gives
the average yield per acre, bushels
produced, price per bushcl. total value,
cost of producing an acre, and then
columns for loss or profit on producing
cost of crop. The table includes each
year from 1860 to 1855. The cost of
producing an acre of corn Mr.. Mills
gives as S10.50, and this amount. he in
forms me includes rental of land and
taxes, and I believe this amount to be a
fair average cost for producing an acre.
We find. then. the corn crop was pro-
duced
For year 1852. at loss of ........S 1.21.:.5t
For year 1883. at 1t loss of..... >.G2l. l4t
For year 1884. 1T 81 loss of........ l1.,>o, -.
For year lS>,. at Il loss Of of........ 10, >:l .U1
For year 1856. at Il los of........ 1880, 25s
Total loss in five years. So 217 5aa>
And two-thirds of the farms that made
this loss are mortgaged. Can these
mortgages be paid? Does farming il
Illinois pay? Turning to page 259, sam.
report, | find corn, wheat, oats, and rye
were all grown at loss. for the veal
1854; hay, barley and Irish potatoes
alone showing profit above cost of pro
duction. These facts being true, anC
they are sustained by good authority, i,
it not true then that farming in Illinoi.
does not pay? And in that fact alone
we find the reason why people are leav
ing the farms. ''Whither are We drift
ing,' and can we continue to thu:
blindly drift in safety"
Let me again note from the Dull,
Ne,rs' statement: The railways collec
what the traffic will bear. The liabili
ties of the roads in Illinois at the begin
Ing Of 1856 were S130, OJ3. .004. represent
ing an actual value of one-third thi.
sum- In other words, it is endcayorct
to collect Il high rate of interest on prop
ertv at three times its actual cost By
what rig hit does a public highway, de
-.:::.ipS q franchise and right of domain
from the state for the public good, to b'
nxeroised for reasonable compensation
go on piling up capital account, adding
:, deferred dividends, equipments. float
-z~ 'nbts, surplus. increasing yearly tn.
and collecting on this fictitious
IN exorbitant rate of interest? w
o the railways of this state eacl
twice the interest on the nationa
Il. The tax affects all classes indi
tIy, but the producer-the farmer
= e most. The middleman and tn,
ader shift the burden: the consume
NAV curtaii his consumption. but tn,
farmer must sell.
Referring to the topic under discus
sion, the farmers want protection-gov
ernment prOtection--from the cormor
ants that are eating up their substance
and while they need protection badl
they will not get it without some kind o
revolution shall first obtain among them
Farmers should RENE. nber that our gov
ernment has, in measure, ceased to b
government of t..e people, and in lie
of it we have a government of aristo
cratic wealth. This aristocracy is no,
the governing power in both state an
nation. Aristocracy says, "MoneY make
the mare CO." and with it they manpu
late elections, legislatures and the ad
ministration of the laws.
This aristocracy does not intend to Ie