Arizona republican., 1891-04-02
FARMERS AND TARIFF.
WHEN WILL CONSUMPTION OF FOOD
 OvERTA.tE THE PRODUCTION

| uIoWtu OI the NOH' 'hBricuVurhl TOpuIa-
 tion-In Ten Years We May Consume All wo Produce-A Home Market, a
 Good Profit and No Surplus.
 Several years ago, says Robert P, ] Porter, Rober Giffen, the English econ omist, in an essay on finance, called attention to the fact that the population of the United States was steadily over taking its food producing capacity. If the Democracy intends, as announced, to repeal the Mckinley bill and reduce duties to revenue basis, the American farmer should lose no time in ascertain ing whether Mir. Giffens statement is true or not. If the remarkable devel. opment of manufacturing industries during the last twenty years of Protec. ton has changed the United States from food and raw material producing country to great industrial nation, which annually demands for its centers of industrial energy more food and more raw material, then policy which will bring ruin to the urban population will be followed with distress in the rural districts which no extension of foreign markets for food could possibly allay. Few western farmers realize that the growth of the non-agricultural .popula- ton of such states as Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Cali fornia and Oregon has not only been actually but relatively greater than that of the rural population. These states contain 15S cities, with q population of 80,0O0 and upward. In 1880 the aggre- gate population in these places was 8, ,669,- s99, and in 1890 6,305, ,955, an addition of s,6SG,056 to the population engaged mainly in manufacturing industries. This additional population requires for consumption or for its necessary sub sistence per annum 16,000,00 bushels of wheat and 90,000,000 bushels of corn and proportionate quantities of other farm products. The production of corn, increased 3S2,000, 900 bushels since 1880, that of wheat 5,500,0O bushels, that of potatoes 9, 900, 900 bushels, and the pro- duction of other provisions in proportion to the demands of an increased industrial population at home. On the other hand, the consumption of corn increased by 10000 bushels, that of wheat 22,- 900, 900 bushels. and other produce in ac- cordance with the home demands by in- creased population in cities and towns.
 As matter of fact the rural popula- ton in the older western states increased very slightly during the last decade, in some cases remaining almost stationary. Ohio, for example, shows an increase of nearly 45i per cent. in urban population and only 4 in rural; Indiana nearly 43 per cent. in urban and fl in the rural; Illinois, 92 per cent. in the urban and less than per cent in the rural dis tricts In Wisconsin the increase in ur- ban population was nearly 66 per cent. and in the rural districts l5t per cent; Iowa, @ in the urban and 12i in the rural; Missouri, 4Gi in the urban and F in the rural; Michigan, 60 per cent. in the urban and about IS in the rural The rate of increase. of course, in the rural districts of the newer states, such as Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska and Oregon, was more satisfactory, but nevertheless entirely overshadowed by the growth of towns and cities In Min nesota the growth of urban population exceeded 23l per cent; in Kansas ll6 per cent, and in Nebraska 1t reached the astonishing rate of 33s per cent. Curiously enough, the percentage of growth is found to be more evenly dis tribute1 in California than in any other western state. Here the total growth of population was about 40 per cent, the urban growth about 47 per cent. and the rural growth a trife over 8 per cent.
 To sum up, we iindthat the total pop Llation of twelve states referred to was in 1880 IS, ,2Gs. .396, aud that the increase during the decade was 5,10i,253. Of this increase 2,G3G, ,0j6 was urban popu. lation and only BAGS, 196 rural. Yet the rural population in 1880 was 1i,59s,4 ,497 and the urban population only 3,6j9,. S99. If this rate of increase continues through another decade we shall ap- proach very nearly to the condition re- ferred to by MT. Giffen, and have little or no food to export, because it will all be sold in the home market at good proft-the condition, by the way, set forth by that famous Press poem, which | made such hit in the last presidential campaign;
 You may tell him that the farmer feels happier |
 and calmer
 When he sells his stuff at home than when for |
 distant points he packs, For factory hiring labor is profitable neigh |
 Dor, |
 isataxn