The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-06-02
SOME FACTS.

There T many good people in the
country who honestly think that all
the noise about the underpaid farmers
is uncalled for and unnecessary. These
people entertain this opinion because
they have never looked into the mat
ter. We are sure that the good people
Of the country will insist that justice
and fair dealing be melted out to the
farmers whenever they come to under
stand that they are not being treated
fairly. To help these people,to under
stand the case, we shall call attention
to some very instructive facts.
1t is a fact that the values of farm
ing lands in the West and South have
been steadily decreasing for the last
twenty years. We speak of the West
and South because we know the facts
in relation to those sections. It has
been said that within the period we
have mentioned, many farms in the
East have been entirely abandoned by
their owners, for the simple reason that
their tillage would not pay their own
ers a comfortable living, to say nothing
of something to be laid aside for a
rainy day. But upon this fact we shall
not insist, for the reason that we have
no personal and certain knowledge of
the truthfulness of the statements we
have mentioned about the East. But
we do know that there has been a
steady and ruinous decrease in the
value of Southern and Western farms
during the last twenty years.
Now the pertinent question is, why
have these lands decreased in value ?
Have these lands become less valuable
on account of the decrease of their fer
Utility? This cannot be the fact. For
never in the history of American agri-
culture has so much been done within
the same length of time to increase the
productiveness of these lands.
Have these lands gone down in the
scale of values because of less careful
and inferior methods of cultivation?
No, this cannot be the reason. For the
methods of tillage during the last
twenty years have been greatly i'm
proved.
Have these lands sunken in value
because of the diminishing facilities of
transportation and distribution of their
products. This cannot be the answer.
For the facilities Of transportation and
distribution have been enormously in
creased within the period we are writ
ing of.
Has the depreciation in the value of
these lands been due to the fact that
the demands for the crops grown upon
them have been lessened? No, this
cannot be the reason. For our own
population has greatly increased, and
our manufacturing industries have
gone onward with almost fabulous
strides, and the markets of the world
have demanded more and more of our
farm products.
Why is it, then, that these farming
lands have gone steadily down in value
during these years? Why is it that
the owners of these lands have been
unable to cultivate them with profits
that would keep them free from mort
cages? Why is it that the Southern
and Western farmers have found
themselves, year by year, more and
more deeply and hopelessly in debt,
and more and O fully in the hands
of commission merchants and other
traders? This is the burning question
of the hOur-the question we shall
briefly and truthfully answer.
These farms have gone down in value
because the spectators and transpor-
tation people have combined to en-
rich themselves by robbing the owners
and tillers of those farms. These lands
have gone down in value because the
government of the United States has
fixed burdensome taxation upon the
owners of them to uphold and pamper
afew thousands of manufacturers, who
come forward every four years and
pay down the cash to meet the ex-
penses of bribery and corruption that
have been misnamed political cam
paigns. These farms have gone down
in value because the finances of the
country have been limited in amount,
have been placed in the hands of an
oligarchy who fatten and flourish upon
the ruin of the common people. These
farms have gone down in value be-
cause all other species of property, and
all other interests, have combined to
tax the owners of these farms into a