Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-15
Does "Ths Farmer Pay Il Alls''

From the Chicago TRIBUNE.
A writer in the Indiana Former undertakes
to show that the agriculturist stands the whole
expense alike Of commerce and of government
in the United States. He says: doesn't the
farmer support all other industries? Doesn't
every manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer and
railroad company get their support from the
farmer? The farmer has to do it, and then if
he wants credit for it he is laughed at" This
have money loaned to them at per cent, which
would be no moro than fair, as 1.-THE banks get
our money for little or no interest"
This kind of talk would be justiiable IL the
farmer could show himself able and DESTROYS
to operate his own farm without aid from any
Of the classes objected to as living off the
proceeds of his toll. He has got just the
same right as his forefathers had to 20 to some
other part of the world where land is cheap
because Of small competition for its occupancy
with the world outside. He has the right to
spin his own wool, weave it into homespun
cloth, use the crooked limb Of q tree to stir up
the soil as a substitute for q plow thrash his
grain out with q fail and otherwise live
without patronizing the merchant for clothes,
shoes, tea, lumber or agricultural implements,
and equally without selling his produce for
money or goods. If he has q farm of his
own in this part Of the world he is free to
live in the same Independent way. except
that he will have to pay some taxes and may
have to say mo" to the peddler frequently. II
he does not thus own the farm he has no right
to occupy it except by agreement with the
owner; but in this respect he is no worse of
than the merchant and mechanic or clerk or
professional man in town or city. Neither of
them can occupy premises except by rent or
purchase, and If a farmer wishes to live outside
Of such an arrangement he simply signs for the
unattainable. He might well demand ex-
smption from death or sickness. 1t is only by
to occupy a farm or q house at all, unless he
is able to fight of every now and then some
other man who might want it on the same free
and easy terms.
But the farmer is not prepared to live in the
primitive, pioneer way. He wants to wear
store clothes, to drink sugared decoctions Of
tea or coffee, something stronger; to have
city-made furniture in his house and carpet
in at least his best room. He wants modern
made plows, harrows and cultivators. and SELF
binders, and grass mowers, and grain thrash
ers, and other agricultural implements by the
aid OF which he can raise more grain with
less labor than will supply the food needs of
self and family; and he wants to sell that
surplus at good prices for the purpose of OBJ
tanning with the proceeds some of the other
comforts Of a modern civilization. He wants
railroads near his door to haul away his prod
ucts and bring in his fuel and other sup
plies. He wants other benefits Of association
with his kind, all Of which must be paid for
Dut ILLS cduuOt De COuo WITHOUT tne ala Oh ll6
carrier. manufacturer. merchant and profess
sional man. 1t is for him as well as for the rest
of the world that these classes live and work,
and pay countless thousands Of others to work
| for them. They charge for their services, as
he does for his. and when they want money
they have to pay the commercial rate Of inter-
| est for its use, just the farmer does. II they
can get it at lower rate of interest than he
does it is simply because they can give security
which is better available in case the necessity
arises for converting it into cash.
The farmer cannot expect to have his produce
| taken from his wagon. carried many hundreds
and perhaps thousands of miles and distributed
| to the ultimate consumer all over the Union
and world and receive the whole price paid for
| it by the latter. He would not himself be will
| ing to perform that great intermediate service
! for nothing. Neither can he expect to obtain
at mill and factory prices the Manufactured
| articles he wishes to consume. It is only fair
that he should pay in his purchase money a
| sum sufficient to make it worth the while of the
carrier OF material and product. the factory
proprietor and operative and the merchant to
| work in producing and distributing the goods
| used by him. This being conceded, only one
| other point remains to be considered in an
| swering the question not whether or no the
farmer pays for al, but if he pays more than be
| ought to pay for the services rendered him.
That question is open to more than one kind
Of response, but there is another very important
| fact about which no room is left for doubt.
The service is rendered the farmer more
cheaply than he could perform it himself, and
even more cheaply than it would be done if he
| bossed the job a member Of q community
having all these things done by the federal
government. If the manufacturing and trans
porting business Of the country were managed
| by politicians and oficeholders, which is prac-
tically what the reform" advocated by many
alleged friends Of the farmers amounts to, il
| would cost very much more than it does now,
with the very radical difference that each man
in the community would be taxed his share for
the accommodation, whether he wanted the
service or not. This would amount to vastly
more Of q tyranny than anything that can be
90 falsely assert that ''the farmer pays it all.