The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-05-12
TRYING THE OLD GAME AGAIN.

! "OISC d1Q "OI0C COIlu1CIOI yCd1 d1UCI
year.
TRYING THE OLD GAME AGAIN.
At this time everything is looking
favorable for planters and farmers.
Seeding has been done under good con-
ditions, and polite Il papers are al
ready congratulating farmers on their
bright prospects, and telling them they
ought to be thankful and happy. OF
course. This sounds very pretty. But
suppose the season remains good; and
suppose the earth yields to the hus-
bandman two or three hundred fold or
more. Will this help them? No, alas!
no. For when the beautiful harvest
shall have been reaped and the gran
aries of the country + filled 10 over
flowing with the s~ustenances of life,
the producer will find the price of his
products below the cost of production
and when he shall ask why this is SO,
he will be told "OverprOduction."
WHAT IS THE NATTER
Harder work and producing more,
then, does not bring the relief needed.
Why? What is the matter?. The
answer to this question is twO-fold,
and that answer should be made a
basis Of study and action by every
farmer in the land. There is not
enough money in general circulation.
It is too hard to get because of it's
scarcity. People who want bread and
clothing, and who could consume and
use all that is produced, a not get
either, because they can not come in
possession of the medium of exchange
| called money, and which ought to be
only a representative Of the product of
work and labor. Another answer is
| that what money there is in the cOun-
try has been so CONCEALED and aggre-
them power to hold it until the pro-
ducer shall give more Of his products
for it than the money is worth, and
more than he can afford to give and
| live. And then the few, after having
cornered all the surplus products, hold
them until the farmer and laborer shall
consent to give backto the few " all
the money the few gave them and
more besides. These are the two great
evils which must be corrected in order
that this republic may continue to
exist.
HI H EMS L
It was Hon. Jerry Simpson who said
some time ago, that if the whole State
of Kansas were put up forsale, it would
not bring enough to pay off the exist
ing Indebtedness of the State This
statement was gleefully hooted by the
statesmen and Economists" and
they thought they had caught the
Hon. Jerry in a trap from which he
could not escape unless he would con
sent to back out -" of it. But see! The
assessed valuation of the State of Kan
sas is one hundred and forty million
dollars. The census shows that there
are n hundred and forty millions of
mortgage debt on farms alone, to say
nothing of the debt on city property
and lots; of chattel mortgages and
notes and due bills and railroad in
d~ebtedness. All this will make the
| debt far exceed the amount of the as
sessed value of the State. And those
who so gleefully hoOted at the Hon.
Jerry are now admitting, with all pos
sible reservation, that the condition
of affairs is a little worse than they
expected"
OTHER CASES.
OtherStates will show a very similar
state of affairs. Iowa, for instance,
which is one of the richest States in
the Union in stock, cattle and farm
products, shows a mortgage indebted
ness of $199, 600, 900 on farms and lots.
An average of $1O4 of debt for every
man, woman and child in the state;
and this does not comprehend the
chattel mortgages, notes, duebills, rail
road mortgages andth like. Alabama
shows only a mortgage Indebtedness
of $26 per head; and Immediately on
this announcement the political papers
jumped up with a "a and a hurrah,
and said Alabama was a representa-
tive State " in the matter of indebted
ness while the other states were not
representative. If the political parti-
sans shall find three States like Ala
bama, and thirty three like Iowa and
Kansas, they will insist that the three
States like Alabama are representa-
tive" States. Watch and see.
EVERYBODY BE ON GUARD.
There is a quiet umo going the
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