The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-01-22
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". NJ. MURDOCH. Editor
". NJ. MURDOCH. Editor.
FARMS VERSUS MINES.

victims. or follow the will O the wisp
dancing over tie sloughs of despond
until they are engulfed in their black
unfathomable depths, while the pursul
Of the certain but slow methods d
acquiring a competence by agriculture
are neglected.
Mining for gold and silver is pursuit.
shat in the aggregate does not and never
did pay wages such as are earned by uh'
skilled labor IN the rational and sale
pursuits Of mankind. Hundreds OF
thousands Of men in the United States
are today striving in the vain hope OF
discovering gold mine. There
is glamour thrown over this
pursuit that IS no less than
fatal to its victims. The unembelished
fact is that gold mining is no more
profitable than coal mining, and when
once reduced to a system viii be just as
prosaic-altogether a matter Of capital
on one hand and labor on the other.
Many honest men today see in the ef-
forts Of silver producers to establish
national free coinage Of silver, the same
spirit and the same methods as those
employed by the coal barons to enhance
the price Of GOA, classifying gold bugs,
silver kings, lead lords, iron dukes with
coal barons as simply organized capital
lists looking out for the main chance.
Farming Is thought TO be slow and
unworthy by the brighter minds of
those who must toll with hands, rather
than heads, the reckless gold hunter
never dreaming that it IS because
be does not reflect that he is what lie is,
for since the best economical use a man
can make Of himself is to engage in an
occupation the most certain to succeed,
where labor, directed By brains, wit
meet its reward, where he VIII reap
what he sows, and his harvest VIII not
be Dead-sea fruit in his mouth.
Such thoughts are suggested by a
glance at statistics, not usually a source
of inspiration, but suggestive Of other
facts, which we will touch upon.
The state department Of Colorado as
serts that the agricultural products Of
the state almost equal the value of the
output of her mines. We refer to stats
tics of that particular state simply be-
cause it Is above the average in the pro-
duction Of the precious metals,
If the statement is true, and we
find no fault with the facts,
Then must Kansas be immeasur-
ably greater than her sister state,
for Sedgwicll county, which is only one
of 100 counties of this state, last year
produced more Of wheat, corn and oats
than did the entire state mentioned; and
that yield, as large as it's, could be
trebIed by the closest and most complete
cultivation. Multiply this result by 106,
bearing in mind that The agricultural
products of Colorado almost equal the
products of her mines, and how insignifi-
cant appears the result Of that glttering
pursuit called gold and silver mining.
There Is more wealth to be taken out
of the top twelve inches of Kansas soil |
in one year than can be produced at any
depth In any of the mining states or ter /
ritories in twenty years. You can count /
on your fingers the paying mines of
Colorado. Hundreds Of thousands own /
the paying farms of Kansas. Hundreds
of thousands OF families are independent
and happy in working them, calamity |
ties TO the contrary notwithstanding.
The golden grain of Kansas is a hun
dred per cent more profitable to our
honest farmers, than are the golden
sands Of Colorado to her honest miners.
As to the agriculture Of that state of
high attitudes and picturesque noun
tains, from the standpoint Of a Kansas
farmer it Is too small TO attract attention.
1t reminds him Of the man who wrote
upon the subject of snakes in ireland. who
exhausted the subject by saying "there
are no snakes in Ireland" Why irri-,
cation on those high and dry plains costs
more Der annum per acre of
the cultivated land than the settler
in Kansas, with ample rainfall, pays for
his land. 1t Is almost an aphorism that
it costs $50 cents to mine one dollars
worth of the precious metals.
These facts are set forth in behalf of
agriculture, which is profitable to
greater number Of those engaged in it
than in any other occupation whatever,
and makes as many individuals indie
pendent and rich as in any other legiti-
mate occupation. And if the above
candid statement Of facts, patent 10 all.
will cause the intending emigrant TO in
vestigate the matter for himself we are
confident he viii acknowledge we have
done him service.
s---s-s-----a---=-
The election of United States senator
Is pending in several states and no pro-
greSs has been made Tor a week. In
this respect Kansas is in no worse fix.
with lis duplex elliptic house. than the