Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1893-10-19

In the past three months / have talked
with several hundred farmers and villagers
! in this locality and also from Kansas, Iowa,
Nebraska and the Dakotas. To them 1
addressed three direct questions concern
ing gold and silver, the tariff and the long
continued depression in agriculture, and
their answers give me q fair average of
middle western opinion on the political is
sues of the day. In three cases out of four
the mental condition may be summed up
in one word-doubt. Never in my acquaint-
ance with middle western politics has there
been such a general condition of suspended
Judgment. Never probably did the vehe-
ment, and | might say frantic. assertions
of editors and congressman on either side
have so little effect.
Those who assert that the people are
eager for immediate repeal Of the Sherman
law and those who declare the people are
clamoring for more silver are equally at
fault. The former class make the mistake
which men of their kind nave made in
these United States ever sincethe DAYS of
Alexander Hamilton-they take the utter
ances of the vocal classes for public opin-
ion. Boards of trade and bankers conven-
tions call on congress to act at once, but
" 'tAhs W. WV lChAll ltDlCStLt! III
these northwestern states possibly one in a
hundred. Behind them are the silent mil
lions, and three-fourths of these are not yet
able to satisfy themselves as to what is best
In financial matters. AS to the tariff, of
course opinions are defined, as that has
long been debated, and the division is pref
ty much on party lines.
The silver congressman make a similar
mistake in taking the u~tterances of the I'M
fortunate and disconnected as public opin-
ion, but evidently they are far nearer the
truth than their opponents. The discon-
tented are indeed many, and their views are
set forth in one sentence: THE country has
gone ahead for 80 years at a rate that makes
us dizzy, and the farmer hasn't got a mite
of the advantage. He isn't a bit better off
than he was in 1863 and not near so well off
as he was in 1880. Tell us the reason. Give
us n remedy. The man who can do that
can get all the votes in our parts" Such
is the voice that comes to my ears from all
the counties where | have acquaintance.
An Important Point.
Here is a point constantly discussed: Be.
tween the continuous depreciation of silver
since 1913 and the almost continuous de
cline in farm produce prices there is a curl.
ously close correspondence. Is the latter q
result of the former? Convince the farm.
ers that it is, and the question of bimetal-
lism is settled ~instanter. All the resolu.
tons of your bankers and boards of trade
will be but as penny whistles in a tropical
hurricane. But not only are their minds
unsettled on the question, but there is a
curious conflict in their testimonies. In
some sections of Illinois there has been an
/ nnfu1nl hnnf.. In. faxx.x Ia-I Ia 4. ~ -.
year or two. In Indiana and Ohio there
has been an advance in the northern sec.
tions, while the decline continued In tn,
south-apparently a real transfer of CAPT
tai. In the vicinity Of cities the advance
has sometimes been very great.
may. without being too personal. take
the figures on land In my native county in
Indiana, probably as good a farming county
as there is in the state. In 1850 a magnif
cent stretch of land lying adjacent To the
county town was valued on an average al
$25 per acre. In 1850, very little il any OF
it could have been bought at $50. In 1855
500 was offered and declined for the best
farms. but everybody recognized it as q
sgreenback price" After the resumption
of specie payments in the boom of 1s7O-s2
such farms sold mt $50 and $50. The subse
Quent decline has been rapid and continu
Gus, and good farms nave recently sold AT
$50. The whole county is we'll supplied
with good roads and bridges, churches and
schoolhouses. All the swamps are drained,
the average health is greatly improved, the
debt is small, taxes are not very high, and
the general intelligence is remarkable. Yet
i'm II years land has lost all the valueit had
gained in the preceding &c.
A Unique View.
In view of such an extraordinary result
the opinion of an old and experienced farm
er there may be of value. Such a one said
to me: 1T is not the result of gold or silver
or g~reenbacks or tariff. Protection cam
help 1t, and free trade won't help it. You
may repeal the Sherman law, or you NAV
let it run, and you'll never know the differ
ence. 1t all comes of this dollhouse system
of forcing up the new west. Congress gave
away the good land out there to railroads,
and they fetched in people from the cas-.
and Europe and doubled the production
right of in 10 years.
I'm 1860 we were getting pretty near 20 q
home market, and now we're % years fur
ther away from it thar we were i'm 1860.
And what's the remedy Why, there amt
any. We've just got to grin and bear il
till we outgrow il. What's the good OF
forcing more manufactures The goods
are so cheap now that the workmen can't
half live, and IL you raise wages 10 cents q
day you'll have a million more people here
from Europe in a year to cut 'em down
again. We've just o~vercropped ourselves.
It's a good thing. Of course, to build up the
west, but we farmers in the old states have
got to pay for H."
And straightRay there was a chorus OF
dissent from all who heard him. Out of a
dozen three on four were positive the trou-
Bile resulted from a lack of money, w or
three were equally positive the tariff was
to blame, rs many thought it was cheap sill,
yer, and all admitted some doubts. And
so it goes all over the country so far as I
can hear. A few on each side of the silver
question are very positive. many are in
doubt, all agree that "A depression in agri-
culture is serious, and nearly all are hope
full of an early Improvement.
Ratilesnake Weed.
In California there grows a weed called
the rattlesnaks weed. IL ia so named from