The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1893-06-21
PR FITS OF FARMERS.
SECRETARY MORTON GIVES SOME
REASONS FOR THEIR GENER-
AL DECLINE

From the Inllduelpllld L6uSeI'
WASHINGTON, May 30.-There have
been published recently in leading news
papers and magazines articles on agri-
culture, in which the writer's argued
that there has been a steady decadence
in that field of labor, and the decline was
progressing with disastrous effects in the
United States. A few evenings ago,
while visiting the Public Ledger bureau,
the attention of Hon. J. Sterling Nor
ton. secretary of agriculture, was direct
ed to this subject, and he agreed to sub
NIT to an interview. What follows was
dictated by the secretary to a stenogra-
pher, and, after having been written out,
was submitted TO and approved by BIN.
sIt has been alleged" began the sec
retary. "that the general condition Of
Horticulture the orld over is much
worse than ten years ago, and that this
is true of each country almost without
exception. 1t is true that the profits OF
agriculture have declined IN the United
States very materially during the last ten
wears. and while very much of the de-
preston among farmers may be logically
traced to the protective tariff, which
compels them to buy in market where
competition is shut out, and to sell in
market where the competition of the
world is free to come in, yet principal
cause of the decline OF the profits OF the
farmer may, l think, be found further
back. In 1866 the homestead law came
into operation. During that year the
first homestead was given away. Under
the operations of that law IN the last
twenty-six years, because of the landed
gratuities of the government, the plough
ed area of productive land in the United
States has about trebled, but the market
has not trebled- that is to say, the sur
plus has increased with more CELEBRITY
than the demand.
Improved Farming Implements.
SIN edition to the increased area of
titled fields, farming implements have
been improved so much in the last quar-
ter of a century that one man with the
improved machinery of to-day is capable
of producing of all the staple food pro
ducts of the farm as much as six men of
twenty-five years ago. And while for
eign governments have not copied the
homestead laws of the United States pre-
ciselv. all have emulated, so that Eng
land has been giving homesteads to her
colonies in every part of the habi+able
globe. In Australia and everywhere
else the British government is bestow-
;n0,1and and ONO .--a- e. 0"'ouIotS'
S65sfaT has this gone that even little Bel.
GUM is giving them in the Congo state.
Thus the whole world has ploughed up
and.planted more than ever before, and
the improved implements are in every
country. The world is better and oftene1
fed to-day than ever before, and the
profits of agriculture have declined be-
cause supply has run ahead of demand.
This condition merely demonstrates the
truth of the economic axiom that the re.
lation of supply to demand is the sole
regulator of value.
Decline in Farmers Profits.
''Bu. while the farmers profits have
declined the world has not suffered. The
producers, to be sure, make smaller
Drc6tS Int tba oopC1Y,arC boxyo locc 70
pay for everything that enters the house
hold as staple food, and l cannot say
that this is bad thing for the race
The fact is, the profits of all other legiti-
mate vocations have declined except
where artiiclally raised by protective
duties or other class legislation. The
heresy promulgated by the propaganda
of protective tariff has taught the publ;
lnind to consider almost always produ.
GERS as the only benefciaries of govern
ment OF course, the money fallacies
come in here and play their part in the
general diabolism of the Populists and
other vagarists, who would have citizens
all look directly to the government fol
extrication whenever they are in Difficult
ty, financial or otherwise. Thus the
farmers in the west and south have beer
made to believe that there was MOI
enough money per capita in circulation
and that was the cause 0 low prices
They claim that the money is concen-
trated in New York, Chicago, Boston,
Philadelphia and other populous centers
But money is a mere measure of value
and medium of exchange, .and It seeks
always the places where the exchanges
are 10 he rnadn ard rnl.-.s 80 II, l,o