The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1893-10-24

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robes and away after his best girl and
after getting her well tucked in and
snuggled close to his side with a couple
of hot bricks wrapped in WOOL under
her feet, what nicer than a ride over
the smooth snow six or eight miles,
especially if he could drive with one
hand as most of boys could with great
ease and experiences. There was no care
resting upon them. Land was plenty
and cheap. There was plenty all around
them. They could get married and
build a nest and raise a lot of brides If
t .ey wanted to. The girls of those
days had never thought or heard of the
horrible things that are taught to many
women and girls in these latter days,
and married folks we're willing to in
crease and multiply and r%eplenish the
earth that yielded to them sc album
dainty.
Memory beckons US on but we can
not follow further now. This state Of
things so partially and imperfectly de-
picted existed in 1920 and before that
time and up to the commencement of
our civil war in all the then United
States territory from the Hudson to the
Missouri. Uncle Sam was able to
give us all a farm" and he did it on
terms within the reach of all. The
evil practice Of giving it away to rail
road and other corporations for nothing
or selling it for a song in big blocks of
thousands Of acres to syndi;ates, land
gobblers and land spectators had not
come into vogue. The land was proper
ly considered and dealt with as the
peoples land and the government as
not the owner but simply as a trustee
Of the people to take care Of the land,
survey it and hand it over to the peO-
pie as they severally had need or de
sire and this practically without money
and without price. With this condi
ton of land administration there were
non very rich or very poor. All that
would work could get enough. Wages
were comparatively high and the
striker Of those days simply went
across the Ohio river into the rich val
ley of the Miami or Sciato, or later on
into Indiana, Illinois or Iowa and
opened up a farm, taking with him his
sweetheart and wife to help him start.
This universal plenty and prosperity
attracted the attention of Europe and
the political economists everywhere.
It vas both by ourselves and others at
tributed to our democratic institutions.
We had no kings and no ~aristocracy,
therefore we were prosperous, and ex-
treme poverty and tramps and want
were unknown. We still have the
same government but now all this is
changed. There is a great increase of
wealth but there is a more than cor
responding increase of want, poverty
and restitution and persistence of
poverty amid advancing wealth" and
increase of want with increase of
wealth" In 1920 there was but one
millionaire in the United States,
Stephen Girard of Philadelphia, and
his fortune was made in trade mainly
and did not at his death exceed two
millions, as was then understood. Now
there are hundreds with five, ten and
twenty millions and upwards, and re
liable statistics show that 250, 600 per
sons own absolutely three fourths Of
all the wealth in the United States.
Giving them five, the average number
in a family, and we have 1850, 900
persons, absolutely three fourths OF
the wealth created by the whole com
munity," while the remaining one
fourth has to suffice for the other 66
millions. Is it any wonder that there
is Astounding poverty and distress in
the midst of all this boosted wealth2
Some are still tolerably well off and
this draws still further aid harder On
the mighty mass of humanity that live
from hand to mouth on scant daily
wages. Democracy has not saved US
from poverty and starvation sand the
fierce struggles between capital and
labor are as fierce and bitter in the
United States as they r in Germany,
England, France and the nations of
Europe. At another time we may re-
fer more in detail to the only means
that in our judgment will remedy this
great evil. At present I return and
conclude the first line of thought
started in these remarks.
Returning to the home of childhood
and youth in or about 1878 and spend
ing a couple of weeks there, everything
unon fn,1nd nhnnmnd Thn little c011ntu