Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1894-08-10


tance OF many of our farmers i'm his efforts
to relieve them from the ravages of grass:
hoppers, chinch bugs and other vermin.
Land Grants.
BY a liberal and generous land grant of
two sections per township the federal gov
ernment has relieved our farmers of a
great burden of taxation for the support
and maintenance of our educational sys-
tenn, which is beyond all cavil the best in
the world. Our state government has
also, in many ways through. suitable laws.
given sp<:@lal assistance to the farmers.
In addition. to properly executing and car
rying out the several federal trusts and
grants to which have called your atten-
tion, the state maintains, by an annual
appropriation of $4,000, course of
farmers Institutes throughout the state,
for the purpose of instruction in all
branches of practical agriculture. This
instruction, orally given by experts of the
highest order, is brought to the very doors
of our farmers, at time of the year
when the duties of the farm are least
pressing.
For the benefit of the farmers raising
small grain, the state has established a
system OF grain inspection, and provided
laws for the regulation and control of ter
minal and interior elevators; and a board
OF railroad and warehouse commissioners
has been established and exists for the
purpose OF supervising and regulating the
elevator and warehouse service and the
grating and inspection of grain. This
salnt board has also supervision and con-
troll over our railroads, and acts as afbi
traitor or umpire between them and the
producer patronizing the roads, as to all
controversies touching transporting rates
or modes of service.
Neither is the dairy farmer ignored OF
neglected. A dairy department. has been
established and is in successful operation.
especially designed to protect the farmer
against the evils of adulterated milk,
cheese, butter and lard. And for the pur
pose of instructing him in the science Of
cheese and butter making, dairy school
has been established and is in successful
operation at St. Anthony Park, where ou1
farmers can learn to become skilled and
approved cheese and butter makers. That
trust which the federal government en-.
tailed upon our state in giving it a liberal
land grant for the purpose of draining
wet and overhOwed lands, has finally been
assumed by our state, and it is now en-
gagged, under liberal appropriations grant
ed by the legislature of 1898, in draining
for the benefit Of the farmers Of the Red
river valley some Of the wet and over
flowed lands Of that section, by opening
and restoring several Of the clogged or
closed water courses existing in the valley,
and when the system of drainage so in
augurated has been completed, it Will
render the Notwithstanding of our i.state
q land Of fertile farms second to no other
portion.
From this brief glance over the field OF
federal and state legislation it is apparent
that since 1860 there has been no incon-
siderable amount Of special legislative re-.
lief and assistance given to the farmers
and the agricultural interests of the cour
try. No other class or interest can poin,
to any more or as much friendly special
legislation, and it has all been inspired
under the auspices and direction of the
Republican party. In the light of these
facts how can honest men claim that the
farmer has been oppressed or neglected
through want of friendly legislation?
Benefits of Protection.
Our protective tariff legislation, while
greatly extending and enlarging the field
OF our manufacturing operations, and
greatly increasing the demand for labor
and palpably maintaining good wages fol
the same, has also been of great advan-
tage to our farmers The large indu strial
army fostered and maintained under our
tariff laws, has been the great consumer
of our farm products and has furnished us
our great home market, which has ab.
sOrbed more than 80 per cent of all our
farm products. This home market has
not only bet by far our greatest mar
ket, but it has also been our steadiest,
most remunerauive market. The farmer
has always Jared much better in the home
market than in tue foreign market Most
of our agricultural products are sold and
consumed at home, and is to those, a
fairly good price is generally maintained.
We have considerable surplus of
wheat, cotton and corn to export. AS to
corn, owing to our peculiar soil and
climate, we have, to a limited extent, a
sort OF natural monopoly, and therefore
are not wholly at the mercy of the foreign
market as to price; but in respect tc
wheat and cotton the export price of ou1
surplus fixes and controls in the main the
price OF the home market. AS to products
consumed entirely in our home market
we have no competition of any conse-
quence, except with ourselves, but as to
wheat we are in Compel ition with Russia,
Austro Hungary, India and the Argentine
Republic. The latter is especially fast
becoming our most formidable competi-
tor: While we export large surplus OF
wheat and -four, our products of oats,
barley, fax, hay, potatoes, cattle, hogs,
sheep, cheese. butter and eggs is mainly
consumed at home and the price is fixed
by the home market This price is much
better and more favorable to the farmer
than the price of wheat, which is fixed by
the export price of our surplus.
The total value of our wheat and -four
export in 1893 was s169, ,O29 ,s17, while the
value of all other cereals and breadstuffs
OF all beef, pork, mutton and dairy prod
ucts and of all eggs and hay exported, was
in the aggregate only s139, 100000, leaving
an excess of s3O,0OO,OOO in favor of fiou
and wheat over all of these other products
combined.
I have taken the pains to ascertain and
compile in tabulated form the price at St
Paul and Minneapolis of some of the lead