The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-08-15
NELSON'S GREAT SPEECH.
HE OPENS THE CAMPAIGN AT
ARGYLE,
He Gives His Reasons Why the Re.
publican Party Should Be
Kept in Power.

Kept in Power.
His Arguments Considered and An.
SWered.
CONTINUED.
The next subdivision of Gov. Mel
sons speech is as follows:
up to 1860, we told, our national
wealth was equally distributed between
the farmers and the rest of the people.
In other words, that the wealth of our
| farmers was at that time not less than so
| per cent of the entire wealth of the nation,
and that since that period the rate of in
crease in wealth has been gradually to
| the disadvantage of the farmer until in 1890
| the farmers share of the aggregate wealth
was only % per cent. In short, the farmers
! have not increased as rapidly in wealth
| since 1860 the rest of the nation This
may be true, bat it entirely fails to es-
| tablish that our farmers have not been
| thrifty and prosperous. Up to 1860 we
were, to an unusual degree, an agricul-
| tural people. Our agricultural population
was in that year 100000 out of a total of
| 31,000,OO0, while in 1890 it 25000,0O0 out
| of a total of 620O0,0O0. In 1860 the popula-
| ton of our cities 100000; in 1890 over
| lS,OOO,00O. In 1860 cur manufactures were in
| their infancy. In that year there en-
|
| against 4,3420OO on our farms; while in
! 1890 there was 3952, sos men employed in our
| factories as against 100000 men on our
| farms. In 1860 there was employed in man.
ufacturing capital of $l,009, S55,715 as
against $6,524, AIS, ,305 in 1890. In 1860 the
| value of the products of our manufactures
was 81, 961,6 676 as against $9,270 $50 in
| 1890 In 1860 our railroad system was still
| in its childhood and undeveloped. We had
| then in this country but 10000 miles in
| operation as against 10000 miles, capi-
| taized at $4,000, COO 600 in 1893.
These figures afford very clear and sat
! isfactory explanation why the increase in
! farm values has not, since 1860 kept up
! with the Increase in wealth in other direc-
tions. While the pace, by comparison
| has been less yet, considered by it
| self, the growth of our farm industries
| has been rapid and marvellous. In 1860
| there was 2044,077 farms of the aggregate
| acreage Of 407,2l2, 53S acres, and of the value
| of $6,645 O45,0 COZ, against Gal farms of
| the aggregate acreage of 23,21S,619 acres,
and of the value of $13,279 %, $40 in 1890. In
1860 the value of live stock 81, ,0S9, 329 3d.
| and of implements and machinery $246 49,
| Al, against So, POS, 1888 of live stock
| md $494,247, ,467 of implements and machin-
9ry in 1890. In 1860 there was produced
70, 900 bushels of wheat 1!2 643 1855 BUSH
Is of oats, 1885, 1898 bushels of barley and
| 3S.792742 bushels of corn, against &c.,
| 1000 bushels of wheat, 52S, S,621 ,000 bushels
oats, 63,000,000 bushels of barley and
4S9910,OC0 bushels OF corn in 1890; and the
alto of increase has been as great since
80 as in the decade ending with that
year,
Now let us consider this.
The governor argues that the
! farmers are prosperous because the
number Of farms, live stock, ETC., has
greatly increased during the thirty
years between 1860 and 1890.
But he omits to state that during
that period the area of settlement ex-
tended from the line of the Minnesota
river to the Pacific ocean: and that the
states of North and South Dakota,
Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana,
Utah, Washington, Colorado, Nevada,
ETC., have been settled and admitted
to the Union. In other words, the
| flood Of human migration westward
which began hundreds of years before
the Republican party was born, and
will probably continue as long as the
world endureS, had, during the period
between 1860 and 1890, overfowed a
region of country much vaster than
all the settled portions of the nation
prior to 1860; and has filed in tens of
thousands of empty townships and
counties in the older states.
And wherever this flood came it
made homes and farms: and on these
| farms stock of all kinds was necessarily
raised for the use of the people.
Hence the governors figures are de-
ceptive. The migrating people of all
western Europe settled on those farms
and bred that stock, 1t was not the
Republican party did it. Nor does the
existence of those farms, consequent
upon emigration and settlement,
prove that the farmers dwelling on
them are prosperous or have had fair
play. The population of the United
States during those thirty years,
more than doubled; naturally enough
the number of farms doubled, and the
amount of the crops raised thereon
But all that proves nothing. Why did
not the governor adduce the fact that
there were thirty one million people
in 1860 and sixty-two millions in 1890
as proof that the country was prosper
Gus?
Why did not the governor instead of
telling us that this great continent
was filling up with people,-a fact
which we all understood, quote to
his hearers at Argyle. the government
Bulletin No. 104 of that eleventh
United States census, which shows
that between 1880 and 1890, that is not
thirty years ago, our population in
creased 25 per cent, and the total
wealth increased As per cent and yet
during that same time the fdrm-o,Uning
families increased but t,rO and q half per
cent! WHILE TIE MORTGAGE INDEBT-
EDNEss INCREASED 156 PER CENT!
Let the governor apply his fine front
teeth to those figure and see if he can
chew them into any shape that will
demonstrate the prosperity of the
farmers, native or foreign-born, dur
ing the last ten or fourteen years.
And why did he not tell his hearers,
that while the men who o,ened farms
increased, during the ten years from
1880 to 1890 but p per cent, the men
renting farms increased forty and one-haJ
per cent?
The prosperity for you. Twenty
times more men became tenants in
| fhoco TON vaorc 1bo, booouo