The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-11-27
TRUE TEEN. TRUE NOW.
Extracts From President Polk's Speech
Before the Senate Committee
on Agriculture in 1900
National Watchman. !


National Watchman.1
The following is taken from an ad
dress of Bro. L L Polk before the
Committee on Agricultural Depression
In 1890. 1t is good reading now:
Mr.. Chairman, is the agricultural in
terest of the country depressed9 And
is it due to a want of energy, of indus
try and OF economy on the part of the
tarmersG All over the country he has
been told for years by certain school
of political economists that Incidence,
inattention Ito business and extrava-
gance were the prime causes of his in
creasing poverty. But when he comes
to the capitol of the nation, venerable
Senators and prominent government
officials inform. him that his financial
ruin has been wrought through his in
dustry and the merciful Providence of
natures God; that he is absolutely
bowed to the earth under a cru shing
load Of overproduction. Are either of
his advisers correct9 In answer to the
first, assert without hesitation, that
no class of citizens in our country work
50 hard. live so hard and receive so lit
tie reward for his labor as the average
American farmer. In answer to the
second ask, overproduction in what2
Is it in breadstuff5' We produced 81
bushels of wheat per capita in 1888,
which was worth 81 Is per bushel. We
produced in 1889 only Il bushels per
capita, and it was worth only 70 cents
per bushel. Our exports of food prod
ucts, under proper and just C c0nditions,
should be the true measure Of our pro
duction. But is it so2 The normal
ration of -four, as established by our
government and which has been kindly
furnished me by the Secretary of War,
is IL pounds per day, or 40 pounds per
year. Assuming that our population
numbers 65, 600, ,OOO, to give each one a
normal ration would require 26, ESQ.,
600, 600 pounds, whereas we produced
last year (deducting Sc, 200, 600 bushels
for seed) only 17,282, 400, 900 pounds,
deficit of 2, ,267, 800, 600 pounds. But if
our population had consumed 2b ounces
per day per capita more than they did
consume, nothing would have remained
for export. Will any sane man doubt,
with our millions of people in our
crowded cities, in our towns, in our
mines, and all over the land, in their
novels of poverty, who are existing in
state Of semi-starvation, that we could
have consumed this additional pittance9
And if the ruinous decline in prices be
due to overproduction, why should it
not be confined to those commodities
for which a surplus is claimed3 Why
should all departments of labor share
this universal depression in pricesH No,
Mr. Chairman, it is not overproduction,
but underconsumption. There can be
no overproduction in a land where the
cry for bread is heard.
But we are told that we should be
content and happy, that "a dollar will
buy more to day than ever before. Mr..
Chairman, the American farmer stands
faithful and sorrowing witness of the
living knows better than he the pUr
chasing power Of the dollar. He knows
that it's power has been 80 augmented
thatit now demands double the amount
of his labor and the surrender Of his
profits to meet its unjust and cruel ex
actions. Indeed, So arbitrary and
domineering has its power become,
that it has forced upon the public mind
the grave question, whether the citizen
or the dollar is to be the sovereign In
this country. Bat with all its power
Wilt pay for the farmer more interests
Wilt pay more on his mortgage7 VIII
it paw more debit Will it pay more
taxesG Will it pay more physicians
and lawyers fees7 From all sections
of this magnificent country comes the
universal wall of hard times and dis
tress. The farmer soWs In faith, he
tolls in hope, but reaps in disappolnt
ment and despair. He sees a per
cent. U. S. bond due in 1907, selling at
a premium Of % per cent, bond that
would be valueless but for the sturdy
blows of his strong arm, and yet he
knows that there are few farms in all
this country that could be mortgaged
for third their value at z per cent,
for the same length of time, which
mortgage would sell for its face value.
He sees centralized capital allied to
irresponsible corporate power, over
riding individual rights, controlling
conventions, corrupting the ballot box,