The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-12-11
Pertinent Inquiry From Miss Kate
SanbOrn, of New England,
Answered.
WHY FARMING NO LONGER
PAYS.
Why Proofs of Prosperity on the
Farm Are Not Manifestation.
traction of the Currency
the Cause.
Enough Of Food. But Scanty Surplus Above
Taxes and Interest Won't Permit Of Ex-
cursions, Carriages, Books and
Magazines.
Sound Money, Massillon, Ohio.

Mr.. Editor:-The following clipping
from letter by Miss Kate Sanborn, the
eminent author and lecturer, of Mid
dlesex county, Mass, in Ohio Farmer
of Oct. 81. would like to answer
throug h your columns.
If there is anything in farming as
usually conducted, why don't we see
proofs Of prosperity. in vacation trips
and excursions across the country for
farmers and their families? Why
don't we see the wives driving about
now and then just for social pleasure?
And the parlOrs opened and aired.a
plenty of new books and magazines on
the tables? l cannot honestly see how
money can be made on a farm. One
can get enough food for a family and
scanty sum for clothes-what else?"
Miss Kate Sanborn-The above lines
from your letter of Oct. 81, in Ohio
Farmer, being directly in line with
the vital questions of today affords an
excellent topic for few suggestions
which / beg leave to make. trusting it
will be received in the same spirit in
which it is written.
Living as we do in what may be
rightfully called "The Granary Of the
World" where nature and industry
contribute all in their power to the
happiness OF our people, surrounded
on one side by bountiful harvests-on
the other side menaced by mortgages,
high rates of interest and taxes, con-
tinually confronted with poverty-we,
too, Of Ohio, ask the questions:
DOES FARMING PAY?
We, too, see the proofs of prosperity
in excursion trips, farmers wives
driving about now and then just for
social pleasure, the parlors opened and
aired, plenty Of new books and maya
zines on the tables-all conspicuous by
their absence. Still we find a few-a
favored few, may l say,-who present
every appearance Of wealth, although
"they toll not, neither do they spin"
And we are led to ask, Why this diff
ference? Why this inequality? In
deed, we are disposed to change our
former question and ask, Does it pay
to toll? The evidence justifes the
answer we fear to make-it does not
pay.
We are told by some that the reason
we do not prosper is because we pro-
duce too much. But how may that be
when there are so many in our cities
even many right among us In the
country, who are SO sadly in need Of all
we can produce, but who cannot sell
their labor SO they can buy? Until
this demand is satisfied we refuse to
accept the overproduction theory
We are also told that tariff judic-
iously administered, would sbring
about "a ,better condition of affairs.
But we have seen the workings Of
both high and a low tariff schedule.
and we are entirely dissatisfied with
the results.
In the past our attention has been
directed by our instructors (3, the
press, to the tariff, state rights, ETC.,
rency and finance questions. On in
vestigating the condition Of our cir.
culating medium we meet with alarm
ing facts.
CONTRACTION DID IT.
We find that our volume OF money,
in the few years following the war, was
more than 300, 00O, 900, and that is
now but little more than 81, 600, ,0OO,-
900. These facts are all the more sur
prising when we consider we have
now a population OF 70,000,000 people,
while at the time Of the larger circu-
lation we had about SO, 000 900 people.
We may naturally infer that as our
population increased business in
creased accordingly. Then should we
not conclude that our circulating
medium should have increased
with our population and business in
stead Of decreasing. We find our money
in actual circulation contracted from
$52 10 per capita in 1866 to less than S.
per capita in 1890. When the larger
amount was in circulation we found
the laborer-the real producer Of
wealth, enjoying the fruits Of his toll;
his parlors were opened and aired,
new books and magazines on the
tables, ETC., but, as you say, we do not
find it thus at the present time, and
the reason is obvious: With
scarcity OF money-aS we have now,we
have dear money. The purchas
power of the dollar has been:increased
1t now requires but Seventy-tiye cents
to buy as much labor as it formerly re-
quired $2 to buy. The price Of pro-
ducts and land values have been af-
fected the same as the price Of labor.
Had our money increased in volume,
as it should have done, to meet the
wants of buSiness-had the amount Of
money even remained the same, the
present deplorable conditions would
not be existing.
OLD PARTIES TO BLAME.
The two old parties have had con-
troll OF government. Governments
reserve the right to make money"