The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-05-01
SENSIBLE VIEWS.
THE DEPENDENCE OF MER-
CHANTS ON THE FARMERS.
The Enterprising Farmers Should
Be Helped-They are the Ones
Who Make the Country
and City Grow.
Willmar Trihnnel

in the next breath some prosperous
farmer will be pointed out as an example
Of what man can do on the farm by
way of acquiring fortune. Now we all
know there is good deal in the charge
above stated. !, and every farmer should
soak his mind little, and think hard
and long enough to thoroughly under
stand how this thing really Is. For the
basic trouble with our farmers today is
that they have been working and work
ing and doing too little thinking. So
some time ago we determined to probe
this thing to the bottom and give the
Tribune readers the result of our in
vestigation.
Now we know dozen or more farmers
in the northern half of Kaniyohi county
that are well to do. Some of them are
our intimate friends. We made careful
inquiry of some of them as to how
they managed their business to make
farming so successful. Here is the his
tory of one of these successful ones, and
it will apply to others of the same class:
Way back in the seventies, when
wheat prices were high he harvested
good big crops, and although he had to
haul it 25 miles to market, he made
some money ahead. This money he put
out at interest, 10 or IL per cent at that
time. He allowed that money to ac-
cumulate interest and kept adding to
the principal year by year all he could.
In IL or Is years of this way of doing
business he found himself a rich man.
To be sure he had no fine house, nor
large barn, nor fine buggy, but he had
money on interest, doubling itself every
five or six years. For several years past
he has no need of farming, for his inter-
est will more than keep him. Now this
man it is said made his money by farm
ing, but did he? In one sense he did
make his start in farming, but in the
real true sense he made it more by money
loaning than farming.
Now here is another farmer, friend of
ours; he has farm Of 300 acres. He has
fine house, large barn, and lot of
choice stock, especially horses. He has
all the newest improved farm machinery
and his farm is in very high state of
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dwelling house you find goodly furnished
rooms with organ and pictures, books,
etc. Nothing extravagant, yet most
everything that an ordinary intelligent
family would desire to make home
comfortable. Yet this home is not COM
Portable nor happy. Why? Because
there is mortgage hanging over it,
and the occupants realize that some day
In the future they may have to evacuate
the old home. For 25 years this family
has been planting down capital in the
shape Of improvements and ornamental
ton in the laudable effort to make the
home happy and beautiful, but the last
few years have blasted all their
hopes of former times. Said the head
of the family to us: "Of course my
condition is really my own fault Had /
stinted my family put the money on
interest instead of into improvements, l
would have been all right But I, fool
as was, supposed that good times would
continue. see now that the progressive
wide-awake farmer has no show in this
country along side of the miser."
No one will deny that this condition is
only too true of too many farmers in
Kandiyohi county. But we have now a
few questions for the critical business
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farmer again for his want of business
foresight.
First. Suppose all the farmers had
adopted the policy of the first mentioned
farmer, whom you point to as a smart
business man-and we admit the truth Of
your assertion-isn't it more than likely
that you would not have been in business
here today?
Second. Isn't it true that farmer No.
2, and his like has been your big custo-
men and enable you to make your
money? Hasn't he bought your car
loads of machinery, furniture, dry goods,
lumber, ETC., ETC., been the liberal bor-
rover at the banks, in fact the main
spoke in the wheel of business in this
and every other live town? We admit
that he has been too liberal for his own
good in buying things that he did not
absolutely need, but we insist that this
very liberality has rebounded to the ben
eft Of the business man in town. Now If
the above statement is true, and we be-
lieve it cannot be disputed, it behooves
the business men to treat farmer No.
2 with all leniency and more than usual
consideration and encouragement rather
than in critical spirit. We are pleased
to notice that some of our business men
deserve all praise for realizing the truth
of this matter. For such this is not
written. But some do not seem to under
stand it as they ought to- and as a con-
sequence an antagonisn is engendered
between the farmer and the business
men Of our towns that ought not to exist.
The true interest Of country and town is
Identical and reciprocal. Every BUSH
ness man in town should, for his own
interest If for no other reason. strive
to promote the interest of his customer
on whom trade and his business depends.
Both should join hand in hand for the
promotion of the welfare of our local
and sectional interests. Charity begins
at home. Now in referring to this mat
ter we do not want to wound anybody s
feelings, but simply to state the truth
as we see 1t, and as on mature cOnsidera-
ton we believe it is, in order to clear up
misunderstanding between different
classes of citizens and to promote the
harmonious action of all for the best in
terests of all. We as the editor of an in
dependent newspaper can speak more
freely on such matters without reproach.
and get more candid hearing from ali
parties, we believe, than a strictly partt-
san organ
We want this section to prosper, and
we want our business men to step to the
front to help our farmers that are In
financial trouble. BY helping them they
help themselves.
TO WIT, THE REPUBLICANS.
Inter-Ocean)
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