The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1895-04-05
LIVE ISSUES.
Testing the Farmer.

TO ascertain the power Oh VeSetaDle
life. For this purpose a growing
squash was placed in an iron cage
so constructed that it's efforts could
be weighted and measured. AS
the squash developed the expert
mentors gradually added to its load
until, after lifting 5000 pounds, the
heroic vegetable gave up the strug-
gle and died. Its gallant effort
and untimely fate are said to have
awaken a pang of remorse in the
hearts of it's murderers.
This incident has been recalled
to mind by the contemplation of a
somewhat similar experiment now
going On, but upon much larger
scale, and profoundly interesting to
all of us. | refer to the testing of
the farmer in order to ascertain
his power of endurance. The point
sought to be determined is for how
little money he will consent to per-
form the arduous task of producing
the nations food and other raw
materials.
The only way to solve this most
interesting question is to put on the
load, keep adding to it, and see
how much he will carry. The ex-
pertinent has been devised and
operated by our scientific fnanciers,
and is conducted, as we are inform
ed, in the interest of science. The
notion largely prevalent in our
cities that the farmers headpiece
has some resemblance, both in ex
ternal appearance and internal con-
tents, to the squash or pumpkin, it
is but natural that the means so
successfully used in the testing of
the squash should have been adapt
ed to the farmer. Accordingly we
find that an infexible cage was
constructed for him and he securely
locked within. This cage is known
as the single gold standard Of
money. 1t is a provision of law
limiting the money supply to gold,
the scarcity of which metal assures
the perfect rigidity of the cage.
The tendency to increase in num-
bers and in volume of product is as
innate in a farming population as
in the squash, and the provision
that these increasing crops shall
meet in exchange a fixed amount of
money is one that constantly lowers
priests. in fact, a lowering Of
prices. The conditions of the ex-
pertinent are, then
1. A fixed amount of money.
2. An increasing population and
3. A perpetual furnishing of a
larger amount of farm products for
the same amount of money, the
point to be determined being simply
how much the farmer will ulti-
mately consent to give for a dollar.
This is purely scientific inves-
tigation, of interest to all, and es-
pecially to those who possess the
dollars which the farmer must
needs obtain. This experiment has
been quietly progressing for nearly
thirty years, and the farmer has
stood up wonderfully under the
test. At the beginning he bought
a dollar with little more than half
a bushel of wheat or five pounds of
cotton. AS the pressure of the cage
began to be felt he gradually in
creased his bid for money, until, to
make long story short, he now
gives two bushels of wheat and
twenty pounds of cotton. This
statement may seem incredible,
but it is true all the same, as is
also the fact that the dollar when
gotten, will pay no more of debt or
taxes than formerly.
The experiment is still in pro-
gress and may consume several
more years, as our financiers seem
determined to see the end of it and
the farmer is developing tough
ness under pressure worthy of his
avocation. Some predict 25-cent
wheat and Scent cotton ere the
farmer meets the fate of the squash
and we experience the pure scien-
tific Joy, knowing just how much
he could endure.
Other classes of society are now
beginning to manifest an interest in
this great trial, as is evidenced by
the appropriation of public money
for holdipO for,norc3 iOotitutoc OF