The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-03-20
WESTERN FARMERS PROBLEMS
What Gov. Llewelling, of Kansas,
Has to Say About The ma
Few Plain Words.

The Hon. L. D. Llewelling, Cover
nor of Kansas, writing on the above
subject, in the North American Re-
view for January, says: 'Twenty-fve
to twenty-eight years ago, with one
bale of cotton, Southern farmer
could buy nearly $500; and with one
sack of wheat 1.-TWO bushels), North
ern farmer could buy s.. Now it re-
quires seventeen bales of cotton and
more than six sacks of wheat to bring
these respective amounts. What is
true of cotton and wheat is also true
of other products of the farm. 1t is
estimated to cost so cents bushel to
raise wheat, but it is worth in the
home market 40 cents. 1t was the
unrest occasioned by these conditions
in many Western and Southern States
that caused the political revolt of the
Farmers Alliance few years ago.
To comprehend the condition of the
Western farmers, it, must be under
stood that they are largely a debtor
class, and they feel that in the
gradual shrinkage of values they have
been wronged. They also believe the
legislation to be responsible for this
shrinkage, and look to legislation for
the remedy. 1t was for this reason
that the Alliance became semi-polit-
ical organization, and ardently sup
ported the Peoples Party, which de-
clared for certain measures of relief
10 p6o6 hv h0 20
Treasury plan was advocated by MANY
membe of the Alliance at one time:
but in discussing details there was a
wider divergence of opinion, and on
account of this lack Disagreement this
plank, which appeared in the earlier
platforms Of the Populist party, sub
seQuently disappeared.
"It is probable that the situation of
the Western farmer might be i'm
proved by better adaptation of crops
to the soil and climate. There are
some products, notably sorghum,
Katfir corn, alfalfa, and the like, which
seem especially adapted to the moro
arid regions OF the West; but the pro-
cess of irrigation is now revealing new
possibilities for those regions, and
much progress has been made in the
last twoyears in irrigating from wells
in the bottom lands. This method of
farming would now receive wonderful
impetus were it not that products
thus raised, while. generally better
still bring prices not at all commen-
surate with the labor and expensive
methods of production. Indeed, there
is little hope for the Western farmer
until business can be again stimu
lated and labor employed, so that the
laborer may have money with which
more freely to buy the products of the
farm. 1t is none the less true, be-
cause paradOXical, that higher prices
will be beneficial both to the producer
and the laborer who must buy. 1t
cannot be said that there is too much
produced while men and women, hon
est and willing to work, are i'll clad
and unfed. TO find sthe cause and
remedy for these conditions is, there
fore, the problem now before the
Western farmer. The Western farm
er is philosopher from necessity.
Rapidly tending toward poverty, he
demands to know why. and is intelli-
gent enough to answer his own Ques-
tion in the light of reason. He be-
lieves the prime cause of all his woes
is the manipula tion of the money SyS.
tenn of the country by INSCRIPTIONS
and mercenary interests. He believes
the decline Of prices follows shrinkage
of the volume of money in circulation,
and that shrinkage in volume results
from legislation. He does not believe
that the government. should increase
the interest BURDEN by borrowing
gold, while our native hills are filled
with silver. and labor stands idly
awaiting an opportunity to take it
from it's hiding place.i'