The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-09-24
Concerning Rural Discomfort.

Cancer1ing Rural Discomfort.
II ia not to be denied that from any
standpoint the outlook Of the farmer in
this country is bcset with great per-
llexl.ies. The men who want to make
political capital out of rural discomfort
uIuueS ticnabiy overdraw the picture
They make the farmers case out
great deal worse than ii is. They
point. for instance, to tie recent decline
in prices as if it were exclusively an
AGRICULTURAL misfortune. They forget
income is reduced. the cost Of his living
is in turn diminished. The articles
that he buys for his household, every
thing for which he pays out money.
save only taxes and fixed charges,
have fallen in price in substantially
the same proportion, 50 that the far
mer who has no interest bill To nay IS
relatively almost if not quite as we'll
of? as he ever was.
In some respects he Is better off.
Particularly in the eastern states there
have come to him, in recent years.
and there are likely to continue to come
To him in the near future. convent
enceS ana social possibilities never pre-
viously known. 1t Is not an uncommon
thing today for the farmers in the more
ropuous older states TO receive daily
deliveries of mail, with all the fresh
cned knowledge and quickened inter-
ests that They imply Formerly one
nail week was the rule. Already in
some localities there are movements
toward the bringing of the farmer into
direct communication by electric rail-
road with the cities. throwing within
his grasp the opportunity to enjoy as
never before city advantages relniorc-
ed ly country indeoendence. In this
direction the near future is rich with
promise. In this connection it is scarce
ly necessary to call attention to SO
wrll-Enown fact as that modern sci
enc, and invention are RAPIDLY doing
fer the farmer a proportion of benefit
''i'il bI it;tIIS 'luui W tHil " uI'H
they have already conferred upon the
industrial arts, so that the farm which
once was THOUGHT III only to yield one
annual crop If wheat or oats or corn
row suilices. under the stimulus OF i'm
proved fertilizers and in obedience to
better educated hIsbandry. TO give
forth diversified and repeated crops
specially adapted to the most profitable
commercial demand. If the COM
plants of agriculture are examined
closely, large percentage OF them will
he found to arise from those tillers of
the soil who have not kent pace with
the times. but who instead go on in the
ways Of their crandsires, raising wheat
when the market calls for hay or buck.
wheat or celery. and corn when the
real return is to be got from n harvest
of timothy or clover
We do not wish, however. to draw too
rosy picture. The farmer has just
grievances and these will in future re-
quire thoughtful consideration. Some
Of them are indicated in the letter of
Westbrook Merring in another column
There is very little doubt in the mind
Of the candid observer that in matters
of legislation, state and federal. the
farmer during the past score Of years
has been getting rather less than his
just share Of attention. The corpora.
tions during these years have had their
skilled lobbyists at every capital in the
nation, and while not all of the charges
brought by office-seekers against cor
porations as class are true it yet re-
uuires to be said in all frankness that
the corporations have not as rule
gone out of their way to foster interests
other than their own. Measures af-
fecting those interests have seldom
lacked influential assistance in legis-
lative halls; but not until very recent
ly has there been organized effort to
secure a similar safeguarding of the in
terests Of the farmer. That in coming
time IL we would avoid increasing mis-
chief there will have to be more of
broad craftsmanship and less of class
selfishness in our legislative assemblies
is clearly foreseen; and the intelli-
gence and patriotism of the great mass
Of voters will doubtless rise to the nee.
eysity.
The betterment of the farmers lot
cannot be expected, however. along the
lines of intensifying class friction
That is what stamDS the free silver
movement as vicious. Improvement
which does not reach all the people is
either special privilege or robbery. The
fact that we may have erred in the
past in the direction of permitting class
favoritism before the law does not I'M
ply that . cure for this error is' to be