The herald., 1896-11-23

or other membranes. The secretary re-
flutes the idea prevailing that the farms
of the west and south are more neavlly
burdened with mortgages than those OF
the east and northeast. States along
the North Atlantic. he says, are quite
heavily encumbered with farm mort
cages, and New Jersey carries debt of
this kind greater in proportion to It's
farm valuation than any other state IN
the union. The frequent claim that the
farmers are almost universally in debt,
despondent and suffering, he declares to
be without any foundation, belttle
ment of agriculture, and an indignity to
every intelligent and practical farmer.
The farmers are not mendicants nor
wards of the government, to be treated
to annuities but the representatives. Of
the oldest, most honorable, most essen
tial occupation of the human race, upon
which all other vocations depend for
subsistence and prosperity.
Legislation" he says "can neither
plow nor plant. The intelligent prac-
tical and successful farmer needs no aid
from the government. The ignorant. i'm
practical and indolent farmer deserves
none. 1t is not the business of the gov
ernment to legislate in behalf of any
class of citizens because they are en-
gagged In any specific calling, no matter
how essential the calling may be to the
needs and comforts of civilization. Law
makers cannot erase the natural laws
nor restraint nor efface the operation
of economic laws. 1t is beneficent ar
rangement Of the order of things ana
the conditions of human life that legis-
lators are not permitted to repeal, amend
or revise the laws of production and dis
tribution."
Referring to the stress of competition
which the American farmer is compelled
to endure, Mr.. Morton calls attention to
the nearly 100000 of farms of eighty
acres each given away by the govern
ment under the homestead act during
the past thirty years, and to the amour.
donated under the timber culture law,
equivalent to over 100000 more farms Of
the same size. Lands long titled ana
rendered partially infertile could not, of
course, enhance in value and sell in COM
petition with virgin soil donated by the
government
No legislation relative to the public do.
main has been so directly inimcal to the
farmers who had bought and paid for
the lands upon which they had lived and
iabored. 1t was impossible for farmers
products IN competition with those of
the newer states, grown upon lands
which cost their owners nothing. Re-
ferring to the impression that greater
rates or interest are charged for money
loaned upon farms than for that loaned
secretary
morton states that the rate of interest
charged on mortgages upon residential
properly other than farms averages ga
lOO or per cent less than the rate Of In
terest charged upon farm loans.
During the fiscal year just ended the
exported products of American farms
aggregated s57O, ,oO0, 900, an Increase Of
sl7,ooo,oo0 over the preceding year. In
spite of this there was falling or in +hn
percentage OF agricultural products ex-
ported to the total exports, but this was
que to tho unprecedented sale abroad of
american manufactured goods The
largest market for our products is ad-
mitted to be the home market, but the
export trade Is the regulator. the hall
ance wheel for domestic trade. It fol-
lows that the interest Of the manufac-
turer as we'll as the farmer is found in
the most rapid possible increase of the
export of farm products General pros
perity depends absolutely upon agricul-
tural prosperity and any commercial
system which will increase with celer-
ity and extend the exports of our farm
products will be of the utmost help to
agriculturists
That political economy which best ad-
vances the interest of the agriculturist
furnishes the best impetus to the manu-
facturer Of the United States. for his
best customers are farmers and those
prosperity of farms
Secretary Morton asks If nation
which, like the United States, POSSESSES
the greatest power and facilities for
producing and manufacturing things
which the world demands, Is not des-
tined to monopolize the markets of the
globe. With the most favorable condi-
tions for varied and successful agricul-
ture and the light burden of national
hn cL
compete with this in developing the best
results of human toll with a minimum of
human effort? The wonderful labor saw
ing contrivances applied to nearly every
avenue Of production, the wages paid
in the United States in the production of
wheat and cotton, for instance, are 30
to 100 per cent higher than in the coun-
tries with which we compete; so the
wages paid in manufactures from metal
are from rs to 100 per cent higher than
the wages paid workers in the same in
dustries by other nations. Under the
foregoing conditions about 100000 la
borers Of the American farms are con-
stantly employed in developing agricul-
tural products for expectation. At the
same time. with rapidly decreasing ex-
port of manufactured articles from the
United States the number Of laborers
engaged IN mechanical Occupa tions, who
must depend for their steady employ
ment upon the demand which the world
makes for American goods is constantly
decreasing.
ut is" he concludes. probably quite
safe to declare that at letst 100000 of
American workman on farms and in fac
tories subsist almost wholly upon en-
ployment based upon foreign demand
for American commodities. And in this
contest for feeding and furnishing man
Notwithstanding the fierce COM
petition which 1t meets all over the globe,
American workmen on farme and in fac
commerce are steadily gaining more
trade and thus furnishing enlarged
wages, under a gold basis, out of which
some millions of American laborers and
skilled artisans draw their yearly re-
muneration and upon which they and
their families largely depend for en-
ployment and comfort"
SHARKEY AND FITZ