The Louisiana populist., 1896-12-18
NO. Is

prosper at it, Then the question is not
an impuGent one, but 1t is one which
may justify some serious thinking on
the part of those to whom it is ad-
dressed.
It is said that the reason this condi-
tion exists in western Kansas is be-
cause Of the droughts TO which that seq
ton is subject. and which renders the
labor of the farmer valueless, and il is
believed that proper system OF irriga-
tion VIII obviate future trouble in that
lire. This idea has prevailed fer some
tire, and four years ago an associa-
ton under the name OF the Kansas
Irrigation Congress" was formed for
the purpose OF advising together as 10
the best means CT accomplishing ef-
fective irrigation. This congress is Jo
meet in annual session AZ Great Bend
on the 18th inst. when the matter will
again be thoroughly gone over and the
experiences OF the past year added 10
that already accumulated.
IL might be OF advantage II the con-
gress is not prevented by cast iron rules
from discussing anything but irriga-
tion. for this presumably intelligent
body Of men TO glance at n few facts
which seem 10 indicate that even n ir-
rigation is successful IL will be OF but
little If any benefit TO Kansas farmers.
unless followed by important and radi-
cal economic and social changes else
IL l.. O.. H..s sA
ports of the Illinois Agricultural board.
that the farmers of the Garden State"
the finest and most prolific state in the
Union. have for the last quarter of a
century steadily lost money by their
farming operations. II is fact proven
by the census report for 1890 that thirty
counties in Illinois. being nearly one
third of the state. have lost in popula-
tion during that time, and that counties
showing gain in population invari-
ably contain towns and cities which
have absorbed all, and in many cases
more than all the increase. 1t is a fact
proven by the columns of thousands OF
papers and periodicals, as we'll as some
OF the national agricultural reports,
that many very fluent writers ascribe
this depressed condition Of agriculture,
| the bad effects of which are so con-
| spicuous in the state of Illinois, to the
over production of farm crops and the
consequent low prices which the farm
ers have had to accept.
These three facts alone indicate that
| something more than irrigation" is
| needed to help Kansas farmers out OF
their present bad condition. No one
has ever thought of proposing ''irriga-
tion" as a likely means of making the
business of farming profitable in Illi-
nois, and yet there are more counties
| in Illinois that show a loss of farming
| population than there are in Kansas
| and the decrease in tlxable wealth
owned by Illinois farmers is in greater
| proportion than that OF Kansas farm
| ers
Some other facts which should be put
| with these. and which being added
| thereto, form a very suggestive whole,
are that corporations. railroad. express,
| telegraph, banking and others. have
| thrived during this period Of agricul-
| tural depression as they never did be-
fore: that while the prices Of farm
| products have tended slowly down
ward until IL has frequently happened
that corn has been used for fuel be-
cause IL was cheaper than coal. suffer
| ing. dcstitution and starvation have
oeen as common in this country as they
are in "pauper Europe" that while
a few men have become so colossal In
their ability to command money as TO
have the treasury of the United States
at their mercy. farmers by the thou
sands and tens OF thousands in the
| best farming state in the Union have
lost their homes to money lending cor
| porations. and are to-day tenants at
will where they were formerly masters.
Let the men who compose the Kan
sas Irrigation Congress consider these
facts in all their plain significance and
Il may probably occur to them that In
spending their time and efforts In try
ing to devise means OF increasing the
production OF Kansas farms under our
present illogical and devilish system OF
distribution they have put the cart be-
| fore the horse. and that they would be
better employing their talents and en-
| ergies in trying to learn why 1t Is that
people are starving in the midst OF a
market seemingly glutted with farm
products.