The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1896-11-26
the calling may be to the needs and COM

the calling may be to the needs and COM
forts Of civilization.
Law makers can not erase the natural
laws nor restrict or efface the operation
of economic laws. 1t is beneficial ar
rangement Of the order of things and the
conditions of human life that legislators
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, Morton calls attention to the
nearly 100000 of farms of so acres each,
giNen away by the government under the
homestead act of 1886, during the past 80
years, and to the amount donated under
the timber agricultural culture law,
equivalent to over 55O,OOO more farms OF
the same size. Lands long titled and rem
oered partially unfertile could not, Of
course, enhance in value and sell in COM
petition with the virgin soil donated by
the government.
No one thing has been so directly in
imical to the farmers VINO had bought
and paid for the lands upon which they
had lived and labored. 1t was impossible
for farmers in the old states to profitably
| sell their products in competition with
those of newer states grown upon lands
which cost their owners nothing.
Referring to the impression that greater
rates of interest are charged for money
| loaned upon farms than for that loaned on
other kinds of real estate, the secretary
| says the rate of interest charged on mort
cages upon residential property other
than farms, averages S4-100 of l per cent
| less than the rate of interest charged
| upon farm loans.
Exports.
During the fiscal year just ended the
export products of American farms ag-
gregated $50 900, ,OOO an increase of s17,-
| 900, 900 over the preceding year. In spite OF
this there was a falling off in the per-
centage of agricultural products export
ed to the total exports, but this was due
to the unprecedented sale abroad of Am
erican manufactured goods. The larg
est market for our products is admitted
to be the home market, but the export
trade is our regulator, the balance whee
for domestic trade. 1t follows that thu
interest of the manufacturer as well a.
of the farmer is found in the most pos
sible increase of export of farm products
General prosperity depends absolutel!
| upon agricultural prosperity, anu all.
commercial system which will increas
with celerity and extend the exports o
our farm products will be of the utmos
help to agriculturalists.
That political economy which best nd
vances the interest Of the agriculturIs
furnishes the best impetus to the manu-
facturer of the United States for hi
best customers, who are farmers an
those who depend directly for profit upo
the prosperity of the farms.
Secretary Morton asks If natio
which, like the United States, with tn
great power and facilities for producin
and manufacturing things which tn
world demands, is not destined to me
nopolize the markets of the globe, wit
the most fay orable conditions for varie
and successful agriculture and light bun
den of national taxation, what countr
can compete with this in developing th
best results of human toll with min
mum of human effort.
The wonderful labor-saving appliance
applied to nearly every avenue of pr'
duction the wages paid in the Unite
, States, in the production of wheat an
cotton, for instance, are so to 100 p'
cent nlSner lndn lne cOuHlileS Win "hie
we compete; so the wages paid
manufacture from metal are from 25
100 per cent higher than the wages pa
workers in the same industries by 9th
: nations.
e Under the foregoing conditions abo
h / 900 laborers of the American farr
e are constantly employed in developil
n agricultural products for expectation.
5 the same time, with a rapidly decrea
e ing export of manufactured articles frc
S. the United States the number of lahore
l. engaged in mechanical operations, W
Ie must depend for their steady emplo
l. ment upon the demand which the woi
J. makes for American goods is constant
decreasing.
D Based on Foreign Demand.
lie "It is" he concludes, probably gu
1t safe to declare that at least 100000
If American workmen on farms and in fs
= tories subsist almost wholly on emplc
s. ment based on foreign demand for Anne
st can commodities. And in this contest
Of feeding and furnishing mankind-n
withstanding the fierce competition viii
'e it meets all over the globe-Americ
Mt agriculture manufacture and commei
e. are steadily gaining more trade, a
TO thus furnishing an enlarged wage flu
on a gold basis, out of which some m
TO ions of American laborers and skill
US artisans draw their yearly remunerat
he and upon which they and their famil
n largely depend for employment and &C
hs fort"