The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-08-28

L beileNe tne Sel1-reSpectlng far merS of
the land will resent in their own effective
way all attempts to trifle with their in
telligence and, choosing to do their own
thinking, will reject theory that as
cribes their troubles to supposed silver
policy which out of six staple products of
agriculture depresses one and advances
five, one of which CORN, reduced to tons,
outweighs all the rest. They will be
more suspicious and resentful of such fall
lacious methods when they lie arm that the
two great staples-wheat and cotton
singled out to prove Il financial theory are
just the two which are most acutely feel
ing the effects of n worldwide COMPETE
ton, for it is just these two staples
which, within the last twenty years. have
most largely felt, the world over, the i'm
pulse growing out of the improved meth
DDS of culture, labor saving and produc-
ton cheapening, and, above all, of the
amazing development of rapid and easy
communication with the great CONNER
cial nations of the world. Hence, great
producing countries like Russia, India,
South Africa and South America are en-
gagged in a life and death struggle for the
markets of the world with our own wheat
growers and cotton planters.
For one hundred years the Malthusian
theory of the insufficiency of human labor
anu vi uIC Otii VI CuDuClCN
supply the wants of it's inhabitants dom
mated, thoughts of political economists;
but students of the subject now tell us
that 1.-THE worlds possible production ex-
ceeds its possible demand" They assert
that 1.-the tropical regions of Africa and
South America alone could supply food
| for the whole world.n And this '.possible
production is rapidly becoming the
actual production
Mr.. Tourgee, in n recent learned article
in the American )urnal of Sociology.
| declares that "the only logical remedy
for the present inequality between pro-
duction and consumption is the restric-
ton of production"
Experience is forcing this conclusion
| practically upon those most nearly con-
| cerned. AS far back as 1870, in the center
| OF the greatest cotton growing region of
the South, there had been Organized n
mississippi Cotton Planters Associa-
tion," one of whose objects was "to urge
on all classes interested the absolute i'm
portance of a diversity of crops, in order
that we may be a self-sustaining country.
| and consequently that cotton shall be-
come surplus instead of, as now, the
only crop" GSee Appleton's Encyclopedia
| 1870. This is one illustration of how
! mems minds are ready to open to the real
meaning of actual experience But it is
pitiful to think of the masses, who need
the light, being the dupes of designing
! politicians and the victims of hypotheti-
cal financial theories. Let us have broad,
generous discussion of these wide reach
| ing.economic questions-not illogical half
| truths-a genuine campaign of educa-
| ton"
The Year Book of the Department of
| Agriculture, y 1895, which, with amusing
| innocence or singular ignorance of the
true bearing of its contents, the Demo-
cratic Representative in this Congress.
sional district is distributing among his
| constituents, is full of most wholesome
food for reflection on all that makes for
| the best interests of the agricultuist.
| One cannot too highly commend the very
learned and instructive report of the hon
orable secretary of that department. ON
which the Government is expanding an
| nually s., 200, 000-a report that sums nm
in lucid and self commencing statements
the burning question, 1.-THE future of the
farmers and farming in the United
states. INQUIRER.