The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1896-10-03
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THE FARMER.
A Paper Read by Mr.. A. J. Mich
liner at the August Meeting
of the Cecil Farmers Club.


A farmer remarked few days ago tina
his farm didn't pay his necessary family
expenses, that he had to use some of thu
surplus of former years. This was an in
telligent man who kept track of his income
and expenses. He was also an economical
prudent man who looked sharply after hi.
business. He, at the same time, said {
neighboring farmer who had just threshed
his wheat crop, told him he had kept 4
careful account of the cost, actual outlay
in cash, not including the blowing and
cultivation in preparing the ground for the
crop and the net cash over and above the
outlay was just $3.50. This was the pay
for all his labor, out of which taxes and
other expenses not directly connected with
harvesting threshing and preparing the
grain for market had to be paid, or rather
fair portion should have been paid. Here
are some of the experiences of farmers in
this part of Cecil county, Nd. the present
year:
l think they are growing worse If they
continue and farmers have to face the pres
ent range of low prices for Il few years
more, farmers will either have to descend
to the low plane of living OF the peasants
OF France, Germany and other European
farmers or step down and out of their farms,
which will fall into the hands of large
landed capitalists, who will convert them
into great mano estates under the super
vision of specialists who will divide them
into great grazing and grain growing tracts,
the stock to he tended by the cheapest
labor and cultivated tracts worked by ma
chinery. Or, if not this, then the peasant
renting system of England and Ireland
will be adopted. Lord Sully, it is said
owns 10000 acres of the best farm land in
the State Of Illinois which is worked by
peasants who lead as miserable Il life as the
Irish peasants on his Lordship's Irish
estates. The farmers of the United States
are drifting towards these old world con-
ditions, drawing nearer to them every year
What are they going to do about it? Are
they going to remain supnely in their pres
ent defenseless condition with the certainty
that their children must face conditions
which will send them down to much
lower plane of social life than the present
generation enjoys, as hard as some of us
find it? With prices of our products going
down, our taxes are rising, both county,
State and national. 1t requires two bushels
of wheat or other products to pay as much
tax as half the amount used to pay, and
the number Of dollars of debt and interest, if
we are so unfortunate as to have debts and
interest to pay, and many Of us have, and
taxes are the same they were when our
produce brought double the amount OF
money it does at present. Our land has
fallen to half the price it used to sell for
with very few buyers.
This land is just as productive as ever il
was, probably more so, but we are CON-
PEELED to give twice as much labor and the
products of labor that we used to give to
Duy the same number OF dollars.
With abundant crops and large city mar
kets close at hand, farmers ought to ne as
prosperous, if not more so, than ever be-
fore; but we are growing poorer, and some
persons who roll in wealth tell Us oar
abundant wealth makes us poorer, that we
raise too much. this is a paradox, We can
not raise too much while there remain
hungry people who ought to be fed There
is something rotten in Denmark and the
farmers ought to set themselves to work to
find it out. They can, If they will only
try. They are the best thinkers in the
world, but they are generally lazy about
applying their thought to economic subjects.
They are able 10 both inveSti- cate the pIob-
lem and apply the remedy. The future of
this country is in the farmers hands. If
present conditions continue in!n the next
generation in all probability the power to
right public wrongs will be taken from
them, and they will drop to the condition
OF the agricultural praslutly Of Europe
and travel down hill toward that of Asiatic
counties. Southern Europe is fast APP
preaching the conditions of eastern nations
and people, and if American farmers slum-
Der, as they are doing, and permit all other
classes to tramp over them, it is only Il
question which the coming years will solve
as they have solved it in the old eastern
world. OF all student. Of social and govern
mental problems the farmer can he, and
should be, the very hest He is more free
to think, to speak and to act than any other
class of people.
An exchange, says the Prison Mirror. -