The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-05-01
THE CONDITION OF THE FARMER

fare of agriculture becomes the prime
consideration of all and the promotion
of that interest of general solicitude-
This being the time the condition OF
| the farmer becomes the real measure OI
| the condition of the country. AS mol
only the farmer and his interests but
| the manufacturer and his interests and
| the miner and his interests are in a de-
nIorabIe condition it would seem 10 be
the wise thing 10 find out the bottom
cause of the farmers trouble and its
remedy.
The total number of farmers in the
United States. as shown by the last Gen.
sus. is 4.564, 641, valued at S15.9S2, POI, :
| $50. The average farm contains 13I
acres. The total value Of all products
sold. consumed and on hand when the
census was taken for 1889 was S2.4t0,-
iO1. 454. which would make the total
value of the average farm production
S53S.94 that year.
Taking these figures as a basis and &C
cepting the deductions drawn by H. f..
Taubeneck in his book on 1.-THE Condl-
ton of the American Farm TO be corr
rect, the Denver Republican pursues
the proposition in statistical way
to ultimate which are hard TO over
thow. Thus the census shows that
there are ga persons depending ON
each farm for living, so that the av-
erage annual per capita income of the
agricultural classes in that year was
only 500. 80, or 2S.S cents each per day,
1t costs 50 a week, or $50 cents per
day to keep pauper in the poor house
of Clark county, Illinois, and the Hi
nois Southern penitentiary leases out
80 convicts at S144 each per year, or
1914 cents per day for each convict.
'"Thus we are confronted with the cold
fact that our agricultural population
is compelled to live on an income below
that provided for paupers, and receive
less for their labor than is paid for con-
victs." Is the Republicans forcible
comment on the above facts as taken
from the official records.
That the farmers of the United States
have been losing money as a class al
most continually since the demOnetiza-
ton of silver is not only cOnclusively
shown by the statistics, but is a univer-
sal experience which requires no figur-
ing TO prove, and are farmers of the
great agricultural states of Illinois,
Michigan and Ohio form no exception.
From the pamphlet alluded TO and
from the Republicans editorial we
CLEAN the following facts which we
submit in confidence to our farmer rea-
ders as worthy study and considera-
ton:
For the twenty-three years begin
ming with 1873. and ending with 1885,
the farmers of Illinois produced ILL.,
POI. go bushels of wheat The total
cost of raising the wheat was $513, 1885,
$50, or an average of ~ cents per bush
ell. The total value of the wheat crops
for the twenty-three years was $780,
196.S55, or an average of so cents per
bushel; leaving the wheat growers an
average net profit of s cents per bushel.
For the fifteen years beginning with
1881, and ending with 1895, the wheat
growers of Illinois produced 433, CD,
246 bushels Of wheat. 1t cost them
S317, 93S, 450, or an average of 1916 cents
per bushel. to raise the wheat, and they
received for it S314.90 .674 or an aver
age of 74.9 cents per bushel, leaving
a net average loss to the wheat growers
of Illinois, for fifteen years, of seven
tenths of one cent per bushel.
''For the three years from 1893 to
1895 inclusive, the wheat growers of
Illinois produced TS,324,916 bushels of
wheat. 1t cost them S54.39S,410 or
GA cents per bushel TO raise the wheat
and they received for it S37, 200, 974, or
4S.1 cents per bushel. leaving a net loss
of 21.3 cents for every bushel produced
| since the demonstration Of silver by
the present administration.
For the same twenty-three years
the farmers of Illinois produced 2,022,
054,015 bushels of oats. 1t cost them
| S5T9, 500. III, or an average of 2S.3 cents
per buShel TO raise the oats, and they
received S532, 90, 2SS, or 26.2 cents per
| bushel, leaving a net loss to the oat-
growers of Illinois of 81 cents per bu-
shell.
For the three years from 1898 to %
inclusive, since the demonstration of
silver, the oat growers of Illinois rails
ed $40, Oh, 952 bushels of oats. 1t cost
them S94, 105, 81, or $50 cents per
buShel, to raise the oats. and they re-
ceived S77.116,02I, or $50 cents per
buShel, leaving net loss TO the oat-
growers of Illinois, for the three years
named, of cents for every buShel pro-
duced.
For twenty-five years from 1872 10
1893 inclusive, the farmers Of Illinois
produced 4.579. 699. 946 bushels of corn.
1t cost them $1,609, So. 81, or an aver
age Of Sd cents per bushel, TO raise
the corn. and they received for it ST.
5lS,6I9.29 or an average of S3.1 cents
per bushel FOR every bushel produced
| since 1871.
In 1898 the farmers Of Illinois pro
duced l6I.7S7 81 bushels of corn. 1t
cost them So, 4212 .269, or an average of
"a cents per buShel. 10 raise the corn.
and they received for il ST.. 099. 6SsS. or
an average of SO cents per bushel. leav-
| ing a net loss Of ~ cents per bushel
for every bushel produced.
'"Fhe total profit since 1872 on raising
wheat was S54.4oo.2s5. and the loss on
oats S46.44S.s2S, and on corn. 50. 94a.-
cas- which leaves 4 net loss 10 the far
mers of Illinois on the three staple pro
| dncrs of So 99S. I1S. These are cold